Westfield wasted no time scoring in its trip to Harrison on Friday.
The Shamrocks sailed to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter of its opening game, and held on to beat the Raiders 28-16. This marks the eighth year in a row that Westfield has won the first game of its season, a nice streak for coach Jake Gilbert as he begins his eighth year as coach of the ‘Rocks.
Westfield got rushing touchdowns from Micah Hauser and Camden Simons in the first period. Then with seconds left in the quarter, Simons threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Riddle, making the score 21-3.
Nathan Nguyen rushed for a touchdown in the second quarter; he finished as the leading rusher by carrying 14 times for 98 yards. Alex Bales kicked the extra point for all four scores.
Simons had a very efficient night, completing 10 of 14 passes for 95 yards. Dane Wheeler made four receptions, followed by six other Shamrocks with one catch each.
Xander Nguyen and Eric Kriskovich both made six tackles to lead Westfield’s defense. Ryan Mahoney made 2.5 tackles for a loss.
The Shamrocks will play their home opener next Friday, taking on Class 5A No. 7 Decatur Central.
