|
Warriors Open With 28-7 Win Over Lions  Share
Friday night the Casey-Westfield Warriors and the Marshall Lions kicked-off the 2009 high school football season by renewing an old rivalry at Marshall's Bush Field. For four consecutive years the two Little Illini Conference schools have met in the initial game of the season, and on Friday the Warriors made it a clean sweep by downing the Lions by a 28-7 margin. The victory also marked the seventh straight win for the Purple and Gold over their rivals to the east. Senior tailback Billy Seeley produced the majority of the offense for veteran head coach Keith Sinclair's offense on a comfortable evening in late August. The senior running back rushed for 228 yards on 28 attempts and scored three touchdowns behind a strong Warrior offensive line. The two teams played to a scoreless tie in a first half that was marked by key penalties and turnovers. The half ended in a cloud of confusion, as Casey-Westfield botched a third down field goal attempt with only eight seconds remaining on the game clock. The clock stopped with two seconds remaining, and for a brief moment it appeared that the visiting club would get a second chance at a three-point opportunity. But the officials recognized that the clock should not have stopped, and the teams headed to their respective locker-rooms with no points having been scored during the first 24 minutes of action. The second half then featured plenty of highlights and scoring, beginning quickly after Marshall's kickoff sailed out of bounds, giving the Warriors excellent field position at their own 35-yard line. Six rushing plays later, Seeley capped the 65-yard drive with a one-yard run and Clinton Scott's extra point provided Sinclair's club with a 7-0 lead. Marshall then advanced the ball to near midfield, and on a fourth down and short situation, elected to go for the first down. The Warrior defense held, and then Sinclair's offense marched the ball into the end-zone with 4:47 left in the third period when Seeley scored his second touchdown, this one on a 16-yard burst.
The Lions answered the challenge with a scoring drive of their own that was finished off by a one-yard run by quarterback Taylor Duncan at the 11:20 mark of the final quarter. But the Warrior offense and defense came up with the important plays for the remainder of the conference contest to begin the season with a 1-0 record. Included in those key plays was a critical third down pass from Warrior quarterback Brett Livvix to fellow senior Chris Unzicker that kept the ball in the possession of the Purple and Gold and eventually led to Seeley's third rushing touchdown, this one from the Lion three-yard line with 6:41 left in the game. Later in the fourth period, senior Seth Brewer intercepted a tipped pass by Duncan, and Livvix completed the scoring with a two-yard run with four minutes left in regulation. In the closing seconds, the Warriors had the ball inside of the Marshall ten-yard line, but Sinclair continued his classy coaching style by ordering his team to take a knee and run out the clock. ''Billy Seeley had a big game for us, rushing for over two-hundred yards and scoring three times,'' Sinclair explained after the season opener. ''Our offensive line did a great job of blocking all night long, and we eliminated the mistakes in the second half. The pass from Livvix to Unzicker was important because it kept our drive alive and kept the ball away from Marshall's offense. They had just scored to make it a seven point game, and the momentum had shifted to them somewhat.'' In addition to Seeley's 228 yard effort, junior Austin Ragsdale added 58 yards on seven carries while Unzicker chipped in 32 yards on three attempts. On the evening, the Warriors amassed 392 yards on the ground on 57 running plays while totaling 32 passing yards on only three attempts. Andre Strohm led the Lions with 64 yards on 12 carries while Duncan contributed 44 yards on ten rushes. The host school finished the game with 130 yards on the ground and 64 yards through the air. ''Our defense played well during the entire game, allowing only seven points to one of the top teams in the conference,'' Sinclair noted. ''We were concerned about containing Duncan tonight. He is a fine athlete and a very good quarterback. Our defense made some big plays all night long.'' ''It is a nice way to start the season, with a road win against a team that is ranked in the state,'' he concluded. ''This is the final time that we will play Marshall in the season opener, as next year this game moves to later in the season. We can enjoy the victory for a short while, and then we must get ready for next week's game.'' The Purple and Gold open the home portion of the 2009 schedule this Friday night when they host the Red Hill Salukis at 7:00 p.m. at Sinclair-Vidoni Field. Red Hill was shutout at home last Friday night by Cumberland by a 17-0 margin. Score by Quarters Casey-Westfield 0 0 14 14 - 28 Marshall 0 0 0 7 - 7 Scoring Summary CW: Billy Seeley 1 run (Clinton Scott kick) 8:58 Quarter Three CW: Seeley 16 run (Scott kick) 4:47 Quarter Three MA: Taylor Duncan 1 run (Luke Nelson kick) 11:20 Fourth Quarter CW: Seeley 3 run (Scott kick) 6:41 Fourth Quarter CW: Brett Livvix 1 run (Scott kick) 4:01 Fourth Quarter Individual Statistics Rushing: Casey-Westfield: Seeley 28-228, Ragsdale 7-58, Unzicker 3-32, Livvix 7-20, Huckaba 3-13, Evans 3-23, Scott 1-(-1), Blair 1-7, Meeks 2-6, Huisinga 1-(-8), White 1-14. Totals: 57-392. Marshall: Strohm 12-64, T. Duncan 10-44, Combs 3-17, J. Duncan 1-5. Totals: 26-130. Passing: Casey-Westfield: Livvix 2 of 3 for 32 yards, Huckaba 0 of 1 for 0 yards, Huisinga 1 of 1 for 6 yards. Marshall: T. Duncan 6 of 9 for 64 yards, 1 interception. Receiving: Casey-Westfield: Unzicker 2-32, Carver 1-6. Marshall: J. Duncan 1-12, Littleton 1-10, Wetnight 1-5. Mike Leichty is a staff reporter for the Casey Reporter.
|
This Week's Front Page »
Related Stories »
|
