Kennedy, Bulldogs, Run Past Chargers 28-16
CHANTILLY, VA - Heading into Thursday's clash with cross town rival Chantilly, the Westfield Bulldogs were hungry for vindication after last season's regional title loss to the Chargers. Bulldog quarterback Mike Glennon and crew were on fire offensively in their previous three games, but they hadn't faced a tough and physical defense like that of Chantilly's yet. While Westfield has always been known for the quick strike on offense, it was Chantilly's Austin Decker that hit the first big play of the game. Decker took the first offensive snap of the game for Chantilly and raced 64 yards for a touchdown to quiet the Bulldog faithful, and send the Charger fans into a frenzy.
With Chantilly leading 7-0, Westfield answered, moving the ball down the field behind the passing of Glennon and the running of Brian Kennedy. Glennon capped off the impressive drive with a touchdown pass to David Kruchko on a 1st and goal from the 1 yard line to knot the score at 7-7.
Chantilly's Torrian Pace then showed his speed after breaking free from 42 yards out to give the Chargers a 13-7 lead after the extra point attempt failed. On the ensuing drive, Glennon hit receiver Johnny Pickett on a slant route for a score to give the Bulldogs a 14-13 lead late in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs got the ball back with :33 seconds left in the 2nd quarter in their own territory, and they nearly pulled off the play of the game, executing the hook and lateral play perfectly. A 15 yard facemask penalty at the end of the play helped set the Bulldogs up for a field goal attempt, but the kick sailed wide and the half ended with Westfield holding onto a 14-13 lead.
Heading into the locker room, Westfield head coach Tom Verbanic told the Gameday Radio crew what his message was going to be to his kids.
"I'm going to tell them to play hard and to play fast, because it's going to be a war in the second half," Verbanic said.
The message Verbanic delivered at halftime worked because the Bulldogs looked sharp to open the 2nd half. Bulldog tailback Brian Kennedy extended the Westfield lead in the 3rd quarter on a bruising 10 yard run which ended with him diving for the corner of the end zone while stiff arming Charger linebacker Mike Quigg. Kennedy's run gave the Bulldogs a 21-13 lead, and Chantilly couldn't muster an answer except for a late field goal in the 4th quarter to make the score 21-16. Glennon then iced the game after a 30 yard run from Kennedy, by running a quarterback draw into the end zone to make the score 28-16.
Glennon isn't known for his speed, but he looked like John Elway in his prime while he ran for the deciding score. Glennon said the decision to run was actually a designed play that the Bulldogs had been practicing all week long.
"We practiced that play this week and I was excited about it. I think it surprised them, and my line did a great job of blocking, nobody touched me on the way to the end zone," Glennon said.
"I'm just so proud of the kids because I thought we really played hard," Verbanic said. "Our defense played well in the second half and our offensive line was outstanding. Probably the MVP's were the kids who played the scout team all week in practice, they did a great job in a tough short week of preparing for this game."
After the game, Chantilly Head Coach Mike Lalli graciously shared a few thoughts about the tough loss to the Bulldogs.
"They played very well, and we didn't do a very good job of stopping the run tonight," Lalli said. "This is just one game, and we have 6 more games and can still make the playoffs, and good things can happen still for us."
With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 4-0 on the season and take the inside track on the Concorde District race. With the loss, Chantilly fell to 3-1 on the season.
Game Notes:
Westfield receiver Johnny Pickett had 10 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in the 28-16 win over Chantilly. Pickett continued his assault on defensive backs in the region and has become the go-to guy for quarterback Mike Glennon.
Bulldog tailback Brian Kennedy finished the night with 109 yards rushing and 1 touchdown and it was his 30 yard jaunt in the 4th quarter on a crucial 3rd down that helped to seal the victory. Kennedy continued to cause problems for the Chantilly defense and has now scored at least one rushing touchdown against Chantilly in the last three contests between the two teams.
Quarterback Mike Glennon threw for 2 touchdowns and rushed for another, finishing the night completing 15 of 22 passes for 177 yards.
