With a chance to go over .500 for the first time this season, the West Platte football team (2-3) came up short 29-6 against Lawson (3-2) on September 23.
West Platte looked solid on the first two drives and moved the ball well but was unable to get past the middle of the field. After the first two drives, the West Platte offense couldn’t get anything going, finishing the night with only 86 rushing yards and 141 total yards.
The Blue Jay defense held their ground early but ended up giving the Cardinals a touchdown in each quarter of the game, starting with 1:18 left in the opening period. The Cardinals ran in from 2 yards out and rushed in for the 2-point conversion to take an early 8-0 margin and then added to the lead with a 26-yard pass with less than five minutes left in the half to go up 15-0 at the break.
“The lack of offense was a determining factor not only on the West Platte side of the scoreboard but also on Lawson’s side,” West Platte head football coach Jim Newsted said. “If your offense has too many three-and-outs, then you aren’t giving your defense a break; it seemed like the defense was on the field the entire game.”
Lawson added a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second half to push the score to 29-0 with 4:12 left in regulation. West Platte finally got on the scoreboard with 47 seconds to play when Kane Cogan found Peyson Chandler for a 24-yard score, followed by a failed run by Dalton Woodward.
“Lawson overwhelmed us with their speed on both sides of the ball. I was proud of our effort tonight, especially since the defense held strong for many drives, but we just were on the field too often and too long,” Newsted said.
Lawson struggled on third downs, converting only three of the 12 times it was in that situation. However, the Cardinals were more efficient on fourth down conversions, finishing the game with five out of their seven attempts being successful.
Lane Scott led the Blue Jay defense with a team-high 9.5 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Xavier Reynolds and Cohen Kite both had an interception.
West Platte hasn’t won or lost two consecutive games yet and will look to keep that pattern going the next time they step onto the football field and bounce back with a win. The Blue Jays will take on East Buchanan (4-1) in the Bulldogs’ homecoming on September 30.