Westover football survives Shaw rally for 26-20 region win

ALBANY — Westover had already shown how quickly it could take control of a game. Friday night, the Patriots learned how difficult it can be to regain control once they let it slip away.

Westover raced to a 20-point lead behind three big plays, watched Shaw turn a potential rout into a one-score game and then answered with the touchdown it needed to secure a 26-14 victory at Hugh Mills Stadium.

The win improved the Patriots to 4-1, but coach Corey Joyner was far more concerned with how his team finished than the final result.

“We played well the first quarter and scored 20 points and then relaxed and stopped playing our brand of football,” Joyner said. “I am very disappointed in the way we finished the game. We must mature.”

For a while, Westover looked unstoppable.

Kell Simmons scored the Patriots’ first two touchdowns, beginning with a 7-yard run. He struck again when quarterback Gabriel Hopper found him for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Malik Young added the 2-point conversion to give Westover a 14-0 lead.

Shaw threatened to answer, moving the ball near the Westover 20 before the Patriots intercepted a pass and flipped the momentum again.

After completing a short pass, Hopper connected with Jaden Thomas along the sideline. Thomas did the rest, racing 68 yards for Westover’s third touchdown. The conversion attempt came up short, but the Patriots carried a 20-0 lead into halftime.

Then the game took a sharp turn.

Shaw’s defense forced a three-and-out on Westover’s opening possession of the second half, and the Raiders took over at their own 13. Mixing short passes with runs, Shaw methodically covered 87 yards.

Quarterback Daylen Peterson scrambled to the Westover 18 and had his helmet ripped off during the tackle, drawing a penalty that moved the ball to the 9. Three plays later, Otis Stephens powered into the end zone. Xavier Allender’s extra point trimmed the Patriots’ lead to 20-7.

Shaw’s defense quickly got the ball back, and this time the Raiders leaned on a running back wearing No. 7 who was not listed on the available roster. He carried on three consecutive plays to help push Shaw to the Westover 38.

From there, Stephens broke a long run to the 9 and scored on the next play. Allender’s kick made it 20-14, and a game Westover had controlled suddenly was in doubt.

Before the Patriots took the field again, senior offensive lineman Kyson Mallard delivered a message to the rest of Westover’s front. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound senior and Louisville commit, challenged them to take back the line of scrimmage.

They responded immediately.

Young ran straight up the middle on three consecutive plays, helping drive Westover to the Shaw 32. Then, facing third-and-long, Hopper spotted Jordan Joyner wide open behind the defense and hit him for a 32-yard touchdown.

The conversion failed, but the Patriots had stopped Shaw’s surge and rebuilt their advantage to 26-14.

The Raiders, however, were not finished.

With No. 7 lined up at quarterback, Shaw went to its bag of tricks. He tossed the ball to Peterson, who delivered a well-placed halfback pass that moved the Raiders to the Westover 35.

This time, Westover’s defense refused to give ground.

Michael Daniels sacked Peterson for an 11-yard loss. Moments later, No. 7 appeared to score, but a holding penalty erased the touchdown and moved the ball back to the 14.

Stephens carried to the 10, giving Shaw a first-and-goal, but the Patriots kept the Raiders out of the end zone. A fourth-down pass fell incomplete, and Westover took possession and ran out the clock.

The Patriots will face another region test next Friday when they travel to Bainbridge. The Bearcats were idle Friday, and their lone victory this season came against Shaw, 25-10.