Coaches Share Goal: No Errors

Football coaches at Westlake and Camarillo high schools agree on who will win their Southern Section Division III semifinal tonight at Westlake.

Stop the presses for the following scintillating quote.

“The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins,” both coaches said.

Well, fellows, before blasting you for spooning over such an inane cliche, let’s take a look at what happened the last time your teams met.

Our apologies.

Camarillo, with no turnovers and a puny five yards in penalties, defeated the Warriors, 33-29. Westlake had three turnovers, 85 yards in penalties and couldn’t even get through the coin flip without a mistake.

After Camarillo chose to defend a goal to go with the wind, a Warrior captain told the referee his team would kick off.

Looking back, all the boo-boos encourage Westlake, which realizes its mistake-riddled effort was almost enough to knock off the near-perfect Scorpions. Camarillo outgained Westlake by four yards, 382 to 378.

“It was a game of missed opportunities for us,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said.

Rectifying the missed opportunity of a year ago is Westlake’s mission. Marmonte League foe Newbury Park defeated the Warriors in the regular season and again in the semifinals a year ago.

Westlake’s psychology is to turn negatives into positives. Camarillo (11-1) might have a 10-game winning streak and its first league title since 1984, but Westlake (10-2) has a seasoned group of seniors with experience in the semifinals.

“It’s been in the minds of all the guys to get back to the semifinals,” said tailback Jon Weems, who rushed for 132 yards in the league game against Camarillo. “With the talent we have, everyone assumed we would get there again.”

A reprise of the Oct. 25 meeting would suit Camarillo, which stuck to its season-long script and overcame a 21-12 halftime deficit to win. The Scorpions also came from behind to defeat Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Agoura.

And, of course, quarterback Joe Borchard was front and center. He ran 13 yards for a touchdown that put Camarillo ahead, 26-21, then hit tight end Justin Denham with a 47-yard touchdown pass with 7 minutes 30 seconds to play for the winning points.

Borchard is the most obvious reason for Camarillo’s finest season since it won a Southern Section championship in 1984, but the Scorpion defense is an equal player.

Or players. Inside linebacker Eugene Jackson, outside linebacker Randy Bryce, nose guard Charles Sandlin and safety Justin Howe anchor a unit that has made the adjustments necessary to shut down teams in the second half.

“There is no weak link,” said Gil Mendoza, a defensive coach in his first year at Camarillo after 23 seasons as an assistant at Moorpark College. “As guys have learned how to play their positions, we’ve improved steadily.”

The defense makes big plays. Camarillo has 15 interceptions, returning them for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson has five interceptions, Howe has four and speedy cornerback Andy Kroneberger has three.

An interception and 31-yard return by Kroneberger stopped Westlake’s drive to open the third quarter and turned the game’s momentum.

The secondary will try to stop Casey Preston, who has passed for a school-record 3,383 yards and 37 touchdowns. He is 194 of 334 with 12 interceptions.

Borchard is nearly as lethal, having completed 170 of 344 for 2,526 yards and 27 touchdowns.