Benkert, Kelly Had Handle on Situation From Start to Finish

Percolating with the supercharged subplot of a cross-town rivalry, Thousand Oaks’ 25-21 victory over top-ranked Westlake before an overflow crowd of 8,000 was a game the players will never forget.

Yet its aftermath was especially revealing of the coaches, Mike Kelly of Thousand Oaks and Jim Benkert of Westlake.

Moments after the momentous victory on Friday, the Lancers inexplicably made a mad dash for the locker room.

“Hey, where are you going?,” Kelly yelled. “Stay here and enjoy it!”

Kelly wanted his team to linger on the field, hug parents and kiss girlfriends the way victorious football players have done for decades. He wanted them to bask in the glow until somebody with a bunch of keys dangling from his belt turned out the stadium lights.

Meanwhile, Benkert gathered his squad and calmly put the Marmonte League loss in perspective. No blaming, no excuse-making. Benkert spoke as plainly and rationally as an executive speaking to stockholders.

Westlake’s communications system from the sidelines to assistant coaches above the press box failed early in the game, yet Benkert refused to say it was a factor. He lauded the Lancers and even managed a smile or two answering reporters’ questions.

“It hurts because it’s our first loss and the kids have known the T.O. guys, some of them since grade school,” he said. “But we have an excellent football team that has room to become even stronger.”

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Silver anniversary: Another Lancer coach savoring the victory is Bob Shoup, the offensive coordinator, who 25 years ago led Cal Lutheran to a NAIA national championship.

Did beating Westlake come close to that magical day in 1971?

“It does because this is today and that was 1971,” Shoup said. “Of course, nothing can replace the feelings I have for that Cal Lu team.”

Shoup and players from the national championship team were honored Saturday at Cal Lutheran’s homecoming game against Occidental.

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Dream therapy: With Westlake’s loss, unbeaten Taft probably will ascend to No. 1 in the area rankings, but the Toreadors must leave their best player behind.

Sedric Hurns, an explosive runner who has gained 619 yards, either tore or severely pulled ligaments in a knee, probably ending his season.

Not that Hurns believes it for a second.

“Sedric is enthused about coming back,” said Larry Clark, Hearn’s stepfather. “He’s not the type of person who mopes. Sedric is very optimistic. He thinks that with therapy he can come back in two weeks.”

Considering Hurns’ cast won’t come off for four weeks, that’s dreaming. But don’t count the tailback out if Taft advances deep into the City Section playoffs.

“He will do what it takes to get back into the lineup as soon as it’s safe,” Clark said. “That’s the kind of person he is.”

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Add injury: Rick Thomas, the Canyon quarterback knocked unconscious on a hit by Hart defensive end Seth Schienle, was fine Saturday, although he cannot remember anything of the game.

Thomas felt tingling from his knees to his feet upon regaining consciousness on the field, and was taken to a hospital. Doctors will keep him out of practice until Friday, when his condition will be reevaluated.

“I think I can play,” he said. “I hope so.”

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Stat of the week: Newbury Park’s 48-40 victory over Agoura was noteworthy in several respects, but none more than the fact that no turnovers were committed.

Newbury Park’s Chris Czernek set a Ventura County record by passing for 426 yards, breaking the mark of 423 set by Simi Valley’s Eric Bennett in 1992.

Czernek, who set a state record with 4,362 yards last season, has 1,954 this season, the most in the area.

Agoura’s Jason Gordon enhanced his reputation as the Marmonte League’s best running back by gaining 200 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Gordon has 819 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

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Sound thinking: Leave it to a no-nonsense lineman to sort out what has become a messy quarterback controversy at Chatsworth.

Travis Winn, a senior, led the Chancellors to three victories in four games, completing 42 of 69 passes for 582 yards and six touchdowns with three interceptions.

The performance earned him a demotion in favor of Ryan Martinez, a versatile junior who had been starting at slotback and strong safety.

Martinez, who split time at quarterback last season, also happens to be the son of offensive coordinator Ron Martinez.

“I thought it was a little strange, so I asked the coaches what was going on,” said Jeremy Atteberry, a two-way starting lineman and captain. “I was satisfied with what they told me. Travis has a better arm but Ryan is more disciplined.”

Martinez was less than outstanding last week in a 13-10 loss to El Camino Real. He completed 10 of 22 passes for 138 yards with an interception.

“I knew I would get a lot flak for this,” Coach Myron Gibford said. “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have made the change. There is no nepotism.”

Martinez suffered a mild knee injury that kept him sidelined Friday night against Kennedy. Given another shot, Winn threw two touchdown passes and four interceptions in a 35-20 loss.

Who will start next week? David Winn, Travis’ father, won’t be surprised if it’s Martinez. And he points at the offensive coordinator as the reason.

“This is somebody with a history of doing this,” said David Winn, who has met with the Chatsworth principal over the matter. “He believes his son has to be the star.”

Atteberry, a friend of both quarterbacks, politely disagrees.

“If [Ron Martinez] wanted to play his son, he would have had him there from the start,” he said.

“I think Travis has been treated fairly. I don’t care who plays quarterback as long as he gets the job done.”

That also is the stated mission of Ron Martinez, who has coached since 1970 at the college, junior college and high schools levels.

“We make personnel decisions as a staff and when we went to Ryan, I was the most resistant to it,” Martinez said. “What’s disheartening is that our kids have worked so hard, and to experience this, they can’t help be distracted.”

Staff writer Michael Lazarus contributed to this report.