Ready for postseason push
Westlake opens 2017 season with Friendly
Although his team’s first opponent is from outside the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference, Westlake High School second-year head football coach Tony Zaccarelli viewed Saturday’s opener with Friendly High School of Prince George’s County as a genuine rivalry clash.
Westlake went 5-5 in Zaccarelli’s rookie season at the helm last fall (2-4 in SMAC Potomac Division) and then promptly graduated starting quarterback Chad Palmer and talented defensive end Diondre Greer. So this fall the Wolverines will head into the 2017 slate with a new signal-caller in junior Jalon Spencer and a host of youthful players looking to fill several other voids.
“For us this week is all about getting ready for Friendly,” Zaccarelli said. “When my dad [Dominic Zaccarelli] was the head coach and I was an assistant, we scrimmaged Friendly each year from 2003-09 and we faced them in the playoffs in 2008. So, the last time we played them in a meaningful game we beat them and I’m guessing they would like nothing more than to come here and get a little revenge.”
Westlake will then jump right into its SMAC schedule the following Friday when it hosts North Point in the second of five games the squad will play in September due to the early start to the season. In addition to North Point, the Wolverines will also face SMAC county foes St. Charles (Sept. 15), Thomas Stone (Sept. 28), McDonough (Oct. 13), Lackey (Oct. 27) and La Plata (Nov. 3).
“We would definitely like to get back to old school Westlake and change the culture here and get back to being in position to win SMAC and reach the [Class 2A South] region playoffs,” Zaccarelli said. “Our offensive line is going to be the key. We have a good, physical group and they’re very, very talkative. A lot of those guys will have to play both ways, but we have the talent.”
In addition to Spencer taking over the helm at quarterback, Westlake will rely on running backs Jordan Brumfield, Brian Lee Jr. and Andre Jackson for offensive production. On defense, Westlake will lean on lineman Clevere Smith, linebacker Jonathan Barnes and cornerbacks Desmond Harrod and Xavier Williams. Along the way, Zaccarelli plans to keep the game plans simple.
“Realistically, we’re just looking at each game one game at a time and our goal is just to win each week,” Zaccarelli said. “If we can take care of the little
things and play good, solid football without making mental mistakes, we can attain some long term goals. We would like to make the region playoffs, but we know how tough SMAC football is and how tough our region is. Our focus now is on this week and we’re going to approach each week the same way throughout the season and see where we finish.”