COACHES LIKE RESULTS WESTLAKE TAKES A HUGE STEP UP.Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer WESTLAKE VILLAGE - Coaches Jim Benkert and Darryl Smith have been together for 12 years at Westlake High. But they disagree when asked about the Warriors' practice habits. ``This is a really hard team to read. But every time they've responded,'' said Smith, the Warriors quarterbacks coach. Benkert, the head coach countered: ``I think we're a good practice team. He's just comparing it to last year, when we were a great practice team. This year we have a lot of inexperienced in·ex·pe·ri·ence n. 1. Lack of experience. 2. Lack of the knowledge gained from experience. in players.'' Not anymore. Westlake played with the savvy of a seasoned unit and overwhelmed o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. No. 1 Hart 23-13 Thursday night. Westlake's supposed rebuilding year has now been exposed. A Fox Sports Net 2 television audience was among the believers. The list also includes Hart coach Mike Herrington, whose Indians had their 25-game winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. by a swarming swarming 1. a phenomenon observed in cultures of Proteus spp. on solid media in which there is progressive surface spreading from the parent colony. 2. the periodic bee migration of the old queen and accompanying workers and drones from a full original hive which is Westlake defense and an efficient special teams corps. ``They are fast on defense, and they're a solid team. They've got good team speed and good skill guys,'' Herrington said. The Warriors' 11 sacks of Hart's Kyle Matter included seven from senior linebacker Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Reed, one of just a handful of starters back from last season's 13-1 Southern Section Division IV champions. And Reed, a former defensive lineman, had to learn a new position. But he terrorized Matter throughout the night. ``When we practice, we might look like an average team,'' said Reed, giving validity to Smith's analysis. ``But when we play, we really go hard.'' Quarterback Todd Feiereisen, now the Warriors' starter after Cory Miles suffered a broken ankle, wasn't sharp throwing the football but made whatever contributions he could to give Hart miserable field position. Three of the junior's punts pinned Hart back inside its 10. Ensuing en·sue intr.v. en·sued, en·su·ing, en·sues 1. To follow as a consequence or result. See Synonyms at follow. 2. To take place subsequently. turnovers led to 14 Warriors' points. ``Our special teams made some big plays to turn the tide,'' Feiereisen said. ``Our team definitely comes together in crunch time.'' Westlake is a whisker away from starting 3-0. The Warriors rallied from 14-0 down last Saturday at Clovis West but were stopped a yard short on a two-point conversion In American football and Canadian football, a team may try to score a two-point conversion (score two points) instead of an extra point (one point) immediately after it scores a touchdown. in the final minute of a 24-23 loss to the state's 14th-ranked team. The Warriors had just three days to prepare for the Indians, ranked fourth in the state. But Westlake made the most of its limited practice time. ``It did hurt us offensively from a game plan standpoint,'' Benkert said. ``We're still young. That's what is exciting about this team.'' And just think if the Warriors were a good practice team. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Westlake's Bill Thompson is lifted in the air by Hart players. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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