It was no surprise that undefeated Beaumont Westbrook would ride into town and test 5A Division 1 Finalist Lamar.
As the game unraveled, the Redskins defense set the tone, before its offense finally got aboard, claiming a 23-10 victory in a highly anticipated contest on Thursday night at Delmar Stadium.
Linebacker Kyron Mitchell, defensive lineman Brandon Agomuo, and defensive backs John Bonney, Trevion Duncan and John Plattenburg, teamed up to stop Westbrook 15 times at or behind the line of scrimmage.
The offense was slow to show but with time, the Redskins got on board.
“We knew Westbrook was going to come out and play real hard,” Redskins coach Tom Nolen said. “They were undefeated coming in. It was a big game for them. But the kids played hard.”
Westbrook, thought to be a tall order, showed its youthful side several times when it stumbled in the back field from unawareness to facing the Redskins’ forging defensive front. Ground yards were hard to come by; however it was more than the air game could muster against Lamar’s talented secondary.
“I thought we had too many mental mistakes and things we felt like we could do and had some opportunities and not to take anything from them,” Westbrook coach Kevin Flannigan explained. “That’s a really good ball club (Lamar). I’m proud of the kids they battled and they never gave up.”
Lamar (3-0) marched 76 yards in five plays on its opening possession. Running back Ronnie Wesley scampered 52-yards down to the Bruins’ 15 yard line before he finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. The Redskins led 7-0 after Nathaniel Rios converted the extra point.
The Bruins’ (2-1) first points came from a 37-yard field goal by Nathaniel Rios.
Lamar exploited holes in the Bruins’ offensive line, leaving no running room.
Trailing 14-3, Westbrook’s best drive of the evening was all for naught. Tailback Justen Hervy reeled in a pass from quarterback Isaac Aubrey at the six yard-line of Lamar and was stopped a half-yard short of the first down marker at the one yard line.
Things continued to snowball for the Bruin’s in the fourth quarter. Under heavy pressure to avoid being sacked in the end zone, Aubrey’s pass fell short of the line of scrimmage in the end zone, resulting in a safety. That increased Lamar’s lead, 16-3.
“I thought it was a good test for us to see where we are,” explained Flannigan. “I think it will be a great opportunity to get on film to show some kids we had some good opportunities. “We got down to the one yard line and couldn’t get it in the end zone. The late safety and the kickoff return. Take away those things and you’re even more in the ball game. First half we didn’t do well offensively. Defensively we played really well.”
On receiving the kickoff, Wesley broke through Westbrook’s line of defense, sprinting 65 yards for a touchdown, to ice the game 23-3 with 4:42 left.
Darrell Colbert accounted for 108 passing yards on 5 of 14 attempts with an interception. Wesley carried nine times for 109 yards.
Isaac Aubrey led the Bruins with 101 yards through the air on 8 of 23 passing with a touchdown. Workhorse Justen Hervey added 92 yards on 27 carries.