Westlake Raises Plenty of Hands

Is there any team in the region that could lose its No. 1 receiver to injury at the start of a game and not falter one bit?

Try second-ranked Westlake High, which lost Travis Campbell to a shoulder injury, then turned to Mike Seidman, Kevin Howard and Chris Catalano en route to a 27-6 intersectional victory over El Camino Real on Friday night.

“Oh yeah,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said when asked if this was the best group of receivers in school history.

Seidman, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end, caught 10 passes for 106 yards. At one point, El Camino Real needed five players to drag Seidman to the turf. Howard, whose future is in baseball, caught five passes for 96 yards and one touchdown. Catalano, a junior, grabbed six passes for 61 yards.

“Our offense was pretty powerful,” Seidman said. “Even when you lose a player like Travis, look what we can do.”

Give lots of credit to improving junior quarterback Zac Wasserman, who completed 22 of 33 passes for 231 yards and also ran for a touchdown. Last season, Wasserman threw 16 interceptions. Against the Conquistadores, he threw his first interception of the season.

“He’s becoming the complete package,” Seidman said.

Another valuable weapon for Westlake (3-0) is tailback Julian Lambert, a junior transfer from Birmingham. For the third straight game, Lambert surpassed the 100-yard mark in rushing yards. He finished with 120 yards in 15 carries and scored on a 14-yard run.

El Camino Real (1-1-1) gave the Warriors a brief scare by closing to within 13-6 with 11:27 left when Devontra Hargrove scored on a nine-yard run. It capped an 11-play, 55-yard drive directed by quarterback Jonathan Graham.

El Camino Real had picked up just two first downs in the first half in falling behind, 13-0, but the Conquistadores refused to be intimidated by Westlake’s weapons.

The Warriors, however, responded by getting the ball again and again to Seidman.

“Don’t let [No.] 81 get a clear shot down field,” El Camino Real assistant coach Terry Fischer yelled to the Conquistador defenders trying to deal with Seidman.

Of course, that’s easier to suggest than to accomplish. Seidman’s size and mobility separates him from most on the field.

“It’s all about playing hard,” Seidman said.

El Camino Real struggled on offense without a healthy DeAngelo Nedd, who gained 26 yards in eight carries while playing with a variety of injuries.

Campbell was injured on the first play of the game while gaining four yards. On the next play, he completed a 41-yard pass to Howard, then went to the sideline.

“When you lose a player like Travis, it’s like losing an arm,” Seidman said.

Lucky for Westlake, it has many arms when it comes to receivers.