Bruins Spoil Westwood Homecoming

Lancaster running back Ant Foster (3) leaps Bradlee Nelson. (Photo/Ross Burton)

Lancaster running back Ant Foster (3) leaps Bradlee Nelson. (Photo/Ross Burton)

BLYTHEWOOD (Oct. 4, 2016) – In a key region matchup Friday night at Richland 2 Stadium, the Bruins of Lancaster High handed Westwood a 13-7 loss. Westwood’s seven points were scored in the last couple of minutes of the game, narrowly avoiding the shutout.

Westwood won the toss, and elected to receive. Their possession was short lived when, on the third play of the game, Lancaster intercepted a pass and took possession in good field position. Westwood defended well, and Lancaster couldn’t capitalize on their good fortune. The Bruins went for it on fourth down and failed to move the chains. Westwood took over on downs on their own 22-yard line. The Redhawks could not convert, however and on fourth down they went to punt formation. Disaster struck when the ball was snapped low, and kicker D.J. Fields couldn’t hold onto the ball. He finally got hold of the ball, but it was in the face of several Bruins rushing toward him, and it was too late to kick. He bravely tried to run the ball as best he could, but was downed at the Westwood 28. Lancaster took over on downs in great field position.

Lancaster managed to reach the Redhawk 10-yard line on third down, but short of the first down. A flag came out, backing the Bruins into a third-and-20 situation. However, the Redhawks declined the penalty, leaving the Bruins on the 10 with fourth down upcoming. With 4:08 to go in the opening quarter, the Bruin field goal unit came out and split the uprights from 19 yards out. The quarter ended with the Bruins ahead 3-0.

Westwood began the second quarter in deep trouble. They were backed up deep in their own territory, with no punter because Fields was injured during the bad snap play late in the first quarter. Fourth down and too many on their 15-yard line made the Redhawks go to Tyler Hosey to punt. Hosey, who otherwise was having a good game, punted short, leaving Lancaster in great shape on the Westwood 45. A good pass play and quarterback keeper got Lancaster into the Westwood red zone, and a handoff to Corderious Tinsley put six more on the scoreboard for Lancaster. The PAT was successful, putting the bruins ahead 10-0 with 6:18 to go in the half. The teams went to the locker rooms with no change in the score.

Lancaster dominated the important action in the early part of the third quarter. Their first drive of the third began with a long pass from Jamaius Schropshire to Tinsley, followed by a couple of keepers for good yardage. The Bruins suffered a couple of costly penalties which limited their scoring drive to only another field goal.

Needing two scores, it was beginning to look like the game was slipping away from the Redhawks. Time and again, the Redhawks would come close to scoring without managing to get the ball across the goal line. The lack of a place kicker really hurt because they had nobody to go to when within field goal range.

The Westwood defense kept the Bruins from the end zone for the rest of the game. Notably, with 6:39 to go in the game, Westwood’s Darius McCaskill blocked a Bruin punt, and the ball was picked up by Amare Barno. That break gave Westwood new life, first-and-10 in Lancaster territory. Unfortunately, nothing came of Westwood’s good luck, and they turned over the ball on downs.

With just over a minute to go in the game, Westwood salvaged the potential shutout when Ryan Hall caught a long pass and ran it into the end zone. The kick was good, making it a 13-7 game with seconds to go on the clock. Westwood tried the onside kick, but the ball was recovered by Lancaster, essentially ending the Redhawks’ last chance for victory.

After the game, Westwood head coach Dustin Curtis told the team, “I’m hurting as much as you are hurting. Monday is another day. We have to find a way to put points on the board and we have to stop the mistakes.”

Visibly upset, Curtis declined to comment to the media.

The Redhawks travel to South Pointe this Friday to take on the Stallions in a region contest. The Stallions go into the contest with a 5-1 record after beating Ridge View 46-21.

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