Potent Warriors score no fewer than four touchdowns on third-down plays.
Click photo to enlargeWest Torrance tight end Mat Boesen scores a long touchdown against South Torrance on a middle screen in the first half.
PHOTO GALLERY West Torrance probably couldn't think of a more devious plot to demoralize an opponent.
In the first 11 times the Warriors were confronted with a third down Friday night, they converted 10 of them with four of the plays being touchdowns in their 49-14 nonleague victory over visiting rival South Torrance.
Come to think of it, West didn't even think of it.
"I don't really know if it was third down or not," said tight end Mat Boesen, who turned a middle screen on third-and-20 into a 48-yard scoring play in the second quarter. "We were just looking to score on every play. That's our offense. We just want to get in the end zone every time."
The Warriors' high-tempo offense often seemed like it could as they moved to 4-0 by rolling up 585 yards.
"Honestly, a lot of times we're not even thinking about the down and distance," West coach Greg Holt said. "Certainly there are times when we want to look at down and distance, but a lot of times we ask the guys to have short memories. Let's call the next play and see what happens.
"When you go a little bit quicker, guys tend to not dwell on the negatives and they're coming out and just instinctively playing."
And distinctly scoring.
Quarterback Joey Notch completed 14 of 20 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
Running back Barry Thomas rushed for 191 yards with four touchdowns on 20 carries.West averaged 11 yards per play in the game.
"They move. They're on the ball and they're going," said South coach Josh Waybright, whose team fell to 2-2. "Our kids were a little gassed and they're a well-oiled machine.
"They've got a great team. It's one of the best West teams I've seen in a long time."
West struck first on Thomas' 3-yard scoring run on third down, but the Spartans came right back to tie when running back Ian Van Natta cut back and darted up the middle for a 68-yard touchdown run.
Boesen's touchdown catch broke the tie, then Thomas made it 21-7 with a 13-yard scoring run.
After West stopped South's fake field-goal attempt, Notch came back with with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Craig Knaus and it was 28-7 at the half.
Then West scored the first three times it had the ball in the third quarter.
Notch got it started with a 78-yard touchdown pass to Dane Silverlake on third down, then Thomas sprinted 85 yards for a score the next time the Warriors touched the ball.
Thomas' 19-yard touchdown run made it 49-7.
South scored again on the last play of the game, when quarterback Kyle Nesbit connected with Jake Dobie for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
Aside from Van Natta's touchdown run, the Warriors were stifling on defense.
"I think we still need to work a little bit on our run-stopping," said Boesen, who had two sacks and a fumble recovery. "But otherwise we were really pretty solid."
And they had something else to rely on.
"Our offense has been on a roll lately," Holt said, "and that's always a good defense."
phil.collin@dailybreeze.com
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