RECAP: Warriors struggle against No. 1-ranked Omaha North

Friday, Oct. 17, Westside took on Omaha North on a cold night at Phelps Field. For the Warriors, the game would be as bad as the weather.

Despite losing 42-14, Westside didn’t play a horrible game. Unfortunately for the Warriors, though, a number of big plays given up to a North team that continually executed meant a big loss.

On the first drive of the game, North drove 70 yards before Vikings quarterback Payton Nelson scored on a run.

Westside converted a first down on its first drive, but ultimately was forced to punt after the conversion.

North scored again on its second drive after starting on the 46-yard line, running the ball to the Westside 17-yard line before a Westside defensive stop on fourth down was negated by a penalty and Omaha North would quickly go up 14-0.

On the ensuing Westside drive, the Warriors converted a fourth down, but a penalty once again held Westside back, a theme that would come back to bite the team throughout the game

The Warriors converted a first down on their third drive, but were forced to punt once again. This set up Markell Vaughn for an incredible field-stretching return, extending the Vikings lead to three touchdowns.

The Warriors would take over after the return, with little time left in the half, but were forced to punt, giving North the ball with an opportunity to punch another score on the board.

On the first play of the drive, Calvin Strong took the ball 80 yards, giving North a commanding 28-0 lead into halftime.

The Warriors and the Vikings battled throughout most of the third quarter. Both teams would move the ball with considerable success, but neither would score. In the last couple minutes of the third, Westside converted a fourth down, bringing the Warriors to the Omaha North five-yard line. Junior Mitchell Hagan and senior KaVon Neelon got Westside on the board with a five-yard strike with 1:46 left in the third quarter.

On the ensuing drive, Calvin Strong had a huge run down to the Westside three-yard line before the Vikings scored on the next play, making it 35-7 with time in the quarter winding down.

On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Hagan’s pass was intercepted in the end zone, giving the ball back to the North offense.

North would have a strong drive down the field and score to make it 42-7, further slamming the door on Westside’s comeback hopes.

Junior Braxton Anderson would make the loss slightly less sour for the Warriors by returning a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown with under two minutes remaining, making the final score 42-14.

North proceeded to run down the clock, maintaing its undefeated record and No. 1 ranking.

The Warriors move on to play in their final regular season game Friday, Oct. 24 at Fremont. The Warriors (4-4) have the opportunity to finish the season with a record above .500, and go into the playoffs with a road win.

Check back on Friday for a preview of the game, and for full coverage, stay up to date with @westsidewired on twitter.