WESTLAKE — Running back Kennon LeGros made his presence felt early and often, and Welsh’s defense did the rest on Friday in a 29-12 win over Westlake at Max Caldarera Memorial Stadium.

LeGros ran for 213 yards on 32 carries and scored twice, breaking tackles and getting big holes from the offensive line.

“He is going to tote the rock for us a lot this year,” Welsh head coach Cody Gueringer said. “Last year he thought it was going to be his job, but culturally, he saw another guy step in and had the ability to rush for almost 2,000 yards.

“He was OK with having that back seat and still getting carries and maximizing them. That is the culture of Welsh, to know that I am going to step up when I have plays to make. Now, this year as a senior, he gets the ball.

“Ultimately, it is the offensive line that opens the holes for him and the receivers that block for him.”

LeGros didn’t need much time to make his mark. On the Greyhounds’ (1-0) third play from scrimmage, he bowled his way up the middle of the field until he found open space to score from 53 yards out with 10:42 left in the first quarter.

After giving up 12 points in the second quarter that allowed Westlake (1-1) to cut the Greyhounds’ lead to 15-12 at halftime, Welsh pitched a shutout in the second half. The Greyhounds held Westlake to 65 yards in the final 24 minutes.

“With a cornerback and defensive end out, that is Coach (Ronnie) Courville and the roughriders and doom-dogs that we always talk about from a defensive perspective,” Gueringer said. “They have an identity and they live by that, and they showed it tonight.”

Carter Phelps and Ross Davis led Welsh with six tackles each. Clayton Labouve and La’Troy Pattum added five apiece.

“Coach Courville does an amazing job and they play hard for him,” Gueringer. “That is why I hired him. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Welsh forced a pair of turnovers in the third quarter and put the game away.

Casey Cormier’s interception led to a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Gabe Gillett. Less than a minute later, Labouve picked up a fumble to set up the Greyhounds on the Westlake 14-yard line. Jonavon Begnaud made a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone on an 11-yard pass from Gillett for a 29-12 lead with 1:14 left in the third quarter.

Westlake was limited to 166 yards of total offense.

“Our defense played really hard, but offensively we just never could get in sync,” Westlake head coach John Richardson said. “We were real sloppy and put the ball on the ground too much. We are going to have to re-evaluate what we are doing to see if we can do something to be more effective.”

Westlake cut the deficit to 8-6 on a 4-yard reception by Ethan Koonce early in the second quarter, but Welsh responded with a 13-yard score by LeGros.

With 31 seconds left in the first half, Josh Parr hit Gillett, knocking the ball loose, and Ja’Qualon Pettiway recovered the fumble. Kevin Rideau found a wide-open Kristian Ozane for a 34-yard score to cut the Greyhounds’ lead to 15-12.