4A high school football preview: East at Westlake

East (7-2) at Westlake (8-1)

4A state tournament first round

Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Parry's Power Guide: East by 4

All-time series: First meeting

Coach vs. Coach: East's Brandon Matich and Westlake's Jason Walker, first meeting

Last meeting: First meeting

One more milestone in a breakout season for Westlake will be realized this Friday when the Thunder host East in the school's first-ever home playoff game.

For a team that finished second in Region 7 behind powerful Timpview, it is a powerful statement on how rapidly the program has risen in such a short amount of time.

"We worked hard to be able to earn a home playoff game," Westlake coach Jason Walker said. "That was one of our goals coming into the season."

Earning a second home game will not be an easy task. The Thunder face a dangerous first-round opponent in East. The Leopards are one of the most improved teams in any classification this season, going 7-2 and finishing second in Region 6 under new head coach Brandon Matich after posting just an 1-8 record a year ago.

It isn't the powerful triple option offense – led by senior quarterback Tanner Curtis and junior running back Liti Molisi – that concerns Walker the most. Rather, it is the sheer bulk that East possesses up front.

"The first thing that jumps out at you is obviously their size," Walker said. "They're a big football team, from the line all the way back, on both sides of the football."

"But, you know, we like to think we've got some pretty good size too and some good athletes," Walker added. "It's going to come down to which team is more physical and which teams executes better on both ends of the football."

One of the most intriguing battles will be at quarterback.

Curtis has been superb in his ability to execute the triple option. During the regular season, the senior rushed for 1,004 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging 10.24 yards per carry. He also threw for 791 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 56 percent of his passes.