Kennedy's 2TD's Pace Westfield's 34-28 Win
Chantilly, VA - In what turned into the Sully Road Shootout, the Westfield football team built a big third-quarter advantage and held on for a 34-28 win in a key Concorde District match-up at Chantilly on Friday night.
With the victory, the Bulldogs (9-0 overall, 5-0 district) all but secured the top seed in the Group AAA Division 6 Northern Region playoffs, which begin on Nov. 17. The loss drops the Chargers, who despite the loss clinched their first postseason appearance since 1996, to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the district.
Junior quarterback Mike Glennon ran for a one-yard touchdown in 2nd quarter and connected with junior wide out Johnny Pickett on a 30-yard touchdown pass, and junior tailback Brian Kennedy had touchdown runs of 45 and 36 yards as Westfield extended its advantage to 34-14 early in the third quarter.
The Chargers made a late run when senior quarterback Nate Worek connected with junior Austin Decker on two second-half touchdown passes, but a Westfield defense that entered the contest allowing just 5.5 points per game again came up big at the end of the game.
With Chantilly driving and under three minutes remaining, the Chargers had a potential game-winning drive end when Westfield senior defensive back R.J. Curry intercepted a Worek pass. Then, after forcing a Bulldogs punt, Chantilly had another drive stall at their own 10 yard line with under a minute to play when a Worek pass fell incomplete.
The two teams exchanged scores throughout the first half, with Chantilly closing to within a 21-14 midway through the second quarter when Worek connected with junior wide out Chris Gentile on an eight-yard touchdown pass. Worek finished with three touchdown passes, but his interception late in the game proved costly for the Chargers.
With the win, the Bulldogs reached the nine-win plateau for the fifth consecutive season.
Game Notes: Westfield has now won the last six match-ups between the schools, which are separated by just 4.4 miles in western Fairfax County ... The Bulldogs will be seeking their third undefeated regular season in five years when they face James Robinson next Friday. ... For the first time since 2001, Westfield's offense did not feature RB Evan Royster, who ran for 6,384 yards and 90 touchdowns in his career and is now playing at Penn State ... Chantilly has another tough test next week, when they travel across town to face Centreville.
