PLAYMAKER—Senior transfer Dallas Clayton has been a big addition for Westlake High in the running game and on defense. The Panthers are backed into a corner.

Lose at home Friday night against the undefeated Westlake Warriors and Newbury Park’s hopes of claiming at least a share of the Marmonte League football championship are a distant memory.

“We know we must win this game to have a legitimate shot at the title,” said NPHS senior tailback Cameron Roberson.

Added Newbury Park senior wideout/punter Alex Lopez: “We need to play mistake-free football. We cannot have penalties and mental errors against a team like Westlake.”

There will be a sense of urgency in the air as two of the county’s most prolific offenses take the gridiron.

Westlake, ranked No. 25 in the state by MaxPreps.com, averages a league-best 47.2 points per game. After dismantling Calabasas in Week 5, WHS remains on pace to break the school’s single-season points record, established in 2003.

Week in and week out, Warrior junior quarterback/safety Nick Isham continues to stake his claim as the area’s preeminent playmaker.

Isham has completed 60-of81 passes (74 percent) for 851 yards with 15 touchdowns and one interception.

The gifted quarterback is surrounded by top-notch athletes, including junior tailback Tavior Mowry (647 rushing yards, nine TDs) and junior wideout Nelson Spruce (22.4 yards per reception, nine TDs).

Senior Dallas Clayton is averaging 10.9 yards per carry and has five scores.

Mowry said the Warriors’ highlight-reel offense begins and ends with the big guys in the trenches, a superior starting five that includes Zach Miller at right tackle, Brenden Root-Burks playing right guard, Brad Cotner at center, Taylor McMorrow manning left guard and Michael Lorenzo at left tackle.

“Without the linemen, there is nothing,” Mowry said. “They are the heart and soul of our offense.

“Even though we have all these talented players in the backfield, everything starts up front. I give all the credit to them because they deserve it.”

Preparing for Westlake’s offense is close to impossible. Luckily for NPHS senior middle linebacker Drake Exstrom and his crew, the Panther defense faces a similar collection of skill players in practice almost every day.

“We have the greatest running back in the league (Roberson), a guy who’s going to Notre Dame,” Exstrom said. “And our quarterback, Jake Geringer, is pretty amazing. When we practice against them, it’s like we’re going against Westlake. It’s awesome.”

Geringer, a junior, has completed 74-of-112 passes (66 percent) for 1,146 yards with 10 TDs and two INTs. His favorite target is senior Phillip Muscarella, the team leader in receptions (26), receiving yards (424) and receiving TDs (five).

Warrior senior middle linebacker Adrian Muguerza, Westlake’s leading tackler, said it’s imperative that his squad focuses on the details this week.

“If you play the best team in the state or the worst team in the state, you have to approach the game like it’s your last,” Muguerza said.

“You have to respect every opponent, no matter how good they are or how bad they are. . . .

“But Newbury is a good team, and we want to beat them. To do that, we need to work as hard as we can. We can’t take any plays off, and we can’t make mistakes.”