Coming off two tough losses to a pair of the top-3 teams in the KCI Conference, the West Platte football team (3-4) bounced back with a much-needed 10-8 victory over Lathrop on Oct. 7.
The Blue Jays got off to a great start with a long drive starting at their own 20-yard line and ending with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Kane Cogan to Peyson Chandler. The opening drive took most of the first quarter and resulted in the only Blue Jay touchdown of the night with 3:29 to play.
West Platte went to several different offensive sets and a mixture of different plays that kept the Mules on their heels defensively. West Platte had several drives to the red zone throughout the game, but it couldn’t capitalize on any other touchdowns.
The Blue Jays got back on the scoreboard with a 26-yard field goal by freshman Alex Allison late in the second quarter to take a 10-0 margin, which was the score at halftime. Defensively the Blue Jays had a stellar night as they held the Mules to only 16 yards rushing and 142 yards passing.
“The ability for our defense to shut down Lathrop’s run was a key to our success Friday night,” West Platte head coach Jim Newsted said.” “We made them one dimensional on offense and that allowed us to defend the pass without hesitation.”
The West Platte defensive pressure resulted in five sacks in the second half led by junior Gunner Smith and senior Lane Scott with two sacks each. Chandler added one sack, while Xavier Reynolds snatched an interception late in the game to kill a big Lathrop drive.
“McClain Zendejas, Dalton Woodard and Jhett Chandler helped Xavier to hold the Mules to only eight completions out of 25 attempts. Brett Swope (West Platte’s defensive coordinator) and his defense played a perfect game and held the Mules out of the end zone all night until seconds ran off the clock,” Newsted said.
The Mules scored their only touchdown with no time left as they completed a 35-yard pass on the final play of the game. The Blue Jays came out with a 2-point victory, making their KCI Conference record 2-3.
West Platte’s Chad Jameson (#64) and Jhett Chandler (#21) attempt to block a pass from Lathrop’s quarterback in the Blue Jays 10-8 victory over the Mules on Oct. 7.
West Platte relied heavily on the ground, rushing for 190 yards on the day. Sophomore Afton Buckler led the charge on the ground with 106 yards and sophomore Dalton Woodard wasn’t far behind with 73 yards.
Kane Cogan threw the ball 18 times and completed half of his passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. The Blue Jays’ leading receivers were Peyson Chandler with four catches for 42 yards and his fifth touchdown of the season, Reynolds with three catches for 26 yards and Woodard with two catches for 15 yards.
“It was a great night by a great bunch of boys that have worked relentlessly to stay positive after two rough weeks of football. They have heart and grit, and they make it fun to come to work each day,” Newsted said.
The victory bumped the Blue Jays up to the three seed in the Class 1 District 8 standings with two games to go. Next up for West Platte is North Platte – who not only is a conference rival but is also one seed behind the Blue Jays in district standings – on Oct. 14.