November 8, 2005

Westmont takes 41-21 homecoming win over Dons

Warriors quarterback Kevin Pham tossed four TD passes,
Chantz Staden gains 223 all-purpose yards in win

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Westmont football team continued to roll through the competition, taking a 41-21 homecoming win over Campbell neighborhood rival Del Mar on Oct. 29.

Westmont quarterback Kevin Pham (16) tosses a pass over the oncoming rush of Del Mar defender Brian Josefowicz (43). Photo by Diego Abeloos

The Warriors improved their record to 7-0-1 overall with the non-league win, and currently sit tied for first place at 3-0-1 with Lincoln in the Santa Teresa Division.

“We talked about setting the tone, making sure that we establish ourselves as a solid B-league champion and I think we did that tonight,” Westmont head coach Tony Santos said.

The Westmont offense struck quickly against the Dons, scoring four touchdowns in the first quarter.

Warriors quarterback Kevin Pham led the offense, completing 14 of 20 passes for 203 yards and four touchdowns on the night. Pham had plenty of help from his receiving corps, as Ryan Kanzaki caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, while Stefan Fowler had 65 yards receiving and 28 yards rushing.

Chantz Staden scored twice in the game, gaining 68 yards rushing with a touchdown while also gaining 57 yards through the air, along with a touchdown. Staden also returned two punts for a total of 98 yards.

For Del Mar, the loss was a tough one in an otherwise successful season. The Dons, who have a 6-2 overall record, currently sit tied for first place in the West Valley Division with Prospect at 4-0.

“Basically, when you play against teams like this, you have to be ready to go right from the start,” said Del Mar head coach Eric Buran. “…We waited a quarter too late. We tip our hats to Westmont, that’s why they’re in first place, getting wins like this. But for us, if you play a team like this you have to play four quarters. We played three.”

Del Mar quarterback Todd Myers looks for an open receiver downfield during a 41-21 homecoming win for the Warriors on Oct. 29. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The Warriors scored on their opening offensive series of the game, driving the ball 65 yards downfield, culminating in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Pham to Staden with 6:29 left for a 7-0 lead.

The Warriors were on the board again less than a minute later, as Dons quarterback Todd Myers fumbled, with Westmont defender Kevin Guillen recovering the ball on the play and running it into the end zone with 5:45 left for a 14-0 lead.

Toward the end of the first quarter, Westmont made it 21-0, taking a drive that started at the 50 and scoring on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Pham to Kanzaki with 2:28 to go.

On their fourth offensive series of the first quarter, the Dons finally broke through with a score, as running back Emmanuel Sellu took a handoff and ran 43 yards for a touchdown with 1:13 left, cutting Westmont’s lead to 21-7. Sellu ran for a total of 264 yards in the loss.

“Emmanuel Sellu showed why he’s the best running back in CCS,” Buran said. “He went up against a top-rated defense here and was able to do what he wanted to do.”

The Warriors answered back quickly however, starting a drive with 1:01 left and finishing it with another touchdown, this one on a 1-yard run from Staden with 11 seconds to go, bumping the lead to 28-7.

“We were totally amped up for this,” Pham said of the game. “…We just tried to prepare like it was any other game, not trying to overlook anything.”

Westmont quarterback Kevin Pham throws a swing pass to running back Chantz Staden during a 41-21 win over the Dons on Oct. 29. Photo by Diego Abeloos

After a Dons’ offensive series went nowhere at the start of the second quarter, the Warriors were poised to strike again, as Staden returned a Del Mar punt 47 yards to the Del Mar 14 with 8:30 left. One play later, Westmont stretched the lead to 35-7 on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Pham to Kelly Peterson with 8:21 to go.

The Dons managed to cut the lead again prior to halftime, getting another touchdown run from Sellu with 5:41 left for a 35-13 Westmont lead, but the Warriors put their stamp on the victory shortly after the start of the third quarter.

On their opening drive of the third quarter, the Warriors struck quickly, getting a 14-yard touchdown pass from Pham to Matt Medeiros with 10:56 left for a 41-13 lead.

From that point on, the Dons managed just one more score, getting a late fourth quarter touchdown from Sellu on a 3-yard run with 2:40 left to complete a seven-play, 67-yard drive. After a successful two-point conversion by the Dons, the Warriors held on for a 41-21 win.