By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
WESTFIELD – The regular season finale at Westfield on Friday featured two teams that are heading in different directions. The Flashes have now lost three straight and Westfield has now won three consecutive heading into the state tournament in two weeks.
The Westfield Shamrocks were able to take advantage of opportunities early on and their defense stood tall and held strong in a 24-13 win over Franklin Central to close out the regular season.
The ‘Rocks started their first series at the Flashes’ 46. They were faced with a 4th down and 4 at the FC 38 and went for it. Cole Ballard then threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tight end Mikeah Webster for a 7-0 Westfield lead.
The ensuing drive for the Flashes didn’t pan out the way they planned.
On the second play, quarterback Nevan Tutterow threw a pass that was intended for his tight end. The ball was tipped up by linebacker Casey Graybill and then immediately intercepted by fellow linebacker Tyler Dikos. After Dikos fumbled the ball, cornerback Andrew Lieske picked up the ball and ran it in for a fumble return touchdown for a 14-0 Westfield lead.
“I think the wind mattered,” said Westfield head coach Jake Gilbert of the wind playing a big factor throughout the game.
“We had the wind in the first quarter and we got a score. They threw a pass into the wind and we got an interception, a pick-six. This was a windy night and the wind mattered a lot,” continued Gilbert on the big factor the wind played.
Franklin Central did their best to keep the game honest early. They marched 80 yards, highlighted by big pass plays of 47 yards to Damir Swanigan and another 25-yarder to Jeremiah Smith that got the Flashes set up for their first score.
The Flashes lined up in the “wildcat” formation and that became a direct snap to tight end Jake Newman, resulting in a two-yard TD run, cutting the Shamrock lead to 14-7.
At that point, it seemed that this might be a high-scoring affair.
Westfield came right back down the field, going 65 yards. This drive ended in grand fashion. Ballard found a new weapon in sophomore wide receiver Parker Knott for a 43-yard touchdown strike that pushed the lead back to double digits at 21-7.
“We were able to capitalize on having the wind early. We just didn’t capitalize in the second half,” stated Gilbert on Westfield’s inability to turn opportunities into points in the second half, like they did in the first half.
Franklin Central cut the Shamrocks’ lead back under 10 in the middle of the third. Starting near midfield, the Flashes drove 54 yards, ending the drive on an eight-yard touchdown run from Jeremiah Smith. The PAT would be blocked, keeping the Westfield lead at eight, 21-13.
“Those guys have been, in my opinion, the best defense in the conference or second to Southeastern. So, we expected them to be very tough and it would be hard to run the ball against them and they’ve got a great secondary,” said Gilbert, complementing Franklin Central’s defense.
Late in the third quarter, Brody Boehm was able to get his confidence back. Prior to his lone field goal attempt on the night, Boehm had made just one of his six field goal tries on the season. The junior kicker nailed a 44-yard field goal from the left hash that would account for the final score of 24-13.
“We didn’t expect it to be easy offensively. I was really happy how our defense played. They struggled to score some, but I still think our defense played great,” stated Gilbert on nothing coming easy and defense ultimately being a point of emphasis for the victory.
These two squads will get to rest and recoup with no game next week. Then, on Friday, Oct. 28, they will start the state tournament.
Franklin Central (3-6, 2-5 HCC) will host highly-touted No. 2 Center Grove (7-2) in 6A Sectional 8. The Trojans lost at home to third-ranked Cathedral last night, 40-29.
Westfield (6-3, 5-2 HCC) sports a three-game winning streak heading into tournament play. The No. 9 Shamrocks will face the No. 7 Carmel Greyhounds (6-3) in 6A Sectional 4. Carmel defeated Lawrence Central on Friday, 27-7.
Ballard finished the game 8-of-13, totaling 108 yards. Maximus Nosler led the receptions with four. Kendall Garnett led the rushing with 72 yards, followed by Ballard’s 50 yards.
Complete stats were unavailable at press time.