Westfield’s Cody Neidig, right, carries past Longmeadow’s Johnny Falcone and Keegan Barry during Friday night’s game in Longmeadow. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
LONGMEADOW – In his final season as head coach of the Westfield High School football team, Bill Moore has done what was once deemed unthinkable, defeating the mighty giant.
The Westfield Bombers toppled Longmeadow for the first time in Moore’s long tenure 34-32 on the road Friday night. But it was not easy.
Both teams came out jacked up, ready to battle, and exchanged touchdowns early.
On Longmeadow’s first series, the Lancers drove 58 yards in less than three minutes before scoring on running back Max Chipouras’s 13-yard scamper with 9:08 remaining on the clock.
Westfield, much like it had during its four-game win streak to open the season, opened with the triple-option, no-huddle attack. The Bombers’ handed off the ball to its core stable of backs – Ben Geschwind, Cody Neidig, and Rashaun Rivers – and ran it with quarterback Jake Toomey.
Westfield moved the ball from its own 24 all the way to the Longmeadow 5-yard line. Rivers tiptoed his way through to the goal line for the tying score with 5:51 left in the quarter.
The two team’s offenses stalled for several series with Westfield defensive back Craig Ward’s interception, a missed Bombers’ field goal, a big 3rd down sack made by Longmeadow’s Cameron Mailman, and a fourth-down stop made by the Lancers’ defense.
The offenses reemerged late in the first half.
Longmeadow turned to the air, completing one of the longest pass plays of the first half when junior quarterback Connor Ostrander connected with Chipouras for a 38-yard heave. A few seconds later, Ostrander threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Falcone. The Lancers led 14-7 with 4:16 left in the first half.
Westfield quickly bounced back.
On the next possession, Westfield drove 79 yards in less than 60 seconds. Rivers and Neidig peeled off long runs, with the latter going for 41 yards and a tying touchdown. Three minutes, 23 seconds remained in the half.
Longmeadow drove the length of the field, and squeaked out a 22-yard field goal from Falcone with seven ticks left before the half. The big plays on the drive included a key fourth down conversion on Chipouras’ run, and Ostrander’s long pass to David Sell.
Westfield had a long kickoff return for touchdown from Rivers negated by a holding penalty to begin the second half. It did not matter.
The Bombers ground out a long drive – spurred by several runs from Ward and Rivers – and took a 21-17 lead on Ward’s 4-yard TD run with 7:52 left in the quarter.
Westfield had a golden opportunity to take a two-score lead after recovering a fumble at the Longmeadow 39. But the Lancers’ defense dug in to stop a Bombers’ drive.
Westfield came back again on its next possession, and drove all the way to the Longmeadow 10. A 10-yard holding penalty pushed back the offense, ultimately resulting in a longer field goal try that came up short.
Westfield’s defense rose to the occasion, preventing Longmeadow from mustering any kind of momentum.
Westfield regained the ball with 8:59 left in regulation, and on a 2nd-and-20 from the 50, Rivers ripped off a 17-yard run. Ward followed with a 22-yard run. Geschwind capped off the drive with a 1-yard TD plunge with 6:04 left to extend the Bombers’ lead to 28-17.
Longmeadow would not go quietly into the night.
With the final minutes waning, Sell hauled in a 56-yard catch-and-run, spinning away from the defense and scoring to make it 28-23. A two-point run from Chipouras brought the Lancers within a field goal.
In the blink of an eye, Westfield scored again. Toomey raced 50 yards on the team’s first play from the line of scrimmage for a touchdown. The Bombers led 34-25.
Longmeadow responded again.
The Lancers quickly found the end zone on a 16-yard TD pass from Ostrander to Chipouras to pull within 34-32.
On Westfield’s final possession, the Bombers converted a fourth-and-one near midfield – quite possibly the team’s biggest play to-date – to secure the victory. Geschwind ran straight ahead for the first down. Rivers sealed the game with another run.
