The run game has been a point of emphasis for Westlake the last couple of weeks leading up to its first round 6A playoff matchup against Copper Hills.
The Thunder’s ground and pound approach proved to be very effective, with Westlake proving to be too much for Copper Hills, coming away victorious in a high scoring affair, 41-26.
“Obviously it’s always great to get a win. From an offensive standpoint 41 points is really good, but to give up 26 points on defense is definitely something we need to get better at if we want any chance of making it far in the playoffs,” said Westlake head coach Arnold Ale.
Westlake scored five touchdowns on the night, all of which were on the ground. The home side got a standout performance from Nusi Taumopeau, who had three rushing touchdowns, including a clutch 25-yard run early in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach.
Dreyson Afuvai also contributed to the offense with two rushing touchdowns of his own.
“We worked on our running game a lot and we figured that was our best way to protect the ball,” Ale said. “We tend to turn over the ball too much sometimes, so we turned to the ground and pound to try to limit those turnovers. We’ve been working on it a lot over the past two or three weeks and we’re going to ride that through the playoffs.”
Things couldn’t have started any better for Westlake, as it got a 15-yard touchdown run by Taumopeau and a field goal later in the opening quarter to take a 10-0 lead into the second.
The second quarter was not kind to Westlake in the slightest, however. Penalties constantly put Westlake in tough positions, and the Thunder defense allowed Copper Hills to put up 20 points in the quarter.
Just one score by Westlake in the quarter saw the Grizzlies hold a slim lead at 20-17 heading into the break.
Whatever the halftime message was by Ale to his defense was well-received, as the unit tightened up and only allowed Copper Hills to score six points for the entirety of the second half.
The stellar rushing performance combined with the ability to limit turnovers propelled Westlake to victory and on to the next round of the playoffs.
As a reward, Westlake will next face 6A powerhouse Corner Canyon, which was on a bye as a result of being the No. 1 seed. Ale knows the task that is ahead for his team but is confident his team has what it takes to pull the upset.
“Corner Canyon obviously has a great program and is a really well-coached team. We’re going into the game prepared to win and we’re going to tell our guys that anything can happen on any given Friday and we’re not going to back down,” Ale said.
“Our message to the guys is that we’re not going to play against Corner Canyon, we’re playing against ourselves. We just have to focus on us and execute.”