Football: Teams seek revenge in Northern final

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Kickoff is still over two hours away and there is already a buzz in the air at Thorson Stadium on the campus of Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, site of tonight’s Northern Division football championship.

Both teams are out for revenge, as Oaks Christian upset Westlake 29-28 in last year’s final but lost to the Warriors 43-21 in Marmonte League play Oct. 6. Westlake (13-0) enters as the clear favorite after routing Thousand Oaks 62-0 in last week’s semifinals while the Lions had to rally to beat leaqgue rival St. Bonaventure 27-24.

A CIF state bowl berth is potentially on the line as well for both teams. If Westlake wins, it will almost certainly be selected for the Open Division game, likely against reigning champion Concord De La Salle. Should Oaks Christian (11-2) pull off the upset, it will warrant strong consideration for either the Open or Division I bid.

There’s also something even bigger at stake tonight: neighborhood bragging rights. The schools are located less than a mile apart and Westlake Coach Jim Benkert served as Oaks Christian Coach Bill Redell’s offensive coordinator at Encino Crespi in the 1980s.

-- Steve Galluzzo