Behind Nick Isham, Westlake football looks for revenge against St. Bonaventure

Somebody will have to prove something this Friday in order to advance to the CIF Southern Section's Northern Division championship game.

St. Bonaventure (Ventura) is gunning to show the world that its 32-31, double-overtime victory over Westlake during Marmonte League play was not a fluke, despite the fact that the Seraphs lost to an Oaks Christian team that Westlake throttled.

Defending champion Westlake (Westlake Village) is setting out to prove that its loss to St. Bonaventure was simply the result of a couple missed opportunities.

That's the unknown that needs to be proven on Friday at Moorpark High School in a battle between familiar 11-1 teams. What's firmly established is that Westlake quarterback Nick Isham possesses just about everything a coach could want in a quest for another section title.

The senior quarterback showed his mental and physical prowess yet again last Friday in a 49-28 triumph over Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes Estates) in the quarterfinals, completing 13 of his 15 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Before Isham sat out in the fourth quarter, he led the Warrior offense to six touchdowns in six tries. Eight of his 13 completions were for first downs, three were for touchdowns and two of his three runs netted first downs.

He enters the semifinals with an absurdly impressive 74.9 percent completion percentage to go with 2,374 passing yards and a 30-6 touchdown to interception total as well as 57 rushes for 481 yards (8.4 yards per carry).

It's not so much the numbers Isham posts that impresses the most — it's how he goes about producing them. The heady signal caller doesn't just take the play call and try to throw the ball where coach Jim Benkert wants him to. Instead, he turns each play into a logic problem at the line of scrimmage, makes deductions and alterations, and then proceeds to slash the opposing defense with the help of teammates like wide receiver Nelson Spruce and running back Tavior Mowry.

"I can't see too many better high school quarterbacks in America than Isham," St. Bonaventure coach Todd Therrien said. "He can make all the throws so he has arm strength, he's elusive, he's tough and most importantly he can give you fits with his checks. He knows his offense as well as his head coach. He checks, then we check, then he re-checks.

"We're not trying to contain him, we're trying to frustrate him, to pressure him. We need to stop the run game and go after the quarterback."

Video of Nick Isham

Last time they met, Isham wasn't contained, completing 26 of 35 passes for 377 yards and three scores. Most of that damage came from between the 20-yard lines, Therrien added, and his defense registered about seven sacks. In other words, Isham got the big numbers, but the Seraphs prevented him from forging a Warriors rout.

And they took the ultimate prize: A victory.

The key to the Warriors' success — and Isham's — has been the synergy between the quarterback and coach Benkert.

"He's been my mentor for the past three years and we're always figuring out new ways to be successful and that kind of keeps us going," Isham said. "It's definitely a two-way street. We're always communicating and telling each other what we see and where we can have opportunities to be successful with new things. He gives me a lot of freedom because I've been in the system for a while and I know a good amount of what's going on. I'm able to make checks depending on what I see and if I feel I need to change the play, coach gives me the freedom to do that."

Benkert watched Isham's athletic ability as a youth football player but didn't get the opportunity to coach him at the first chance, as Isham chose to attend Chaminade (West Hills) his freshman year. Things didn't pan out at Chaminade like Isham had hoped, and after that freshman year, the Benkert-Isham tandem sowed the seeds of what has grown into one of the nation's most potent offenses.

"I was able to play wide receiver and quarterback so he could ease me in pretty well," Isham said. "I had a chance to learn all aspects, the routes, how they run them as well as plays being called and it all kind of meshed together pretty well."

What everything has meshed into is a situation where Westlake enjoys the perks of having a coach on the sideline and a coach wearing pads and a No. 10 jersey behind center.

"He's like a general out there, a coach on the field," Benkert said. "He knows the system like I know the system and he has to be an extension of me. I call things knowing what he's going to do with the football. We have a rapport where he gets me, I get him. He changes more plays than I call, because of his smarts."

St. Bonny's defense isn't the only group going after Isham these days. So are some Division I college programs like New Mexico State, Utah, Hawaii, Air Force and even UCLA and Utah.

But don't get too worried about Isham's college decision, because the Warriors' field general says he won't worry about life after high school until he is done trying to earn his team a repeat section title. That means no campus visits until after football season.

On Friday it will hardly be all about Isham — or the Warriors, for that matter. The Seraphs bring a formidable offense that has scored four more points than the Warriors' and a defense that is right there with Westlake's, allowing 16 more points.

Quarterback Marc Evans and skill players Tanner Souza, Shaun Wick and Diamond Schouder have posted big numbers this year and can stand toe-to-toe with Westlake's offense. Therrien also has four returning starters on his defensive line, including third-year starter Cody Kurz, and that's the spot Isham said will give him the most trouble. He also said his team took a lesson from its only loss of the regular season.

"We had several opportunities to make one play and those handful of plays did not go our way. We need to be ready to play a full four quarters, or longer, whatever it may be," he said. "It’s really on our shoulders, we have to be perfect. I think we have improved and grown since then. We’re more determined and ready to go, I think everyone is more hungry."

Benkert added, "St. Bonaventure is really good football team, we have to be at our best. We have to play better than good. Like last time we played, it could come down to one play."

It could be the last chance for fans to see Isham, or there might be one (possibly two) games after that. What's certain, though, is that one team on Friday night will prove something and get the opportunity to win a CIF Southern Section Northern Division crown.