WHS braces for Camarillo's air attack
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers CHAMPS AGAIN- Westlake High quarterback Nick Owens, left, celebrates a touchdown with wide receivers Curtis Peterson and Justin Bignell during last week's 26-18 victory over Moorpark. With the win, the Warriors clinched a share of the Marmonte League title with Newbury Park.

In the playoffs, execution in all three phases of the game- offense, defense and special teams- is often the difference between moving on and going home.

It should be of little surprise, then, that both the Westlake and Camarillo high school football teams were stressing special-teams play early in practice this week.

While a Westlake assistant coach boisterously voiced his disapproval for a missed point-after attempt during the previous weekend's victory, Warrior players ran sprints, did push-ups and rapidly worked on shoring up their kickprotection along the offensive line.

Ditto the intensity over the Conejo Grade at Camarillo, where head coach Dennis Riedmiller ran through field-goal drills like a postseason game was teetering in the balance.

"People who don't spend time on special teams, they might be hurting themselves a little bit," Riedmiller said. "Because I'll tell you what, (special teams) will win football games for you."

When the two teams face off at Westlake in the first round of the CIFSouthern Section Northern Division playoffs at 7 p.m. on Friday, the Marmonte League cochampion Warriors (7-3) will field one of the most dangerous special teams players in the county- senior place kicker/ punter Jordan Mannisto.

Mannisto has made 9-of-12 field goals, including conversions of 47, 48, 50 and 52 yards. The 50-yard kick came as time expired against Thousand Oaks in Week 8, giving WHS a 17-14 win.

In addition, Mannisto has averaged 41.4 yards per punt and has 46 touchbacks on 49 kickoffs.

"I'll tell you right now, if we're up by two and they have the ball, I'm going to be scared to death," Riedmiller said. "Jordan Mannisto is probably one of the best kickers in the state, if not the country. That's how good he is. He can kick the ball from 60 (yards) in, maybe even further."

Camarillo's impact player doesn't work on special teams, but he does make his living through the air.

ACHS quarterback Marcus Sanchez has been one of the county's breakout athletes during the fall season. The senior signalcaller has completed 176-of-285 passes for 2,278 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Sanchez has a trio of 300yard passing games for the 7-3 Scorpions.

"Their quarterback is the guy that really has his hands on the ball," Westlake head coach Jim Benkert said. "He makes the plays on offense. Their running game is adequate, but to move the ball their quarterback has to be on."

Sanchez has studied the Warrior defense and said they are a wellcoached unit that will be difficult to solve. Still, the quarterback believes there will be opportunities for the Scorpions' vertical passing attack.

"They have a good defense and some good athletes," Sanchez said. "But there are holes in every defense, and we have to take what they give us and play our game. We have to play as a team if we want to win."

Camarillo has four quality wide receivers in Kevin Kawamoto, Anthony Pinedo, Aulama Lemalu and Cameron Cruz. The quartet has combined for 16 touchdowns and 1,970 receiving yards.

If Riedmiller is forced to go to the air to try and win the game, he said he has the utmost confidence in Sanchez and the rest of the offense to get the job done.

"I have no problem with Marcus having the game in his hands," the coach said. "It's been like that for 11 weeks and he's done a great job. . . . He's been the steady force in our offense, and when he's on, he's on, and it will be tough to stop him once he gets going."

On the opposite sideline, Westlake's offense has undergone a transformation since midseason. A two-back, pro-style system early in the year, the Warriors began utilizing the shotgun in Week 6 against Royal High, and the unit has responded with 30.4 points per game during the past five weeks.

"It's a matter of us changing things up every week," Benkert said. "We're not good enough to line up over and over again and say, 'This is what we do. Go ahead and stop us.' People would be able to stop us, but we've been very balanced with our running game and our throwing game, and that's very important to keep teams guessing."

Westlake wideout Curtis Peterson has been nearly unstoppable, recording more than 100 yards through the air in four of the Warriors' last five games. Peterson leads the team in receptions (52), receiving yards (852) and touchdowns (nine).

Senior quarterback Nick Owens has thrown for 1,567 yards and is completing 58.9 percent of his passes. Running back Cooper Shockley bulldozed his way for 1,230 rushing yards and eight scores during the regular season.

Don't forget about the defenses, either.

Westlake hasn't allowed more than 19 points in a game since Oct. 12. Camarillo recorded 23 sacks and 16 interceptions this season.

"They play solid defense and blitz from everywhere," Benkert said of Camarillo. "They have a lot of good personnel and a lot of good, quick athletes. Their defense has been a strongpoint all year. They'll be tough."