Decker Leads Chargers Past Westfield 26-21
(Chantilly, VA) The Chantilly Chargers had been waiting for another shot at Westfield since the start of November. When they won last week against Oakton in the first round of the playoffs, the anticipation for Saturday's rematch could be felt in the air. With the weather cooperating and the stage set for the Regional Championship, both teams showed up to play for the Chantilly community.
Westfield got on the scoreboard first with Brian Kennedy taking the Bulldogs down the field and eventually scoring from within 5 yards to put Westfield up 7-0. On the next drive, Chantilly's Nate Worek would be injured on a 3rd down run and was carted off in an ambulance. Worek suffered temporary paralysis in his legs and would not return in the game. Coach Michael Lalli said after the game that Worek was ok and had suffered a concussion and a sore back and neck.
Enter backup Austin Decker. Decker calmly took over the huddle and brought the Chargers back with a touchdown pass to tight end Danny Simms late in the 2nd quarter.
Before the half, Westfield scored to take a 14-7 win on another Kennedy run and both teams entered the locker room with confidence.
In the 2nd half, Chantilly's Austin Decker brought his team back to tie the score at 14-14 and Torrien Pace's 1 yard run to the corner of the end-zone ignited the Charger faithful.
Westfield answered immediately after Ryan Weaver returned the ensuing kickoff to the Chantilly 30 yard line. Mike Glennon found Johnny Picket in the end zone for a quick strike and the Bulldogs went ahead again 21-14.
Decker would find the end-zone again, this time on the ground late in the 3rd quarter but the Chargers botched the snap and the score remained 21-20.
Late in the game, the Charger defense held with Zach Hally sacking Glennon to bring on the punt unit. The Chargers, led by Decker, would come through on 4th down and 8 on the Westfield 35 yard line. Decker's pass to Justin Carwile inside the 1 yard line would lead to a Decker quarterback sneak and a 26-21 lead after a missed two point conversion.
The Chargers Chris Kolta intercepted Glennon with 9 seconds left and Chantilly took home the regional championship in Division 6 football in the Northern Region. This win marked a monumental turnaround for the Charger football program. Chantilly finished 4-6 last year and have now won 9 games and will appear in the state semi-finals next week. Head Coach Michael Lalli took a moment to reflect on how far they have come in 2006.
"We are very fortunate, we are very happy to be here after where we've come from. The kids have worked very hard and they are really excited with what we have accomplished," Lalli said after the game.
The Chargers seemed to rally behind their injured leader Nate Worek and backup quarterback Austin Decker. Senior tight end Danny Simms said that they wanted to win this game for their teammate.
"We all said that we wanted to win this game for Nate and Austin came in and did a great job. This is a big win for us and for our program," Simms said.
Trailing with less than two minutes to go in the game, Simms said Decker was confident in the huddle. "He came in the huddle and said we had to get it done. We just pulled together and made it happen," Simms added.
In the loss, Westfield dropped to 11-1 and finished their season as Concorde District Champions, and Chantilly improved to 9-3 and advanced to the State Semi Finals next week vs Varina.
