There is no question that Westview High School has struggled to begin the season. An 0-5 start is as uncommon for the west valley perennial powerhouse, as it is to not make the playoffs.

Since opening its doors in 1989, Westview has been to the playoffs 21 times. The Knights have dominated their region historically and remain to be a challenge to all those who face them.

Westview has struggled to begin its 2017 campaign, but if you look at the caliber of the schedule, it is easy to see why. After crushing defeats to Basha and Brophy to open the season, the Knights faced even tougher opponents Horizon, Centennial and Highland. But with their first win coming against regional rival Tolleson Union, the Knights are back on track.

“The big win felt good. It gave us more confidence,” senior quarterback Scott Fallers said. “But I also don’t think we played up to our full potential. There’s a lot to improve on, but there was a lot of good out of the game. We have to get rid of the little mistakes, but there’s a lot more to come from us as a team and I’m excited.”

The Knights come from a long line of dominance in the west valley. Westview quickly became an Avondale powerhouse, taking just four years to make the playoffs as a new program. If you ask anyone who follows high school football in the west valley, they will tell Westview always dominates.

“The legacy of Westview football has been long standing for the last decade.” Knights head coach Nick Gehrts said.  “It is something that we constantly remind our guys of and we talk about honoring those that came before us by doing things the Westview way. Over the last decade we have six region championships and have made the playoffs the last 10 plus years.”

Westview has only missed the playoffs six times in the school’s history. That type of success attests to it’s stellar standing.

“Teams know when they play Westview, no matter our size or record, we’re going to give everything we got and we never take our foot off the gas pedal, no matter the score.” senior linebacker Joel Zurita said.

There is a sense of pride in the locker room for all players when wearing the Knight Blue. All players live by “The Westview Creed,” a pledge all players know prior to the season affirming their commitment to each other and to the program's excellence.

“Everyone holds you to a certain standard and personally I love it because it makes me push myself even harder to exceed everyone else’s standards.” Zurita said.

This seems to be a core value among Zurita’s teammates.

“Playing for a historically good football team is amazing, not only does it make you want to leave your legacy along for the years to come, it also makes you want to play for those who left theirs for you.” Fallers said.

Westview travels to La Joya Community High for their second region game Friday evening.