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Warriors Improve to 4-0; Blast Pirates 38-7  Share stfield took control right from the opening kickoff in last Friday night's key Little Illini Conference football contest at Cumberland, and the Warrior's perfect season was never threatened as they rolled past the Pirates by a 38-7 margin. The latest victory improves the Warrior's overall and LIC records to 4-0 as they prepare for a Homecoming Week match-up against Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran. Seth Brewer received the opening kickoff and returned it deep into Cumberland territory to set the tone for the game. From that excellent field position, Coach Keith Sinclair's offense used nearly six minutes of the first quarter on its initial offensive drive which culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by junior Austin Ragsdale. Clinton Scott, who was perfect all night long, booted the extra point for the quick 7-0 advantage. The visiting Warriors increased their lead to 14-0 later in the period when Brewer was on the receiving end of a 5-yard touchdown pass from steady senior quarterback Brett Livvix. Brewer, the Warrior's all-purpose threat who finished as the game's leading receiver with 56 yards on five catches, also added a pair of interceptions to complete an outstanding all-around game. The first of those picks came in the closing seconds of the first half, setting up Scott's 34-yard field goal with only three seconds remaining before the midway break. Casey-Westfield erased any Cumberland comeback hopes in the third period, as Brewer picked off a Cole Miller pass and raced 57 yards down the Warrior sideline to increase the difference to 24-0. Billy Seeley later added a 4-yard rushing touchdown as the Purple and Gold led by a 31-0 margin at the conclusion of three quarters. In the final period, freshman Ajaye Meeks scored the Warriors final touchdown before Cumberland's Silas Gabel helped his team avoid the shutout with a touchdown as time expired in the contest.
Gabel finished as the game's leading rusher in this anticipated contest, finishing with 142 yards on 27 attempts. Seeley led the Warrior's balanced attack with 56 yards on 17 carries, while sophomore Colin Carver added 22 yards on only two attempts. Livvix went to the air eighteen times, completing ten passes for 106 yards and the one touchdown. In addition to Brewer's 56 yards receiving, Chris Unzicker added four grabs for 40 yards. Sophomore Ethan Blankenship had one impressive catch that resulted in a 23-yard pick-up for the Warriors. ''Seth Brewer's opening return gave us excellent field position, and we drove the ball into the end zone for an early lead,'' Sinclair explained after his team's latest victory. ''Seth had a great overall game, playing very well on both sides of the ball. But we continue to get more and more players involved. Our goal is to be balanced and tonight we moved toward that goal with a total team effort.'' ''We sustained some nice drives this evening and controlled the time of possession, which was one key to our success,'' the veteran Warrior coach continued. ''Cumberland is a good football team, and Silas Gabel is a nice running back. We did not want them to control the clock with their running game, and our defense accomplished that task tonight.'' The Purple and Gold defense limited the Pirates to only 25 passing yards, and came up with an important defensive stand in the first half when they held after the Pirates had moved the ball to the Warrior 25-yard line. Josh Thais, the athletic defensive end, led the Warriors with ten tackles while fellow senior Dalton Brooke recorded eight hits. ''This was an important win, because one of our goals is to win the Little Illini Conference,'' Sinclair concluded. ''After a couple of home games, we knew that we would have to play well in this road contest. Brett Livvix managed the game very well at quarterback, and Chris Unzicker had a nice all-around game for us. We must now focus on our next opponent and guard against the distractions that Homecoming Week can present. The 2009 Homecoming contest against Metro-East Lutheran will begin later than normal, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. this Friday. Cumberland is now 2-2 for the 2009 campaign, and will host Palestine-Hutsonville this Friday evening. Score by Quarters Casey-Westfield 14 3 14 7 - 38 Cumberland 0 0 0 7 - 7 Scoring Summary CW: Austin Ragsdale 1 run (Clinton Scott kick) 6:03 Quarter One CW: Brett Livvix 5 pass to Seth Brewer (Scott kick) :38 Quarter One CW: Scott 34 field goal :03 Quarter Two CW: S. Brewer 57 interception (Scott kick) 9:21 Quarter Three CW: Billy Seeley 4 run (Scott kick) 5:16 Quarter Three CW: Ajaye Meeks 2 run (Scott kick) 4:39 Quarter Four CU: Silas Gabel 3 run (Brendon Ritchie kick) 0:00 Quarter Four Individual Statistics Rushing: Casey-Westfield: Billy Seeley 17-56, Colin Carver 2-23, Austin Ragsdale 4-15, Brett Livvix 5-4, Chris Unzicker 2-7, Josh Thais 1-5, Ajaye Meeks 2-5. Totals: 33-115. Cumberland: Silas Gabel 27-142, Cole Miller 7-5, Cole Carlen 6-12, Clay Wilson 1-2. Totals: 41-160. Passing: Casey-Westfield: Brett Livvix 10 of 18 for 106 yards, 0 interceptions, 1 touchdown, Heath Huisinga 1 of 2 for 23 yards. Cumberland: Cole Miller 5 of 10 for 25 yards, 2 interceptions, 0 touchdowns. Receiving: Casey-Westfield: Seth Brewer 5-56, Chris Unzicker 4-40, Clinton Scott 1-10, Ethan Blackenship 1-23. Cumberland: Jaton McMechan 1-5, Silas Gabel 3-3, Clay Wilson 1-17. The Casey Reporter
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