Westlake Bounces Past Notre Dame

Ryan Bowne’s fourth-down pass from the 10-yard line caromed off the shoulder pad of Notre Dame receiver Tripp Nassour in the end zone with 39 seconds to play as Westlake High held on to shock the top-seeded Knights, 28-21, in a Southern Section Division III quarterfinal Friday night at Westlake High.

Nassour, who made a pair of key catches to sustain Notre Dame’s frantic final drive, fell to his knees in anguish as the Knights’ 20-game winning streak and bid to repeat as section champions both came to an end.

Westlake (7-4-1), which scored two second-half touchdowns to overcome a 21-13 deficit, will play Newbury Park in next week’s semifinal. It also marked the first time in school history that Westlake advanced past the second round.

Notre Dame (11-1) had not lost since October, 1994.

“This is a great place to be,” Westlake Coach Jim Benkert said. “I’m about to have a heart attack.”

Junior Casey Preston of Westlake completed 14 of 25 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Preston, who also ran one yard for a score, drove the Warriors 80 yards in 13 plays for the winning touchdown with five minutes to play. Running back Jamal Harris, who rushed for 64 yards in nine carries, ran two yards for a touchdown to give Westlake a 28-21 lead.

Wide receiver Steve Aylsworth caught six passes for 118 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown pass that pulled the Warriors to within 21-19 late in the third quarter. Aylsworth then moved to quarterback and tossed a two-point conversion pass to Scott Swaving.

“This is a great team,” Aylsworth said. “It’s a great way to win.”

Bowne, who completed 17 of 31 for 267 yards and one touchdown, drove the Knights from their 28 in the final minutes. Faced with third and 20 at the Notre Dame 43, Bowne hit Nassour for a six-yard gain, then followed with a 22-yard completion to Nassour with 3:30 to play.

Westlake tightened at its eight-yard line, sacking Bowne for a two-yard loss on third down.

Own fourth down, Bowne avoided pressure and fired to Nassour. Nassour, who had five catches for 62 yards, couldn’t find the handle.

“Obviously, it’s a big disappointment,” Notre Dame Coach Kevin Rooney said. “But we wouldn’t have been down there if he hadn’t some big catches to begin with.”

Said Bowne: “I didn’t see it. But I know Westlake got it done and we didn’t.”