DAILY NEWS GAME OF THE WEEK: MULLALY CARRIES THE LOAD HE RUSHES FOR 226 YARDS AND 3 TDS IN VICTORY WESTLAKE 20, T.O. 0.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - This was no time to bathe, but Merrill Mullaly's filthy, mud-stained jersey got an impromptu wash. The Westlake High senior tailback was tackled into a makeshift pond on the sideline.

``That was cool,'' he said.

Mullaly's uniform probably will need an extra spin cycle or two to rinse off the grime. Such was the sacrifice for carrying Westlake's offense in Friday night's 20-0 win at Thousand Oaks.

The Warriors (7-2, 6-0) won their sixth consecutive Marmonte League game and remained tied for first with unbeaten Moorpark to set up a showdown for the league championship next week.

Mullaly rushed for 226 yards and scored all three Westlake touchdowns. On a night when the teams combined for just four passes and zero yards through the air, Mullaly was responsible for 38 of the Warriors' 50 offensive plays. Thousand Oaks had just 64 yards of offense.

Mullaly was supposed to form half of a talented backfield tandem with speedy senior Kenneth Mackins. Only a dinged-up shoulder and a need to play him on defense has limited Mackins' reps. Entering play, Mullaly's 134 carries (for 749 yards) more than tripled Mackins' attempts.

``I'm pretty tired,'' said Mullaly, who welcomed the increased workload in place of Mackins. ``All the plays worked pretty good.''

With the Warriors already leading 14-0 and the rain falling even heavier into the third quarter, Mullaly showed no signs of slowing down after a busy first half. He broke through a hole on the right side for a clinching 74-yard touchdown.

``Merrill's a tough player. If there's one guy on the team who can do that, it's Merrill,'' quarterback Erik Vose said. ``It's hard to run on this. Down there (on the opposite side of the field) it's about four inches deep of straight mud.''

Westlake coach Jim Benkert, surveying the swampy conditions during pregame warmups, worried about field position. Thousand Oaks (4-5, 3-3) has the region's best punter, Jesse Ainsworth.

But rather than play the percentages, Lancers coach Mike Sanders gambled and went bust in the second quarter. On a fourth-and-2 at the 27, Ainsworth was in punt formation, but quarterback Lance Baird fielded the direct snap and ran. He only gained 1 yard, and the failed fake gave Westlake a short field to work from at the 28.

Mullaly went to work again, gaining 4 yards and then 22 on the next carry to reach the 2. On the next play, he crashed through the middle to make it 14-0 with 7:51 left in the first half.

That was the second time Westlake took advantage of a favorable starting point. On the first play from scrimmage, Baird had trouble on the exchange and the Warriors recovered the fumble on the Thousand Oaks 35.

Mullaly gained every one of the yards on a six-play touchdown drive. He scored from the 5 to give the Warriors an early advantage less than three minutes into the game.

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Photo:

Westlake running back Merrill Mullaly (44) slips in the mud Friday during the Warriors' victory over Thousand Oaks.

Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News

Box:

Inside the NUMBERS

Compiled by Sean Ceglinsky