The Western Wildcats (5-0), sauced up their non-district opponents the Hallandale Chargers (1-4) on Monday night, with a final score of 29-8. Spurred on by their full house “blackout game” crowd, rowdy with homecoming game spirit, one could say the Wildcats turned their opponents into Hallanda(le)is Sauce.
The first quarter was primarily a tug of war between the opposing sides, with neither making any real headway until about halfway through. With 5:37 to go, a pass
from quarterback Harrison Story to wide receiver Jordan Smith resulted in a touchdown when Smith cutback to the inside, leaving his defender in the dust. The Wildcats tried for a 2-pt. conversion but missed, leaving the score 6-0. Their defense also foreshadowed their impact on the game about a minute later when linebacker Trevor Honse nearly intercepted the Chargers.
The Wildcats got that coveted first interception mere minutes into the second when cornerback Myles Wilson returned his foe’s pass almost 30 yards. While there were no points put up on the scoreboard for that drive, it energized the Wildcats offense. Hungry for a touchdown, a handoff to running back Keshaun Clarke fueled him to power it in for a score and deliver right before halftime. The Wildcats went in the locker room up 12-0.
During the intermission, Western crowned their homecoming king and queen, as well as enjoyed spirit-lifting performances from the cheerleaders, band, and color guard. The crowd shook with the mighty roar of the Wildcats, or maybe just the bellow of black-and-gold pride.
For the first half of the third quarter, it was all Wildcat offense. Big gains from Clarke, wide receiver Jaeden Fagan, and others marched them down the field in a fashion that left the Chargers thunderstruck. With 6:40 to go, Story hit Smith for his second touchdown of the night, and with a successful extra point, the defensive unit came on to protect against a 19-0 advantage. They did this vigorously, first with cornerback Teshaun Smith picking up a safety on a blocked punt, and later with wide receiver Dannie Sanders’ interception that he returned for a touchdown. Defensive back Robbie Ruebel clawed his way through the defense for the 2-pt. conversion, and the quarter ended with the wildcats up a whopping 29-0.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Chargers finally found a critical hole in the Wildcat defense when quarterback Nathaniel Williams found wide receiver Tahje Bryant, making the score 29-6. In addition, the Chargers defense tacked on a safety of their own late in the game, prior to one more Wildcats interception by Smith, and the game ending 29-8.
The Chargers offense never really got in gear until late in the 4th quarter, and by then the damage was done. The Chargers defense was consistent in the first half, but started to unravel against the unrelenting pressure of the #3 STEALTH Ranked QB Harrison Story and his take-no-prisoners offense.
The Wildcats had the same story (on both offense and defense), as their previous two matches. Story led his crew to contribute 3 touchdown passes (2 via Smith and 1 via Clarke), while allowing no interceptions. The defense on the other hand, racked up 3 interceptions (one by Sanders which was a pick 6 in the 3rd quarter), and extended their scoreless quarter record to 17/20 on the season.
Don’t miss the Wildcats after their short rest when they take to the road this week Friday, October 6th, against district archrivals the Cypress Bay Lightning.