Prep football: Arroyo Grande wins thriller over Westlake to open CIF playoffs
The Arroyo Grande High School football team held on for a thrilling 31-28 home win over Westlake in a first-round Division 2 CIF-Southern Section playoff game on Friday night.
Rocha Redemption
Eagles junior linebacker Ivan Roacha dropped two would-be interceptions early in the game, but he got a third chance with the game on the line.
After Arroyo Grande failed on a fourth-down conversion with about two minutes to play on Westlake’s 14-yard line, the Warriors took over and quickly moved into Arroyo Grande territory. A big one-on-one tackle on third down by Noah Thinger set up a fourth and 9 on Arroyo Grande’s 32-yard line with 19 seconds left and Westlake trailing by three points.
The third time was the charm for Rocha. He read Jake Kaplinski’s pass perfectly and intercepted it to seal the game.
Before that, Westlake had its fair share of long pass plays. The Warriors scored touchdowns on passes of 57, 77 and 52 yards, respectively. Kaplinski was 13 of 18 for 325 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Michael Carner had six catches for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
Gilmet Goes Off
After the first quarter ended with the game scoreless, Arroyo Grande finally seemed to figure things out to open the second quarter. The answer: sophomore running back James Gilmet. The Eagles went to a hurry-up offense to put Westlake on its heels and gave the ball to the shifty back.
Gilmet’s 55-yard run in the second quarter helped set up a Sawyer May rushing touchdown, and Arroyo Grande took a 21-14 lead to halftime. Gilmet’s 21-yard scoring run in the third quarter put Arroyo Grande up by two touchdowns.
Gilmet had 119 yards rushing in the first half and finished the game with 20 carries for 201 yards and a touchdown.
May Battles Through Injury
May, Arroyo Grande’s senior quarterback, had all three of the Eagles’ first-half touchdowns, and all of them came on runs.
But toward the end of the third quarter, he injured his ankle and had to come out of the game. He was replaced by Zach Bullard, but not for long.
May re-entered the game after Westlake scored and narrowed Arroyo Grande’s lead to 31-28 with 8 minutes to go. He was able to do enough when he returned and completed three crucial passes, including a third-down pass to Elliot Talley, who made a diving catch with three minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
But Arroyo Grande failed to convert on fourth down a few plays later with 2:11 to play, leaving the door open for Westlake.
May finished the game with 12 carries for 58 yards and three touchdowns. He was also 9 of 13 for 81 yards.
Special Teams
In the end, a 33-yard field goal from Arroyo Grande sophomore kicker Colton Theaker with about 9 minutes to play ended up being the difference.
Arroyo Grande’s Mason Henslin also blocked a Westlake field goal attempt on the Warriors’ first drive of the game.
Westlake’s interesting kickoff strategy also likely played a roll. The team from Westlake Village attempted a number of different onside kicks throughout the night, from pooches to dribblers to popping it straight up into the air. The Eagles handled each try with ease and took advantage of the good field position.
What’s Next
Arroyo Grande (10-1, 4-0 PAC 5) will play Valencia in the second round after the Vikings beat Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 34-3 on Friday night.
This story was originally published November 11, 2016 at 11:47 PM with the headline "Prep football: Arroyo Grande wins thriller over Westlake to open CIF playoffs."