Dual damage: West receivers Taylor and Martin combine for 5 touchdowns in blowout

With the introduction of wide receiver Lazono Martin into West High's football lineup Saturday, Eagles' opponents now face a pick-your-poison proposition. 

Focus on Martin, and fellow wideout Turek Taylor can make you suffer. Concentrate on Taylor, and Martin can deliver the pain.

Or, as was the case in West's 55-10 nonconference dismantling of visiting Lathrop, both can inflict severe damage.

The Malemutes learned that the hard way — Taylor caught three touchdown passes and Martin hauled in two.

Taylor, who last season helped the Eagles to their third large-school state championship in six years, enjoyed a career day. He racked up 11 catches for 250 yards and scored on touchdown receptions of 45 yards, 50 and 15.

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Martin, a senior who until Saturday had not played since he blew out his knee in the first game of his sophomore year, caught five passes for 32 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came when he out-leaped opponents on short-yardage fade patterns in the right corner of the end zone.

"It's huge," West coach Tim Davis said of having a complement to the reliable and dangerous Taylor. "I think the important thing is these guys are a family, and this is where it comes in. Sometimes, a guy isn't going to get much because of the other team's strategy, and it takes maturity to understand that his time is going to come."

Taylor loves the diversity Martin's addition adds to the Eagles.

"If you double me, Lazono will be open," Taylor said. "He's a play-maker too, just like me."

Taylor said his big day is what every receiver covets.

"That's like a receiver's dream," he said. "Every receiver wants to get the ball a lot. It was a blessing to get that."

Junior quarterback Qyntyn Pilcher loves his options. He completed 9 of 14 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

"It lifts a lot of weight off my shoulders," he said. "I'm not just going to throw up 50-50 balls, but if I throw up something less than 100 percent, they're going to make a strong effort to make a diving catch or jumping catch.

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"They make my job easier."

Just as the Eagles enjoy multiple threats in their receiving corps — A.J. Su'esu'e caught two passes for 27 yards and Will Troxel's lone catch was a 43-yard bomb — they likewise have depth at quarterback. Junior Hunter Hughes completed 10 of 15 for 114 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions. And senior Joseph O'Brien completed both of his passes for 26 yards.

Davis said he intends to give both Pilcher and Hughes playing time to keep them engaged and ready.

"There's no rhyme to it," Davis said. "We give Q a few series, then give Hunter a series to keep him locked in."

With Justin Tovio rushing for 65 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, the Eagles piled up 459 yards total offense. West's defense barely permitted the Malemutes a sniff, holding them to 28 yards total offense.

Ricardo Henry furnished Lathrop's highlights. His 68-yard kickoff return in the second quarter set up Zach Kosa's 37-yard field goal, and later in the quarter he bolted 94 yards up the left sideline to score on a kickoff.

Lathrop  3  7  0  0  — 10

West        21  28  0  6  — 55

First Quarter

West — Taylor 45 pass from Pilcher (Harjehausen kick), 10:09.

West — Tovio 6 run (Harjehausen kick), 7:19.

West — Tovio 1 run (Harjehausen kick), 2:14.

Lathrop — 37 FG Kosa, :40.9.

Second Quarter

West — Tovio 2 run (Harjehausen kick), 8:42.

West — Martin 4 pass from Pilcher (Harjehausen kick), 3:41.

West — Martin 1 pass from Hughes (Harjehausen kick), :34.2.

Lathrop — Henry 94 kickoff return (Kosa kick), :21.3.

West — Taylor 50 pass from Pilcher (Harjehausen kick), :11.0.

Fourth Quarter

West — Taylor 15 pass from O'Brien (kick blocked), 5:44.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Lathrop: Washington 9-36, Kent 3-12, Farris 4-5, Sutton 1-0, Henry 2-0, Hernandez 6-(-8), Team 1-(-15) . West: Tovio 16-65, Hughes 4-12, Owens 8-12, O'Brien 1-4, Taylor 1-2, Joling 1-1, Pilcher 4-6.

PASSING — Lathrop: Hernandez 3-15-1–8, Kosa 1-1-0–3, Sutton 1-1-0-(-13).  West: Pilcher 9-14-0–217, Hughes 10-15-2–114, O'Brien 2-2-0–26.

RECEIVING — Lathrop: Kosa 2-12, Henry 1-0, Washington 1-(-1), Story 1-(-13). West: Taylor 11-250, Martin 5-32, Su'esu'e 2-27, Troxel 1-43, Bl. Despain 1-4, Tovio 1-1.