Defense ruled the field for much of Friday night’s game between Westfield and Hamilton Southeastern, which took place at the Shamrocks’ Riverview Health Stadium.
It took a fourth-quarter touchdown for Westfield to get the separation it needed,
and that allowed the ‘Rocks to cruise home with a 14-3 victory over the Class
6A No. 9 Royals. The victory also kept Westfield unbeaten in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, while it was the first league loss of the year for Southeastern.
Maximus Webster got the Shamrocks on the board early in the first quarter with
a short touchdown run. That would be it for scoring until the waning seconds of
the second period. The Royals’ Alex Geroulis kicked a 23-yard field goal, keeping
Southeastern within 7-3 at halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. Webster struck again for Westfield
early in the fourth, punching the ball in from the one-yard line. Sean Sullivan
successfully kicked both extra points after each score.
The ‘Rocks had nine different players make at least five total tackles. Micah Hauser led with nine stops, while Charles Dager made eight tackles. Kyle Paper totaled seven tackles, Bryson Hoover and Seth Poriah both had six, and Dillon Thienemann made five.
“Our defense was amazing and kept some great players in check all night,” said Westfield coach Jake Gilbert. “They also forced two takeaways and had several tackles for loss. We are really flying to the football.”
Webster completed 8 of 16 pass attempts for 91 yards and led the rushing with 77 yards. Hauser was right behind on the ground with 75 yards.
“Still too many mistakes on offense but I think we can figure it out soon,” said Gilbert.
John McCall went 10-of-15 through the air for HSE, with 49 yards total. He also was the top rusher for the Royals with 32 yards. Nate Haas had an outstanding defensive night, with 12 tackles. JT Mutchner had 6.5 stops and Louden Sundling made five tackles.
“It was a very defensive-oriented game,” said Southeastern coach Michael Kelly. “Both teams had two turnovers. Their defensive line is physical and they did a nice job scheming against us offensively.”
Westfield now shares the HCC lead with Brownsburg; both teams are 3-0 in the league. This sets up a big game next week, as the ‘Rocks will play at the Bulldogs’ field next Friday. Westfield is 4-1 overall.
The Royals dropped to 2-1 in the conference and 3-2 overall. They will return
home to TCU Field next Friday to play Zionsville.