THORNWOOD – While the disappointment of a humbling loss to open the season was fresh, longtime Westlake coach John Castellano huddled the Wildcats up and put the Xs and Os aside.

He talked only about mental toughness.

“I felt like we kind of gave up,” Castellano said of the loss to Bronxville. “We just weren’t resilient. We had a meeting as soon as we got back to school and talked about facing adversity and the importance of pressing on.”

Westlake has won four in row since that message was delivered.

Nick DiNapoli got into the end zone three times Saturday night, leading the Wildcats to a 41-24 win over Pearl River. Over the last month, it’s become pretty clear who the favorite is in Class B.

Check back later for complete coverage from this game.

Mike Dougherty covers football for The Journal News/lohud.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westlake beats Pearl River in Section 1 football