Westfield and Brownsburg had been slugging it out for four quarters, and that wasn’t enough to decide a winner in Friday’s matchup of two teams that were leading the Hoosier Crossroads Conference standings.
So, it was on to overtime. The host, Class 6A No. 2 Bulldogs went first, scored a touchdown and kicked the extra point to lead 42-35.
Now it was the 6A No. 8 Shamrocks’ turn. They only needed one play to score: Maximus Webster threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Reid Scheppers. Westfield then went for a two-point conversion, which the ‘Rocks had already decided to do before heading into the extra period.
“It was such a hard-fought game, everybody was exhausted,” said Westfield coach Jake Gilbert. “We were on the road and we just had plenty of reason to go for two then.”
And it worked. The Shamrocks ran a reverse to Carson Voorhis, who ran into the end zone. The Westfield team may have been exhausted, but it was also a 43-42 winner over previously unbeaten Brownsburg.
“Ultimately this was just a game about guts and toughness,” said Gilbert. The team had players hurt, but battled through it all.
“We had opportunities to fold, but they just kept playing hard,” said Gilbert. “Our kids deserved that win.”
It was a back and forth game throughout. The Bulldogs scored first, then Westfield answered with a five-yard touchdown run by Webster. Brownsburg scored again, so did the Shamrocks: Webster threw a 74-yard TD pass to Mason Piening, to finish the first quarter with the score tied 14-14.
Both teams added a touchdown in the second period. Webster punched the ball in from the one-yard line to tie the game at 21-all. Webster and Scheppers then teamed up for a 45-yard pass play touchdown early in the third, giving the Shamrocks their first lead at 28-21.
Micah Hauser scored late in the third quarter on a five-yard run, and that put Westfield up 35-28. The Bulldogs held the ‘Rocks scoreless in the fourth quarter while adding another touchdown, which made the score 35-35 at the end of regulation.
“It was two hot offenses,” said Gilbert. “Neither one of us could really stop each other. They had the ball last, so that was pretty scary, but they missed a field goal, which allowed us to win it in overtime.”
Webster finished the game 18-of-29 through the air, and totaled 303 yards. Voorhis and Hauser both made five receptions, with Piening getting four catches.
Hauser led the rushing with 92 yards. He also had an outrageous defensive performance, with 25 (yes, 25) total tackles. Hauser had 11 solo stops and assisted on 14 more.
“He had as good a game as you’re ever going to see,” said Gilbert.
Kyle Pape totaled 13 tackles, while Voorhis had 12.
With the victory, the Shamrocks now sit on top of the HCC standings at 4-0. Westfield knocked Brownsburg down to a tie for second place with Hamilton Southeastern; both schools are 3-1 in the league.
“Amazing,” said Gilbert. “You just don’t get these opportunities every year. You got to take advantage of them when you have them. We knew what was at stake, both of us being undefeated. Pretty hard to do this in this conference, just so many good teams.”
The Shamrocks are 5-1 overall and host Avon next Friday.
WESTFIELD 43, BROWNSBURG 42
(overtime)
Score by Quarters
Westfield 14 7 14 0 8 – 43
Brownsburg 14 7 7 7 7 – 42
Team Stats WF BR
First Downs 22 30
By Rush 9 24
By Pass 13 6
By Penalty 0 0
Rushes-Yards 31-149 61-340
Yards Passing 303 184
Comp-Att-Int-TD 18-29-0-3 11-20-2-0
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-0
Penalties-Yards 5-29 5-55
Punts-Average 3-29.7 2-43.0
Scoring
First Quarter
3:05 – Maximus Webster 5-yard run
(Sean Sullivan)
0:00 – Mason Piening 74-yard pass from Webster (Sullivan kick)
Second Quarter
1:21 – Webster 1-yard run (Sullivan kick)
Third Quarter
10:34 – Reid Scheppers 45-yard pass from Webster (Sullivan kick)
1:47 – Micah Hauser 5-yard run (Sullivan kick)
Overtime
Scheppers 10-yard pass from Webster (Carson Voorhis run)
Westfield individual stats
Rushing: Hauser 12-85, Webster 14-58, Voorhis 2-6, Porter Rode 1-0.
Passing: Webster 18-29-303.
Receiving: Voorhis 5-60, Hauser 5-57, Piening 4-113, Scheppers 2-55, Nic DePasquale 2-18.