No Beef Over the Outcome

Getting slab-happy with a rival is an unlikely way to prepare for a football game, but Thousand Oaks and Westlake highs engaged in a rib-eating contest Monday that built camaraderie along with a thick layer of barbecue sauce on the players’ faces.

There was no bone of contention over the outcome. Thousand Oaks out-ate Westlake, 299-291, during the 40-minute feeding frenzy.

“It was really competitive, and really hilarious,” said Mike Leibin, a Westlake assistant who played wide receiver for the Warriors in 1994. Leibin added somewhat forlornly, “We didn’t have a rib-eating contest when I played.”

The teams had only a couple of days to digest the outcome. Thousand Oaks (3-3, 2-1 in league play) plays at Westlake (4-2, 3-0) tonight at 7 in a Marmonte League game that will be telecast on Fox Sports West 2.