The Point After: Westfield vs Chantilly
CHANTILLY, VA - First off, any discussion of this game has to start with the atmosphere. With nearly 8,000 fans in attendance for a Thursday night game and both a "black-out" and "white-out" in effect for both fans, this game had more of a college-type atmosphere than anything else. The noise at times was near-deafening, but for good reason. These are the two premier teams in the Northern Virginia area and both came in as Gameday Magazine's #1 and #2 ranked teams.
The playoff and district implications were also huge, and now Westfield suddenly finds themselves in the driver seat after last night's win. Let's take a closer look at how Thursday's game panned out for both teams.
OFFENSE
Westfield
Westfield really showed a lot with their offense last night. Capable of both running and passing the football, every defense in the Northern Region has to be scared now. Before, it seemed there were some question marks concerning the run game for Westfield. Running back Brian Kennedy however, put to sleep any rumors that the Bulldog ground game wasn't that strong.
Mike Glennon also showed off what he could do with his legs in this game, which surprised all of us. No one in attendance last night probably thought Glennon was so capable of alluding pressure or finding the first down with his feet. Glennon all around just looked like a smart player out there who knew how to manage the game.
Chantilly
Chantilly meanwhile seemed to hit a wall at times with their running game. On several third-down attempts, they came up short and that has to be a concern with head coach Mike Lalli. The Chargers however, were capable of the big play, as is evidenced by Austin Decker and Torrian Pace's long touchdown runs. Yet after the first-half, those big plays just weren't there for Chantilly. Sure, they were up against a solid defense, but we were expecting a bit more from the offense.
DEFENSE
Westfield
Whatever changes or adjustments the Westfield coaching staff made in the second-half worked. They Charger offense was held to just a field goal in that time frame and they came up huge several times. For Verbanic, defense comes first, and it was pretty apparent why he holds that mindset: it wins him ballgames.
Chantilly
For Chantilly, it was tough to really judge what hurt them. With so many key penalties committed on their behalf, the problem might be more mental than anything else. Either way, expect whatever holes were exposed in the Chantilly defense to be filled up soon. This is the Chargers' pride and joy, so you know Lalli will use this game as an advantage to get them better.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Westfield
The most glaring mistake for Westfield in this department was the missed kick that would have put them up 17-13 at the half. For kicker David Skahn though, that doesn't happen too often. Skahn is one of the better kickers in the Northern Virginia area, so don't expect to see too many missed field goals from him.
Chantilly
On kick returns, the Chargers were struggling mightily as they dropped the ball on numerous occasions. Kick returns is a strong point for this team and the mistakes we saw last night were purely mental. We know what Chris Gentile and Bugsy Urrutia are capable of, so there's absolutely no reason to push the panic button there.
MISCELLANEOUS
Penalties
Wow there was a lot of laundry on the field Thursday night. From the simple delay of games to the controversial pass interferences and to the ugly late hit calls, there were seemingly way too many penalties for both teams. With the top-notch coaching staffs that are in place at both schools, expect that problem to be addressed immediately at Monday's practice.
Turnovers
Both teams did a good job handling the ball as Westfield was the only team to turn the ball over last night. That's a good sign for both teams because as every football team knows, turnovers can downright plague a football team.
Crystal Ball
There seems to be growing thought that this was only Part I of the Chantilly-Westfield rivalry and that Part II will feature these two teams again in the championship like last year. If history repeats itself, it could be Chantilly having the last laugh as they won last year's region title over Westfield despite losing to them in the regular season.
