Warriors get Santos a win in season opener
By Dick Sparrer
It was his first game as a head football coach, and new Westmont boss Tony Santos couldn't have imagined a more exciting finish for his Warriors.
Westmont trailed Fremont 14-6 in the fourth quarter last Saturday night at Diesner Field, but that's when the Warriors decided to really go to work.
Westmont blitzed Fremont for 22 points in the final period to pull out a 28-14 victory in Santos' first game as a head coach.
Of course, Santos likely was hoping for something of a less exciting way to start his head coaching career. But it was still a great way to start the year, and who else to get the Warriors going than returning all-leaguer Todd Bethke.
The senior sensation returns as a running back and linebacker this fall, and he led the team both ways in last Saturday's win.
Bethke scored a couple of touchdowns and blocked a punt in the final period to help the Warriors claim the come-from-behind win.
Fremont had taken the lead with a second-quarter touchdown, but Westmont pulled to within a point when senior Matt Mills scooped up a fumble and went 30 yards for a score. The difference in the game at the half was an extra point kick.
Fremont made it 14-6 early in the fourth quarter, but that's when the Warriors put together a 22-point flurry to claim the win.
Bethke scored on a 4-yard run, then scored a two-point conversion to tie the game 14-14.
Bethke took off on a 37-yard touchdown run later in the period to give the Warriors the lead, and sophomore defensive back Burt Codera capped the scoring when he picked off a Fremont pass and raced 43 yards for a touchdown.
It was the start to what Santos figures will be a winning season for the Warriors.
The coach looks to Overfelt as the favorite in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League this fall, but he looks for his Warriors to turn around a losing 4-6 record of a year ago and to finish 6-4.
Bethke and Mills top a list of 10 senior returners who Santos figures will lead Westmont to that winning record.
Bethke (6-foot, 185 pounds) and Aremon Habibi (5-foot-10, 215) are top returners at running back and linebacker, and Mills (5-foot-10, 160) and Connor McDonald (6-foot-2, 185) are leading lettermen at wide receiver.
But it's in the line where Westmont boasts the most experience and plenty of size with returners Chris Aimonetti (6-foot-2, 220), Gareth Gorman (6-foot-2, 180), Chad Helmonds (6-foot-2, 300), Duane Kawar (6-foot-4, 280) and Parviz Mossaed (5-foot-9, 245) leading the charge.
Ben Peterson (5-foot-10, 180) is a top returner in the defensive secondary for the Warriors.
Junior Bryen Blankenship (6-foot-4, 210) is a newcomer fighting for the starting quarterback job with Mike DeNardi (6-foot-3, 180), a sophomore transfer from Saratoga.
Senior lineman Chris Biggs (6-foot-2, 220), a transfer from Bellarmine, is another top prospect for the Warriors this season along with tight end Mike Bacciarelli (6-foot-5, 215), linebacker Jacob Goytia (5-foot-8, 175), running back Mike Jiosa (5-foot-8, 185) and defensive back Gabe Regalado (5-foot-10, 165), all juniors, and wide receiver Leon Rosario (5-foot-3, 140) and lineman Sebastian Lopez (6-foot-4, 240), both sophomores.
Santos, in his 11th season as a football coach, has coached previously at Cabrillo, Foothill and Gavilan colleges and Santa Clara and Live Oak high schools. He was Westmont's offensive coordinator last season.
The Warriors will go after their second win this weekend when they visit Lincoln at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. The Lions are the title favorites in the BVAL's West Valley Division.
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