Westfield ball carrier Ben Geschwind rushes through West Springfield tacklers during Friday night’s game. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – The Westfield High School football team is writing its own sequel to success that is putting any Fast and Furious movie to shame.
Westfield raced out to a 35-7 lead through the first half, led 49-7 early in the third quarter, and cruised to a 49-20 win over West Springfield Friday night at Bullens Field to improve to 2-0.
“We had a good hard week of practice,” Westfield senior quarterback Jake Toomey said. “We came in fired up for a new West Side team.”
The Bombers quarterback drove his team out to the early lead.
Westfield opened the game with a three-play drive that culminated in a 54-yard touchdown run from Toomey (7 carries, 100 yards). The Bombers’ QB took the keeper and bounced outside for the easy score 1:22 into the first quarter.
On Westfield’s next series, the Bombers needed just two more plays, with workhorse fullback Ben Geschwind (12 carries, 86 yards) ripping off a long run (a 21-yarder) and a bruising 3-yard TD score for a two-touchdown lead.
West Springfield took over on its next possession with a short field and drove 20 yards to the Bombers’ 23 yard-line. But a fourth-down-and-3 play fell short as the Terriers sophomore quarterback, Anthony Costa, was thrown for a 9-yard loss.
Westfield, in the midst of a fast, furious no-huddle attack, chewed up 68 yards – all but four yards of it on the ground – and scored on a 1-foot scamper by junior half back Craig Ward 1:10 into the second quarter.
Westfield’s defense, which had grounded the Terriers’ attack up to that point in the game, had a brief lapse on defense as Costa connected with wide-open sophomore wide receiver Marquis Murphy for a 56-yard scoring play. The touchdown came with 9:36 remaining in the half and cut the Bombers’ lead to 21-7.
The play did not phase Westfield.
After junior Cody Neidig returned the kickoff all the way to the West Springfield 35, Westfield needed four plays to make it 28-7. Ward ran it in from four yards out.
The spectacular special teams play continued for Westfield.
Backed up deep in their own territory, West Springfield punted to senior Rashaun Rivers late in the half. Rivers caught the ball on the Terriers’ 37-yard line, shook off two would-be tacklers and raced 37 yards for the touchdown. The Bombers led 35-7 with 2:56 left in the half.
West Springfield came out in the second half in a rush to get some points, literally.
On West Springfield’s second play from the line of scrimmage, Costa reeled off the Terriers’ longest rushing play, a 9-yarder, actually surpassing the team’s entire first half rushing total.
Two plays later, West Springfield ran even farther, chewing up 12 yards on Costa’s run. But a fumbled snap, incomplete pass, 5-yard penalty, and interception by Ward at his team’s own 30 stopped the drive.
The teams exchanged series over the next several minutes until, in the fourth quarter, Toomey burst free for a 38-yard touchdown run with 11:15 remaining.
Neidig continued his sterling play. Impressive all over the field, the Westfield junior intercepted Costa’s pass a few moments after the Bombers’ sixth score. Geschwind turned it into a 45-yard touchdown run with 8:37 left.
Neidig kicked his seventh straight extra point.
West Springfield scored two touchdowns win the final 3:04 with the game well in hand.
“This is a good group of kids,” Westfield coach Bill Moore said. “They have put in the time in the weight room.”
But the longtime Bombers’ coach, who is in his final season, offered a word of caution following two straight blowout victories to begin 2013.
“Putnam has been around for a while in the AA Conference,” Moore said regarding next week’s opponent. “They’re a strong physical team.”
It appears that has already begun to sink in with some of the Bombers.
“Coach tells us not to let our highs get too high, and our lows get too low,” Toomey said. “We need to take it one week at a time. Every week is a battle.”
