Defense ruled the field for much of Friday night’s game between Westfield and Hamilton Southeastern, which took place at the Shamrocks’ Riverview Health Stadium.
It took a fourth-quarter touchdown for Westfield to get the separation it needed, and that allowed the ‘Rocks to cruise home with a 14-3 victory over the Class 6A No. 9 Royals. The victory also kept Westfield unbeaten in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, while it was the first league loss of the year for Southeastern.
Maximus Webster got the Shamrocks on the board early in the first quarter with a short touchdown run. That would be it for scoring until the waning seconds of the second period. The Royals’ Alex Geroulis kicked a 23-yard field goal, keeping Southeastern within 7-3 at halftime.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. Webster struck again for Westfield early in the fourth, punching the ball in from the one-yard line. Sean Sullivan successfully kicked both extra points after each score.
The ‘Rocks had nine different players make at least five total tackles. Micah Hauser led with nine stops, while Charles Dager made eight tackles. Kyle Paper totaled seven tackles, Bryson Hoover and Seth Poriah both had six, and Dillon Thienemann made five.
“Our defense was amazing and kept some great players in check all night,” said Westfield coach Jake Gilbert. “They also forced two takeaways and had several tackles for loss. We are really flying to the football.”
Webster completed 8 of 16 pass attempts for 91 yards and led the rushing with 77 yards. Hauser was right behind on the ground with 75 yards.
“Still too many mistakes on offense but I think we can figure it out soon,” said Gilbert.
John McCall went 10-of-15 through the air for HSE, with 49 yards total. He also was the top rusher for the Royals with 32 yards. Nate Haas had an outstanding defensive night, with 12 tackles. JT Mutchner had 6.5 stops and Louden Sundling made five tackles.
“It was a very defensive-oriented game,” said Southeastern coach Michael Kelly. “Both teams had two turnovers. Their defensive line is physical and they did a nice job scheming against us offensively.
Westfield now shares the HCC lead with Brownsburg; both teams are 3-0 in the league. This sets up a big game next week, as the ‘Rocks will play at the Bulldogs’ field next Friday. Westfield is 4-1 overall.
The Royals dropped to 2-1 in the conference and 3-2 overall. They will return home to TCU Field next Friday to play Zionsville.
WESTFIELD 14, HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN 3
Score by Quarters
Southeastern 0 3 0 0 – 3
Westfield 7 0 0 7 – 14
Team Stats HSE WFLD
First Downs 7 15
By Rush 4 9
By Pass 3 6
By Penalty 0 0
Rushes-Yards 30-53 41-150
Yards Passing 49 96
Comp-Att-Int-TD 10-15-1-0 9-18-2-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 2-10 3-20
Punts-Average 5-26.4 3-33.7
Scoring
First Quarter
WFLD, 7:59 – Maximus Webster 4-yard run (Sean Sullivan kick)
Second Quarter
HSE, 0:03 – Alex Geroulis 23-yard field goal
Fourth Quarter
WFLD, 8:43 – Webster 1-yard run (Sullivan kick)
Southeastern individual stats
Rushing: John McCall 13-32, Blaine Wertz 11-20, Ty Bradle 1-4, Jace Alexander 4-1, Martice Taylor 1-minus 4.
Passing: McCall 10-15-49.
Receiving: Dylan Conner 2-27, Wertz 2-10, Zack Wagner 2-7, Taylor 2-6, Stephen Sydnor 1-10, Jack Wafford 1-minus 11.
Westfield individual stats
Rushing: Webster 17-77, Micah Hauser 21-75, Jack Pfeiffer 1-2, Nick Talley 1-0, team 1-0.
Passing: Webster 8-16-91, Nick Talley 1-2-5.
Receiving: Reid Scheppers 2-40, Ian Bruch 2-22, Mason Piening 2-20 Nic DePasquale 2-8, Hauser 1-6.