8-24-12: Senior running back Ray Robinson led Westwood with 114 yards rushing and Spencer Stowers won his first game ever as a head coach as the Warriors defeated crosstown rival Dobson 30-19 Friday night at Westwood High School.

Stowers, who is just 26 years old, made his debut as a head coach for the Warriors after serving as an assistant at Queen Creek for two seasons under head coach Joe Germaine. His counterpart across the field, George de la Torre, was also coaching his first game as the head of Dobson's football program. de la Torre is the former head coach at Florence High School and was once an assistant coach at Westwood.

Robinson started off the scoring by capping the Warriors' opening drive with a 32-year touchdown reception from quarterback McKay Tingey, who would score the next two Westwood touchdowns on one-yard plunges. Then Robinson extended the Warriors' lead to 30-7 in the fourth quarter with a 42-yard scamper into the end zone. Anthony Castellan also added a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter for Westwood.

Dobson kept the game close in the first half when senior starting quarterback Gabe Martinez drilled a seven-yard strike to junior wideout Zach Bright in the end zone to make the score 9-7 at halftime. The third-year starter also connected with Bright for a 38-yard touchdown pass as time expired in the final quarter. Sandwiched in between those two scores was a fourth-quarter 15-yard touchdown run by Mustang senior running back Yaw Mensah. Martinez finished 10 for 18 passing for 171 yards and an interception, but Dobson could not overcome 65 yards in penalties, as well as three turnovers which led to 10 Warrior points.

Westwood, who finished 1-9 a season ago, is 1-0 to start the 2012 campaign. The Warriors will play host to Corona Del Sol next Friday night. Dobson will try to even its record when the Mustangs return home to face Desert Mountain next week.

Chris Martin