Estrella Foothills Shuts Out Westview 47-0 to Stay Unbeaten

Estrella Foothills remained unbeaten Thursday night with a 47-0 shutout victory over Westview at Estrella Foothills High School.

The Wolves established control early through defense and special teams.

Westview lost the ball on a quarterback fumble in the opening quarter, with Estrella Foothills No. 30 Rudy Martinez recovering the turnover. Gavin Knebel, No. 2, later put the Wolves on the scoreboard with a field goal.

Westview No. 25 responded with a 15-yard run that included several broken tackles, but the Estrella Foothills defense quickly created another momentum-changing play.

No. 60 Easton Hochstettler forced a fumble, recovered the ball and returned it for a touchdown. Knebel converted the extra point to give the Wolves a 10-0 advantage.

The defensive pressure continued as Martinez and No. 8 D.J. Seppanen each recorded sacks during the first half.

Estrella Foothills recovered another Westview fumble in the second quarter, with Martinez again coming away with the football. Westview's defense answered with a sack by No. 90.

The Wolves then added two points when a Westview punt attempt went into the end zone for a safety, extending the Estrella Foothills lead to 12-0.

No. 1 Shawn Ellison followed with a long punt return that helped put the Wolves in scoring position. Quarterback No. 7 Mickey Raftery was stopped just short of the goal line on his first attempt before reaching the end zone on the next play.

Knebel added the extra point, sending Estrella Foothills into halftime with a 19-0 advantage.

The Wolves broke the game open in the third quarter.

Knebel scored a touchdown and then converted the extra point. Ellison followed with two more touchdowns during the quarter, with Knebel adding the PAT after each score.

Estrella Foothills scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to increase its lead to 40-0.

The official offensive statistics credited Raftery with completing 9 of 18 passes for 184 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added a rushing touchdown.

Ellison finished with three receptions for 82 yards and two receiving touchdowns. He also contributed 100 combined kickoff and punt return yards and finished with 182 all-purpose yards.

Knebel caught three passes for 41 yards and one touchdown while also handling the kicking duties. He finished 6-for-6 on extra points and made his only field-goal attempt, a 31-yarder, for nine kicking points.

Ryland Rozeboom led the Wolves on the ground with 50 yards on 10 carries.

Estrella Foothills added its final touchdown in the fourth quarter when No. 3 Will Collier reached the end zone. Knebel converted another extra point to make it 47-0.

A running clock began with 10:41 remaining in the game.

The Wolves' defense continued creating pressure throughout the night. Martinez finished with two fumble recoveries and 1.5 sacks, while Seppanen recorded 1.5 sacks. Josh Udall led the team with seven total tackles, while Nolan Roth recorded six.

One late sequence captured the chaotic nature of the game. Westview had possession before Estrella Foothills No. 18 Kornelias Parohinog came away with the ball. During the return, Estrella Foothills fumbled, allowing Westview to recover possession again.

The shutout kept Estrella Foothills undefeated through its first three games.

After the victory, head coach Mike Spencer expressed pride in the win while also focusing on injuries suffered during the game.

“We had a nice win, but we had a couple kids go down,” Spencer said, adding that the injured players are important pieces of the team.

Despite the strong start to the season, Spencer said his team cannot get ahead of itself.

“We got to stay humble and not get ahead of ourselves,” Spencer said.

Knebel, who contributed as a receiver, kicker, punter and kickoff specialist, described himself as someone willing to fill whatever role the Wolves need.

“I’ve always been a multi-tool guy, just trying to do whatever I can,” Knebel said.

Both Spencer and Knebel pointed toward North Canyon as the Wolves' next challenge.

Spencer said North Canyon is a well-coached program that has built momentum, while Knebel emphasized the team's approach of taking the season one game at a time.

Estrella Foothills finished the night with a 47-0 victory, another dominant defensive performance and its undefeated record intact.