Westwood’s Christian Brown (26) carves up the Ridge View defense. (Photo/Ross Burton)
BLYTHEWOOD – The Westwood Redhawks won their long-awaited first home game tonight by pummeling the Ridge View Blazers 32-14. Showing no respect for Ridge View’s 4A status and higher state ranking, the Redhawks dominated the game from the starting kickoff to the final whistle.
Several notable key players were injured and did not play last week against Spring Valley High School. Offensively, quarterback Chris Patterson and running back Miquelle Canady couldn’t start. Defensively, three linebackers, Jeremy Jenkins and Steven Timmons were injured, as well as Raymond Hall.
“Jeremy Jenkins is still out, leaving us short two linebackers,” Westwood head coach Rodney Summers said before the game. “Miquelle Canady is back, and he looked good all week. Christian Brown will play some at linebacker. Chris Patterson will start tonight at quarterback, but if he can’t get it going we are confident Nick Leveretter will do it.”
Just before the game, Hall was medically cleared, but had to play with his right hand heavily bandaged.
The game began well for the Redhawks, who received the ball on the initial kickoff. They moved the ball down field steadily a few yards at a time by the running ability of Brown and with forward passes to Adonus Lee. Westwood would move the chains four times on their way from their own 14-yard line to the Blazers’ 27-yard line. Patterson tried to get in the end zone on the next play but couldn’t connect with Raekwon Geter. On the next play, Patterson fired the ball to Lee, who carried it across the goal line for the first score of the game. Uncharacteristically, kicker Brandon Howard missed the point-after kick, making the score 6-0, Westwood.
A fantastic 53-yard kickoff by Howard was caught at the Ridge View 7-yard line by Marcus Reaster-Glover, who was tackled by Tyriek Bell on the Blazers’ 20.
The play that probably caused the most disarray among the Blazer 11 occurred next when a pass intended for Tyreek Bush was tipped by Westwood’s Anthony Douglas and landed in the arms of Brown. Brown, not believing his good luck ran, the ball from the Blazer 22-yard line into the end zone for the second Redhawk touchdown in the first three and a half minutes of play. Howard’s point-after kick was good, and the scoreboard read 13-0, Westwood.
The drive that followed Howard’s 55-yard kickoff would go no further than the Blazers’ own 42-yard line. The Blazers would move the chains once during this drive, which stalled out on fourth down and long. Kablaoui’s punt was caught by Deante Drakeford on the Westwood 16-yard line, and the speedy Drakeford would gain the Redhawks another 14 yards, to their own 30. The Redhawks followed with only one good play, a 12-yard keeper by Patterson for the first down, but another Howard punt was soon to follow.
Another disaster for Ridge View occurred on the Redhawk punt. Howard booted the ball 31 yards, but Devante Crim fumbled the ball on his own 24-yard line. The ball was recovered by Bell for a Blazer turnover deep in their own territory. Two plays later, with 2:29 to go in the quarter, Brown evaded all of the Ridge View defenders for a 20-yard touchdown run. Howard’s kick was right through the goalposts for the extra point. Westwood now led, 20-0.
The quarter ended with Ridge View replacing quarterback Bush with Terrell Fetterson, who played the remainder of the game at that spot.
The next two scoring drives demonstrated good play by both teams as each team would end their drives with five first downs and a touchdown. Ridge View’s touchdown came by way of a 12-yard run by Reaster-Glover. For Westwood, Patterson went to the air five times, each time passing to different receivers and each time but one completing his pass. The running plays were either keepers or handoffs to Brown. The touchdown came with only 24 seconds on the clock before halftime. Leveretter hit Lee in the end zone for six. Howard’s kick missed the mark, and the score at halftime was 26-7, Westwood.
The second half began with an onside kick attempt by Westwood, which was unsuccessful and put the Blazers in great field position at mid-field. Ridge View worked the ball down field impressively with three first downs, mostly by Fetterson handoffs to Walter Napper. After a 13-yard first down run by Mitchell Addison, the Blazers were in the red zone, knocking on Westwood’s door. Three plays later, Ridge View was on the Redhawk 7-yard line on fourth down. This time the very effective Napper handoff was sent for a loss by Hall, bandaged hand and all. Westwood took over on their own 9-yard line on downs. Eleven plays and four first downs later, Westwood stalled on the Blazer 20. On fourth down, Howard attempted a 37-yard field goal, right at his maximum distance. Howard split the uprights for three points to make the score 29-7, Westwood.
Ridge View came right back at the Redhawks with a successful scoring drive of their own. Napper brought the ball into Redhawk territory on the first play, a 16-yard run. From the Westwood 28-yard line, Fetterson found Cunningham-Smith who was downed at the Westwood 12-yard line. Napper brought the ball in for the score on the next play. Kablaoui’s point-after kick was good, bringing Ridgeview up to 14 points on the night.
The last score of the game would come from a Redhawk drive of eight plays, all either quarterback keepers or handoffs to Brown. They couldn’t get any further than the Blazer 13-yard line before the field goal unit took the field for a 30-yard attempt. Howard’s kick went through the uprights for three more points.
The final scoring drive by Ridge View was the longest of the night, with time running out fast. To conserve the clock, Fetterson went to the air with mostly good results. They would move the chains five times, four times on their own merits and once via a facemask penalty against the Redhawks. It looked like the Redhawks couldn’t stop the scoring drive, which brought the Blazers to the Redhawk 3-yard line. The next play cost the Blazers 15 yards as Stephen Timmons sacked Fetterson. To add insult to injury, Bell intercepted Fetterson’s next pass in the end zone as time ran out.
The Redhawks have now beaten their second 4A team this season and are brimming with confidence going into region play. Summers, however, said there was no danger of the ‘Hawks becoming too confident.
“I don’t think these guys can be overconfident,” Summers said. “These guys have worked their tails off to get where they are now. Tonight they played a complete ball game. We did turn the ball over, but we were better than them. We kept them out of the end zone, which was what made the difference tonight. Offensively we were able to score some points.”
Friday the Redhawks travel to Chapin High School for the first of their region games.
RV – 0-7-7-7 – 14
WHS – 20-6-3-3 – 32
First Quarter
WHS – Adonus Lee 27-pass from Chris Patterson. Kick failed. (8:44)
WHS — Tyreek Bush 22 INT return. Brandon Howard kick. (8:30)
WHS – Christian Brown 20-run. Howard kick. (2:29)
Second Quarter
RV — Marcus Reaster-Glover 12-run. Kablaoui kick. (3:24)
WHS – Lee 11-pass from Nick Leveretter. Howard kick. (0:24)
Third Quarter
WHS – Howard 37-FG. (2:30)
RV — Walter Napper 12-run. Kablaoui kick.
Fourth Quarter
WHS – Howard 30-FG. (3:04)
WHS RV
First Downs 21 20
Rushes/Yards 40-255 37-153
Passing Yards 104 112
C-A-I 8-18-2 11-23-3
Fumbles/Lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties/Yards 8-61 5-75
RUSHING: WHS – Christian Brown 26-154, Chris Patterson 11-92, Deante Drakeford 1-9, Miquelle Canady 2-0. RV – Walter Napper 17-144, Addison 2-23, Reaster-Glover 2-16, Brown 4-16, Bush 2-5, Fetterson 10-(-21).
RECEIVING: WHS – Adonus Lee 4-65, Vyncint Smith 2-27, Terrance Anderson 2-12. RV – Ntiasgwe 3-43, Reaster-Glover 3-26, Cunningham-Smith 1-16, Napper 2-13, Wilson 1-11, Bennett 1-3.
PASSING: WHS – Chris Patterson 7-17, 89 yards, 1 INT; Nick Leveretter 1-1, 15 yards. RV – Fetterson 9-19, 105 yards, 2 INT; Bush 2-3, 7 yards, 1 INT.
