Westlake Passed by Thousand Oaks

It was a wily call, with tight end Jeff Wyly carrying the ball all the way into the end zone.

The 44-yard pass play cemented Thousand Oaks High’s 25-21 victory over Westlake on Friday night in a Marmonte League game between unbeaten teams.

Thousand Oaks was nursing a 19-14 lead with 2 minutes 30 seconds left, and Westlake defenders were certain the Lancers would stay true to their conservative nature and try to run out the clock.

Try again.

Quarterback Scott McEwan made a deft play-fake, sucking in the Westlake safeties, and Wyly was left wide open, giving Thousand Oaks (5-0-1, 3-0) a 25-14 lead.

“There was too much time and Westlake is too explosive for us to sit on the ball at that point,” Thousand Oaks Coach Mike Kelly said.

Sure enough, Westlake (5-1, 2-1) came back to score 36 seconds later.

Casey Preston hit Elliot Kane with a 52-yard bomb, setting up an 11-yard scoring pass to Scott Swaving with 1:47 to play.

This time, the Lancers ran out most of the clock after recovering an onside kick, although it took a 43-yard punt by Scott Ange to pin Westlake at its 21 with 15 seconds to play.

“People have been asking me, ‘Is T.O. a good team?’ ” Kelly said. “The answer is ‘Yes. “

Another question answered affirmatively was whether the Lancers’ offensive line could improve after several mediocre performances.

McEwan had time to complete nine of 12 passes for 207 yards, and Thousand Oaks rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns.

“I was surprised they ran the ball as well as they did,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said. “Their offensive line definitely controlled the line of scrimmage.”

Westlake, ranked No. 1 in The Times’ Valley Poll, took control early, capitalizing on a Lancer fumble to take a 7-0 lead on a 23-yard pass from Preston to Joey Cuppari.

Eleo Cuadra scored on runs of eight and seven yards in the second quarter to give Thousand Oaks a 12-7 halftime lead. The Lancers chewed up much of the second period with an 84-yard, 12-play drive.

The third quarter was scoreless, setting the stage for a furious fourth quarter in which four touchdowns were scored.

Following a 52-yard punt by Westlake’s Kjell Nesen, who got off four kicks while wearing a cast on his right arm and hand, Thousand Oaks marched 85 yards, scoring on a one-yard run by McEwan to take a 19-7 lead with 6:22 to play.

A 60-yard pass play to tight end Bryan Hill brought the ball to the 10.

Westlake answered back within a minute. A pass of 41 yards from Preston to Swaving was followed three plays later by a 23-yard scoring pass from Preston to Kane on fourth down, cutting the deficit to 19-14.

Thousand Oaks made a key first down on a third-and-six run of 16 yards by Jud Southwell, and it appeared the Lancers might sit on the ball.

Instead, they went to Wyly, a junior who had five catches for 84 yards.

“Our secondary got caught up in their play action, trying to stop the run,” Benkert said.