Coming off an 0-10 football season, Westlake High unveiled a new look, a new coach and a freshman quarterback in a 38-14 win over Golden Valley in the Warriors’ season opener.
Most impressive was the play of freshman quarterback Ford Green, who moved here from South Carolina. He’s also a baseball player and A student. He started with an A game, completing 15 of 18 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns.
First-year Westlake coach Rick Clausen, who played quarterback in college along with brothers Casey and Jimmy, said of Green: “Me, Casey and even Jimmy weren’t doing the stuff we were asking him to do, making checks at the line, getting people in places. He managed the game well. He did a really good job getting us in and out of the huddle. The game was not too fast for him.”
Clausen had been an assistant for 14 years, so it was his first win as a head coach. But he was more focused on getting his players to experience success for the first time in a long time.
“Kids were happy. Kids were excited,” he said. “It’s really important for them to get confidence.”
Next up is a road game against Agoura on Friday night.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].
