Westover overpowers Seminole County, 34-0

ALBANY — Westover’s offensive line kept creating holes Friday night.

Its running backs kept finding them.

And its defense made sure Seminole County never had much of a chance to answer.

The Patriots dominated the line of scrimmage, leaned on a punishing rushing attack and shut out the visiting Indians 34-0 at Hugh Mills Stadium to improve to 2-0 heading into region play.

Westover led 21-0 by halftime and was never seriously threatened.

“It is a great win, but we are still cleaning up some things,” Westover coach Corey Joyner said. “I think we took a step back in our passing game, but we are still running the ball really well. Defensively, we really played well.”

The Patriots showed exactly what Joyner meant from their opening possession.

Quarterback Gabriel Hopper directed Westover down the field as sophomore Michael Daniels and senior Malik Young found running room behind a talented offensive line. Freshman Jalen Mack finished the drive, powering through the Seminole defense for the first touchdown.

It was the beginning of a big night for Westover’s young backs.

Daniels repeatedly gashed the Indians for big gains, while Mack — already 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds as a freshman — scored twice.

“I was very impressed with our young running back Michael Daniels, but it was a great team effort,” Joyner said.

The final score could have been even more lopsided.

Westover drove inside the Seminole 10 on its next possession before a tackle for loss and sack helped the Indians turn the Patriots away on downs. Westover later drove deep into Seminole territory again, only to have a penalty and incomplete passes end another scoring opportunity.

Seminole couldn’t capitalize on either stop.

Westover’s defense simply kept giving the ball back to the offense.

When the Patriots got it again, Daniels ripped off another big gain and Hopper followed the left side of his offensive line for a first down, running behind Louisville commit Kyson Mallard.

Daniels broke loose again before Mack took over near the goal line. The freshman powered his way to the 1 before finishing the drive with his second touchdown, giving Westover a two-score advantage.

The Patriots’ defense forced another stop.

This time, Westover needed one play.

Taking over at the Seminole 47 following a punt, Hopper found Braylon Burton wide open behind the secondary for a 47-yard touchdown that sent the Patriots into halftime leading 21-0.

Lightning flashed in the distance and a light rain began falling around halftime, but Albany avoided the rough weather that hit other parts of Southwest Georgia Friday night.

Westover didn’t avoid the end zone.

The Patriots added two more touchdowns in the second half, while their defense finished off the shutout and a convincing 34-0 victory.

Now the schedule gets more serious.

Westover opens Region 1-4A competition next week on the road against Columbus, and the Blue Devils will also enter the matchup 2-0. Columbus has beaten Jordan 44-0 and Marion County 21-20.

For Joyner, Friday’s rout was another step forward — but not a finished product.

“Great win,” he said. “Now let’s get ready for next week.”