RECAP: Westside falls to rival, moves to 0-2

It was a tale of two halves for Westside. Unfortunately for the Warriors, their dominant first half was not enough to overcome Creighton Prep’s second half outburst, handing Westside a 56-37 loss and an 0-2 record.

After Creighton Prep opened up scoring with a touchdown, Westside started a 28-0 run. Senior Drew Combs (five kick returns for 141 yards), returning to action after medical reasons kept him out of Westside’s first game, returned the Creighton Prep kickoff 44 yards to the Westside 49-yard line. Two plays later, junior Mitchell Hagan hit Combs (four receptions for 50 yards and a touchdwn) for a 26-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 7-7 with 7:14 remaining.

Westside then capitalized on Creighton Prep miscues, as junior AJ Meeks recovered a fumble inside the 10-yard line on two straight Creighton Prep possessions, putting Westside up 21-7 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.

The first fumble recovery was off of a Micah Rensch (30 carries for 144 yards and one touchdown) fumble, which came after junior Michael Thompson pinned the Junior Jays at their own one-yard line with a 46-yard punt.

The second came when, on the ensuing kickoff, Creighton Prep’s 99-yards touchdown return was called back on a penalty. Two plays later, Trystn Ducker fumbled the ball at the Creighton Prep eight-yard line, and Meeks scooped the ball and ran it in for a touchdown.

Meeks scored his third straight touchdown when, with the ball on the Westside 40-yard line, Hagan completed a 60-yard touchdown pass to Meeks, putting the Warriors up 28-7 with 10:08 remaining in the first half.

After the Westside touchdown, Creighton Prep replaced starting quarterback Ben McLeay with Zach Luckey. Luckey immediately left a mark on the game, leading the Junior Jays on a six-play, 60-yard touchdown drive, capping it off with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ducker with 8:15 remaining in the first half.

Westside ended second half scoring on its next drive when junior AJ Nolin hit a 31-yard field goal attempt, putting the Warriors ahead 31-14 going into the half.

“We took advantage of some big plays and we had the momentum on our side [in the first half], and when you have the momentum on your side, things start rolling for you,” assistant coach Chad Schmeckpeper said. “We had it in the first half and we lost it in the second.”

On its first drive of the second half, Westside went three and out. Here, Creighton Prep stole the momentum.

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Starting with the ball on its own 43, Creighton Prep moved the ball to the Westside 38 before Luckey completed a 38-yard touchdown pass to Michael Corpuz with 8:20 remaining in the third quarter.

Four plays later, Creighton Prep added seven more points on an interception returned for a touchdown, cutting the Westside lead to 31-28 with 7:25 remaining in the third quarter.

Creighton Prep added two more touchdowns, both scrambles by Luckey, sending the game to the fourth quarter with Westside losing 42-31 and without Combs, who sustained a leg injury on Westside’s final possession of the third quarter.

Creighton Prep opened up the fourth quarter with another touchdown, putting Westside in a 49-31 hole.

Westside would not recover, scoring only one more touchdown on a 45-yard run by junior Logan Duryee (28 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown) on a fourth down. Creighton Prep would add another touchdown to seal it.

“They just came out and made plays [in the second half],” Schmeckpeper said. “We had trouble tackling. There’s no excuse. We just didn’t make any plays and they started making plays. Momentum went in their direction and we couldn’t get it back.”

We talk about it all the time — being composed and regaining your composure after something bad happens — and that’s just something, as a team, we’re still struggling with; we’re still working on that.”

With the loss, unranked Westside moves to 0-2. Creighton Prep is now 2-0. For Westside, a home game against Millard South and a week of forgetting and fixing awaits.

“You don’t dwell on the past and you focus on the present,” Schmeckpeper said. “That’s what we talk about all the time: right here, right now. We just go back to work and try to fix the things we can.”

CRAZE Magazine’s Post Game Report