WESTLAKE SHAKES OFF PAST, SLO; WARRIORS RALLY TO WIN SECTION TITLE : WESTLAKE 24, SLO 21.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer So accustomed to easy victories and outmanned opponents, Westlake High found itself in the fight of its life against San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. . Real champions battle to the end - and win. Westlake can wear their Southern Section Division III
Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. title with pride. Ben Lorier saved the championship by blocking Nate Bass' 25-yard attempt with 1 minute, 47 seconds remaining, and the Warriors won 24-21 in front of a large but disappointed crowd at Cal Poly Cal Poly may refer to:
``It feels just amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. ,'' said Lorier, a 6-foot, 195-pound linebacker too emotionally exhausted to say anything more. After six consecutive playoff play·off also play-off n. Sports 1. A final game or series of games played to break a tie. 2. A series of games played to determine a championship. Noun 1. appearances and two losses in the semifinals, Westlake (13-1) is finally large and in charge. Westlake's Zac Wasserman overcame a shaky first half to complete 16 of 31 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with Michael Brignac on a 27-yard touchdown with just over six minutes remaining to give the Warriors the lead the for good. In a wild fourth quarter, San Luis San Luis, city (1991 pop. 110,353), capital of San Luis prov., W central Argentina. The city is the commercial center of an area producing cattle, corn, and asparagus; the surrounding area has timber and mineral resources. San Luis is a popular resort. Obispo's Scott Garrison scored two touchdowns within 26 seconds - on a 35-yard reception and a 29-yard run - before the down-but-not-out Warriors rebounded. Brignac outmaneuvered Barret Burkett for the football on the winning touchdown. ``We just wanted to win this game so bad,'' Brignac said. ``This is very special.'' Wasserman, hobbled by a sore ankle, came through heroically. He completed nine of his last 10, and finishes the season with 2,734 yards and 37 touchdowns. Besides a loss in the second week of the season, all of Westlake's previous victories had been relatively easy. Not tonight. The Warriors had a 10-point fourth quarter lead before Garrison's two quick touchdowns. ``It's kind of a cliche, but we just wouldn't be denied,'' linebacker Jordan Lampos said. ``We just never let down, and we came back hard.'' Coach Jim Benkert liked the way his team maintained its poise. Finally, 1999 is the year of the Warriors. ``We had some bad things happen to us, but we made a great run, and our kids responded,'' said Benkert. He was referring to this game, but couldn't have been referring to the decade. Westlake looked terrific on its first series, driving 80 yards in five plays, culminating in Wasserman's 12-yard touchdown pass to Chris Catalano. The Warriors appeared on their way to yet another easy triumph when SLO SLO Slovenia (ISO Country Identifier) SLO San Luis Obispo (California) SLO Service Level Objectives (information technology services) (12-2) botched botch tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es 1. To ruin through clumsiness. 2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle. 3. To repair or mend clumsily. n. 1. a punt four plays and Westlake had the ball back at the SLO 25. However, Wasserman was intercepted in the end zone shortly thereafter - the first of three first-half interceptions - and Westlake failed to convert a first down on the next three possessions. The Warriors got a big break when SLO's Scott Dodge fumbled away an interception return, leading to Drew Thomas' 25-yard field to give Westlake a 10-7 lead at intermission. CAPTION(S): photo, box PHOTO (color) Westlake's Jordan Lampos, who helped lead a standout defensive effort, takes down San Luis Obispo running back Khaled Elmasri. Michael Owen
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