Westlake Wins Hart-Stopper, 26-24

Watching was the equivalent of sitting in on an honors class. Advanced Football 101. College prep all the way.

Westlake High defeated Hart, 26-24, Friday night in a nonleague game that showcased two crisp, cerebral and inspired teams. They had done their homework and were ready for a test.

Westlake is top-ranked in The Times Valley poll, displacing Hart, the preseason No. 1. Both teams made it clear the rankings were legitimate.

Not until cornerback Bret Young batted away Travis Carroll’s two-point conversion pass intended for Scott Collins with 43 seconds to play could Westlake (3-0) celebrate its first victory over the Indians (1-2) in five tries.

Carroll hooked up with Collins in the corner of the end zone on a fourth-down play from the 21-yard line to pull Hart within two, but a confounding inability to make a conversion foiled the Indians.

A bad snap botched a kick after their first touchdown, and they failed on two-point tries thereafter.

Each team scored one touchdown in each quarter. Extra-point kicks by Kjell Nesen on Westlake’s first and last scores were the difference.

Leading, 19-18, Westlake scored the clinching touchdown on a wobbly, 43-yard desperation pass by Casey Preston that a diving Jonathan Weems caught in the end zone with five minutes to play. After a penalty and a sack, Westlake faced a second-and-33 on the scoring play.

“That was the worst pass I’ve ever thrown, it was embarrassing to watch,” Preston said.

Westlake Coach Jim Benkert saw the same pass, but had a different view.

“That pass made me proud,” he said. “He made something happen in a tough situation. He let our athlete be an athlete.”

That would be Weems, a senior tailback who also rushed for 195 yards in 24 carries. Besides two sacks of Preston, Weems was the Warriors’ only ballcarrier.

“It was time for Jonathan to take center stage,” Benkert said.

Meanwhile, Hart’s best athlete, receiver-running back Cody Joyce, barely touched the ball. He had no receptions and rushed for 12 yards in four carries.

“It was a situation where they were looking for him,” Hart Coach Mike Herrington said. “Other people were open.”

Carroll found them often, completing 15 of 29 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The senior also played the entire game at safety and made an interception.

Preston had nearly identical passing numbers, connecting on 15 of 29 for 221 yards and three touchdowns, including an 11-yard strike to Joey Cuppari that gave Westlake a 19-18 lead in the third quarter.

Hart opened the game with a 95-yard drive that took 11 plays and less than four minutes. Carroll scored from one yard, but the snap was botched on the extra-point try.

Westlake countered by scoring in four plays--two passes from Preston and runs of 18 and 37 yards by Weems. Nesen’s kick made it 7-6.

A four-yard run by Joyce put Hart ahead, 12-7, with nine minutes to play in the half.

Westlake bounced back. Preston connected with Elliot Kane on a 37-yard pass play and hit Cuppari for a 19-yard touchdown.