The West Platte football team has continued its impressive and historical season as the Blue Jays dominated Lawson in a 39-0 victory on Sept. 17 and have started off 4-0 for the first time in over a decade.
The Blue Jays scored early in the contest with a 10-yard rush from Emmet Sullivan in the first quarter but couldn’t get back on the scoreboard until the second half. After leading 7-0 at the break, West Platte erupted for 32 unanswered points to give the Blue Jays their first win over the Cardinals since Sept. 2, 2011.
The Blue Jay defense once again made it difficult for its opponent when Lawson ended the contest with only 52 total yards of offense - 14 yards rushing and 38 yards passing. Lawson’s offense was 0 for 9 on third down conversions and 0 for 2 on fourth down conversions.
“I was impressed with the line of scrimmage play by the Blue Jays on both sides of the ball,” West Platte head coach Jim Newsted said. “I thought this game was definitely won in the trenches; hats off to my offensive and defensive line.”
West Platte forced four turnovers, two of which resulted in a defensive touchdown by Cameron Williams. Following Sullivan’s second rushing touchdown of the night, Williams scored two defensive touchdowns from a fumble and a strip to give the Blue Jays a 26-0 lead late in the third quarter.
Williams ended with four total tackles as Lane Scott led the team with five solo tackles. Tanner Rowe attempted one pass on the night when he connected with Xavier Reynolds for a 30-yard score and Sullivan found the end zone for the third time as the Blue Jays continued to extend their lead in the fourth quarter.
Sullivan stuffed the stat sheet with 146 rushing yards on 22 carries for three touchdowns while Trent Taylor ran the ball 14 times for 54 yards. Mason Montez added 21 yards on six attempts on the ground and Reynolds was the only Blue Jay to catch a pass as he ended with two receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.
West Platte is set to host undefeated East Buchanan this Friday as the Bulldogs look to extend their winning streak against the Blue Jays. West Platte has lost the last 15 contests to East Buchanan, including playoffs, since the Blue Jays’ last win in the regular season finale of 2010.
“The Bulldogs have an excellent running game and a very good quarterback that can throw the ball, along with a stingy defense. We will have to play some fundamental football with very few mistakes to be competitive in this game,” Newsted said.