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Despite loss, opening game exciting for Westfield fans
By MELODY BACAS
Staff Writer
Westfield Schools' bleachers were overflowing Friday night while
the Hornets fought it out on the gridiron with the Westwood Wild
cats.
It seems to me this is a larger crowd than last year's first game,"
said Lt. Tommy Blanchette with Houston Count Sheriffs Depart
ment. r
The Sheriff s Department is in charge of security and crowd con
trol at all county games.
The law official said there have been even larger crowds that Fri
day s. When the Hornets were in the playoffs the past two years,
extra bleachers were brought in, Blanchette said.
Still, Blanchette said the Westfield crowds are much tamer than
some of the larger schools, where fights and roughplay arc part of
the usual routine.
The only problem we've ever had has just been traffic. There has
never been a problem with crowd control," he said.
The concession crew were ready for the masses. The had 35
pounds of hamburger and 90 pounds of French fries on hand.
"We sell out," said Linda Alford, who organizes the stand wjth
husband, Bob. Last year, we sold 1,000 cokes. We expect as much
this year."
Some ol the most enthusiastic people at the game were the parents,
in spite of the way things looked in the third quarter when the score
was 6-0 in favor of Westwood.
"What makes high school football exciting is the way the enthu
siasm of the players and the unpredictability of the game," said Jack
Smith, whose daughter, LcAnne, is on the drill team.
Han/ Massey has three reasons to be excited about Westfield foot
ball.
The first is that it's thrilling, he said.
The other two reasons arc his sons, Mark and Doug, who play on
the team as numbers 74 and 66.
"I like the excitement," Massey said. "I just like high school foot
ball, even better than pro-ball."
w IL %J
Westfield student Jeremy Wilson cheers the Hornets on
...enthusiasm grew whenever hope did
Hornets lose opener after failing to overcome 6-0 lead by Westwood, from p-ib
of their most successful drives of
the game. Rooks gained five.
Then Arrington kept the ball for
two straight plays with gains of
six and ten yards. Then Arrington
ran the veer again for thirteen, but
two successive fumbles both
recovered by Westfield put an end
Poll says Hornets
have shot at title
Westfield has the best shot at
claiming a stale title this year in
GISA Class AAA action, according
to a poll of state sportswriters by a
Macon newspaper.
The Hornets, runnersup the last
two years in the state playoffs, were
ranked No. 1 and received five first
place votes.
Westfield was 11-1-1 last year
and no longer has to worry about
Southwest Georgia, whom they
lost to in the slate final last year.
That school has now dropped down
to Class AA and is ranked No. 1.
Westfield played Westwood last
night, which is ranked No. 5 in
Class AA.
Westfield also plays three of the
four teams that are ranked in the
AAA lop five: No. 2 Tatnall
Square, No. 3 Mt. de Sales, and
No. 5 First Presbyterian.
September 30 th
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to the drive.
The Hornet defense again gave a
fine showing and stopped the
Wildcats. Watson and Rooks both
had gains to set up a third and
three. But again misfortune struck
as an Arrington pass was inter
cepted.
The Wildcats were now given the
ball in good field position but they
weren't able to capitalize on it as a
Matt Perfect sack forced the Wild
cats to give up the ball again.
The Hornets had one chance for a
Hail Mary pass before the half
ended but the snap was mishandled
and the Hornets had to go into the
locker room down 6-0.
The Hornet came out in the sec
ond half much the same way they
had in the first half, flat. Both
teams traded punts with Westwood
coming out on the upper end field
position wise after a late hit call on
the Hornets.
The Wildcats got a big run from
Zack Geer as he broke open for 18
yards to put the ball at the Hornet
29.
Slowly the Wildcats churned
their way downfield on short runs
until they were down to the eigh
teen. Westwood would go no far
ther as the Hornets stopped the
Wildcats for no gains on three
straight downs. A Wildcat field
goal attempt was no good.
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The packed crowd readies itself for an exciting first game of the fall season for the Westfield Hornets.
RW
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Brad Dehem watches a small battle won on the field
...Others go wild, wanting a winning touchdown
Time by now was running down
on the Hornets as they took over
the ball again. The offense again
could not generate any yards in the
air or on the ground.
On fourth down a fake punt
failed and the Wildcats again had
great field position. The defense
again covered for the offense when
Qua Griffin intercepted a pass at
the fourteen.
But the Westfield offense had
three plays and then was again
forced to punt. The Wildcats ran
some lime of the clock before
punting back to the Hornets giving
the Hornets the ball at the five.
Westfield, try as they might, was
unable to get anything started and
punted back to the Wildcats as the
clock hit the two minute mark.
The Hornet defense played as
lough as they had all night and got
the Hornets the ball back when a
fourth down conversion missed by
three inches.
Arrington attempted to quickly
move the ball downfield, complet
ing a pas for ten yards to Jamey
Watson.
But the Hornets threw a scries
of incomplete passes and gave the
ball back to Westwood with two
seconds on the clock. The Wildcats
fell on the ball to run out the clock
on the Hornets.
The loss was the first regular
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It's a mad scramble for the ball after a missed connection on a handoff
.... Shayne Arrington recovered this fumble late in the first half
season loss in over a year and the
first loss at home since the Stale
Championship game two years
ago.
"It looked like we weren't pre
pared,” commented Powers after the
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1988 -
Westfield parents waited and hoped for a possible score
...adults said high school football is exciting
game. "Coach Curkendall did a
good job with the defense. The of
fense gave up the first touchdown
and couldn't move the ball," Pow
ers added.
I was pretty pleased with the
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defense. They (Westwood) executed
real well." Powers said.
The loss puts the Hornets at 0-1
and Westwood at 1-0, Westfield
plays next week at Tift Area in
Tifton.
3B