Westfield Rallies in 4th, Beats Oakton 21-17
(Chantilly, VA) - In the most anticipated match-up of the night, the Westfield Bulldogs hosted the Oakton Cougars for their homecoming game, and the contest proved to be as good as advertised.
Oakton would draw first blood in the game with an 11 yard touchdown run by Trey Watts. A converted extra point left the score 7-0. The Bulldogs took the kickoff and in 3 plays found themselves in the end-zone to tie the game at 7. Quarterback Mike Glennon hit Josh Witmer on a nice touchdown throw from 10 yards out.
Oakton, led by sophomore quarterback Ryan Harris, marched right back down the field after a long run by Orlando Bryant, and the Cougars were able to convert a field goal to take a 10-7 lead. Cougar Ervin Garner provided the big play of the first half when he fielded a punt on his own 20 yard line and proceeded to take it to the house to help Oakton extend their lead to 17-7. The Cougars dominated time of possession and their defense held the Bulldogs in check for most of the first half. At the half, Oakton led 17-7 and clearly had the momentum.
The Bulldogs would struggle in the second half to get anything going on offense, but the Westfield defense began to win the battle in the trenches and shut down the Cougar running attack. That turned out to be the key of the game and turning point of the contest occurred late in the 3rd when a Oakton penalty forced the Cougars to punt again. A 20 yard net punt would give the Bulldogs great field position and that's when running back Brian Kennedy got things going in the running game. Kennedy led the Bulldogs down the field and eventually pulled them within 3 points with a 5 yard touchdown run. The Bulldog defense would hold on the next drive and Glennon and the offense took over on their own 10 yard line. Several big runs by Kennedy setup the biggest play of the game with less than 5 minutes left in the game. Glennon dropped back and hit senior wideout Issac Spragg on a 45 yard touchdown pass and catch that sent the Bulldog faithful into a frenzy. Oakton would have one more shot to score but the Bulldogs held and eventually ran out the clock.
The Perfect Performance Player of the Game was Westfield tailback Brian Kennedy. Kennedy's running in the 4th quarter brought the Bulldog offense back to life and his 4th quarter touchdown turned the momentum back to the home team.
For Oakton, the Perfect Performance Player of the Game was Ervin Garner. Garner had an incredible game, scoring on a 80 yard punt return and also snagging an interception, He also had several big catches and played well on defense at cornerback.
The Line-X Tough Guy of the Game was Westfield's Issac Spragg. Spragg's play on the offensive and defensive side of the ball was huge for the Bulldog all night long. His 45 yard touchdown catch with 5 minutes to go in the game was the clincher.
With the win, Westfield improved to 7-0 and remained on top of the Concorde District. With the loss, Oakton dropped to 3-3 and most likely fell out of contention for the post-season with their second Concorde District loss.
