Huntingtown defense shuts down Westlake, 16-6, in SMAC Showdown
September 21, 2024
HUNTINGTOWN, Md. — Leaning on its stout defense, the Huntingtown Hurricanes (3-0) defeated the Westlake Wolverines (2-1), 16-6, in a battle of two strong teams from the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference at Huntingtown High School on Friday night.
Westlake entered the game averaging nearly 40 points per game over its first two games, and touting one of the top running backs in all of Maryland in Devin Cox. But the Wolverines were not able to muster much offense at all, as the Hurricanes defense owned the line of scrimmage throughout the game, powered by defensive lineman Evan Powell.
Taking the opening kickoff, Westlake would quickly find just how stout the Huntingtown defense was, as the Wolverines were forced to punt after just three plays. Not to be outdone, the Westlake defense turned the Canes over on downs on its initial possession. Both teams would trade punts for the rest of the quarter to end the first period scoreless.
Huntingtown worked the ball downfield right as the quarter ended, and on the first play of the second quarter, quarterback Dominic Hickman rolled out to his right and found receiver Brayden Brooks who ran into the corner of the end zone for the Hurricanes touchdown. The extra point, however, was blocked, and Huntingtown held a 6-0 lead.
The rest of the quarter saw some back and forth play, and it looked as if Huntingtown would take its small lead into halftime, as the Hurricanes defense had held the Wolverines even without a first down, let alone a score.
But, Westlake stunned the Hurricanes with a trick play. With just over a minute left before halftime, Wolverines quarterback William Drakeford Jr. connected on a swing pass with receiver Caleb Phillips. Phillips looked as if he was going to turn upfield on a screen pass, but he stopped and threw and found a wide-open Jayden Pritchett way downfield who caught the ball and ran across the goal line for a thrilling 74-yard score. The extra point was wide left, so the score was knotted at 6-6 as play headed to the halftime break.
As play moved to the second half, the action closely resembled the first half for a majority of the third quarter. But Huntingtown finally broke through, as running back Gabe Copeland broke free for a 7-yard touchdown that would put the Canes up 13-6 heading to the fourth quarter.
Setup by a long catch and run by receiver Brody Whittington who nearly scored a touchdown, Huntingtown would have to settle for a 25-yard field goal from kicker Max Hall on its next possession extended the lead to 16-6 with about ten minutes to play. Westlake would then begin its best sustained offensive drive of the night, tallying five first downs, and working the ball all the way down to the Huntingtown 10-yard line. But, Drakeford’s pass fell incomplete in the end zone on 4th down, and the Hurricanes would secure a few first downs and kneel out the clock for the victory.
Huntingtown will remain home next weekend as it hosts Calvert County rival Patuxent (3-0) on Saturday evening. Westlake will finally play its first home game of the season next Friday night as the Wolverines host St. Charles (1-2).
More Posts
