Last night, your Rocks traveled to Franklin Central to face the Flashes for the final regular season faceoff. Westfield secured a victory, and a 9-1 (6-1 HCC) regular season record. The Rocks started on D for the game, and Cato June quickly took the ball back for Westfield with an interception early in the drive. Westfield’s offense attempted to capitalize on the field position, but were unable to convert through four downs. Franklin Central took the momentum back and pushed down the field for the first score of the night. Shamrock special teams were able to block the ensuing extra point, and the 6-0 FC score stood at the end of the first quarter. The Rocks punted on their next drive, and the Flashes looked to extend their lead. This time was Brock Stewart intercepting a pass for the Rocks and taking it back. Unfortunately, the Shamrock offense continued with a slow start, throwing a pick of their own. The Flashes put together another scoring drive and went up by two scores on the Rocks. The Rock D stymied the two point conversion attempt, keeping it a bit closer than it otherwise would have been. Faced with a growing deficit, Westfield’s offense finally found their gear when Jackson Gilbert zipped it to Broc Parker for the first Westfield score of the night (Brody Boehm kick). The Rock D held in the waning minutes of the half, and Westfield went into the break down 7-12. Westfield regrouped during the half and sharpened their plan for the remaining time in the contest. They started with the ball, and Gilbert wasted no time finding Maximus Nosler for an 86-yard scoring strike (Boehm kick). With the lead swiftly regained, the Rock D continued to put the clamps on the FC offense, forcing a punt. The Shamrock offense stumbled once again with their second interception of the night, but Liam Butler took it back for the Rocks, recovering a loose ball on a failed Franklin Central exchange. Gilbert found Gabriel Aramboles for 46 yards and a score on the extra possession, extending the lead (Boehm kick). The teams traded a pair of punts, and the board would read 21-12 Rocks to start the fourth. The Flashes tightened things up with a score early in the quarter, trimming the lead to two. A quick Shamrock possession and short punt looked like it was setting the Flashes up for a potential go-ahead score. Andrew Lieske came through in the clutch for the Rocks though, chasing down a surging FC ball carrier, punching out the ball, and recovering the fumble for the fourth Westfield takeaway of the night. The Shamrock offense was unable to muster much on the extra possession, but an excellent Boehm punt this time flipped the field and gave Westfield a bit of room to breathe. The Rock D forced a three-and-out, and Westfield got the ball back with a slim lead, midway through the fourth. Gilbert found Kendall Garnett this time streaking down the sideline for a back-breaking 60 yard score (Boehm kick). The Rocks kept the pressure up on defense, slamming the door with a big sack when the Flashes went for it on fourth down on the following possession. Ball back in hand, the Rocks attempted to run the clock down, settling for a long field goal try. It sailed right, giving the Flashes the ball back but, with a two score margin, the game looked to be out of reach. Even so, Thomas Vandegriff stepped up for the Rock D, intercepting a desperate Franklin Central pass, and taking the ball back a final time for Westfield. The Rocks were able to kneel things out, solidifying the 28-19 victory. Your Rocks will have a week to rest up before returning to action in two weeks for the opening round of the playoffs. They will travel to Carmel for a rematch of last year’s sectional opener, facing the Greyhounds. Kickoff is scheduled for Friday, October 27th at 7pm.