Blog Game Blog - Westfield 37, John Champe 14

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Greetings folks. I'm actually sitting in the studios of Max Media here in Virginia Beach, home of ESPN Radio 94.1 where I just concluded my 757 at 6 show for this evening.

Thanks to our good friends at Gameday Magazine, I'm checking out an intriguing Class 6 clash between the visiting John Champe Knights (1-0) and the host Westfield Bulldogs (1-0). Both were victorious in the opener; Westfield 51-0 over Battlefield and Champe 45-12 over Booker T. Washington

We'll post updates, stats, notes and more here in the Blog + follow my Twitter feed @hatfieldsports

 

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Westfield begins at its own 20, but back-to-back holding penalties push the Bulldogs back to their own 2. The running game didn't get much going as they end up punting it away on 4th & 14 from their own 16.

We'll see if Champe can continue to get consistent push and penetration up front.

 

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John Champe's first play is a run and DE Max Ahiakpo of Westfield comes off the edge and blows up the ball carrier for a loss of 4. On 2nd & 14, Champe goes to the air and the post pattern is nearly caught by East Carolina commit Tyler Savage. Then on 3rd down, it's complete from Zachary Jackson to Luke Fernandez for a gain of 7.

Coach Jason Dawson of Champe thought about going for it on 4th & 7 from his own 45... but a delay of game penalty forces them to punt it away with Savage.

Westfield starts its second possession from their own 8 after their third penalty of the night. Coach Kyle Simmons can't be too pleased with the early self-inflicted mistakes.

 

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The second possession for Westfield goes 3 & out as Isaiah Daniel gains 5 yards, then Virginia Tech commit Noah Kim fires an incomplete pass intended for Alex Richards, and Daniel's run on third down nets only a couple.

However, the Bulldogs get the ball back after John Champe muffs a punt. They take over at the 46-yard line and out of I-Formation, it's a nifty run of about 7 yards on a toss from Isaiah Daniel.

With 6:10 to go in the first period, Westfield moves the chains for the first time tonight via an offsides penalty by Champe as they now have it at the 34-yard line of the Knights. Kim then gets 12 yards on an option keeper before he is tripped up by Jack Frisoli with 5:12 to go.

 

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A pass breakup on 3rd down from Chris Rollinson kept the Westfield drive from going. But the Bulldogs are on the board first.

 

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Beginning their second offensive series of the night at their own 32, John Champe goes to a 3-wide look and QB Zach Jackson's pass is nearly picked off with Trent Reimonenq covering TE Hunter Urbanski. On second down, a run for Kornel Robinson gains only 2 as Max Ahiakpo junior d-lineman Elijah Tarlton are there to sniff it out.

Following an illegal procedure penalty, the Knights are faced with 3rd & 13 from their own 29 ... and then they take a time-out. Jason Dawson's team needs some kind of offensive spark, and the guy to give it to them would be the ECU commit Tyler Savage, possibly on a jump-ball situation.

Ahiakpo knocks out the intended pass of the receiver's hands on third down. Champe will punt it away.

 

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The only possible bad thing of that run - which looked to be a basic draw up the middle - for Westfield was that Daniel re-aggravated an ankle or hamstring injury he was dealing with before his long scamper.

Kudos to the Westfield offensive line for opening a huge hole. Don't have the definite names in front of me at the moment.. but we'll salute the jersey numbers - 76, 51, center 69, right guard 54 and right tackle 57. Do know that seniors Drew Lydic, Thad Palmer and Alfred Darlinton are among that unit.

John Champe needs an answer either through points or a decent drive at the very least.

 

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Coby Oxendine returns the ensuing kickoff to John Champe's 24-yard line before junior linebacker Caleb Wheatland of Westfield brings him down. On the first play - Kornel Robinson gains 5 on the run. Robinson gets the next carry and picks up 6 yards to move the chains.

A stoppage of play as sophomore DE Owen Thomas is being looked at with what appears to be an ankle injury. He gets carried off in quite a bit of pain.

 

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John Champe's drive fizzles. Max Ahiakpo from his DE spot for Westfield is a big reason why with back-to-back tackles on first and second down as the Knights are still unable to generate much of anything with their ground game.

On 3rd & 7 from their own 38, QB Zach Jackson rolls to his right and his pass intended for Tyler Savage is incomplete.

The punt is nearly blocked by Caleb Wheatland of Westfield and ET Bushra gets a decent return.

Westfield's fifth series of the night starts at their own 31. Out of 3-wide, Noah Kim goes to the air on play-action and his pass intended for Avery Howard is knocked away by Rodric Vaughn of Champe. On second down, Mikal LeGall's run loses 5 as OLB Tyler Savage (the ECU WR commit) sends him backwards.

The pass intended for Eli Soto on 3rd & 15 is dropped. So Westfield will punt it away and just a 1 for 6 start through the air for Kim.

 

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All three units of the Westfield defense appear to be in sync with one another, giving them a chance to be a special group for Kyle Simmons and company.

 

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John Champe gets their first pass completion of the night to Tyler Savage, the ECU commit, on a well run out pattern along the sideline for 11 yards.

Then a 15-yard penalty on Westfield puts the Knights suddenly in the red zone.

 

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Nice block on the run from Brody Thompson up front of John Champe to help Robinson on his run from the left side to the end zone. Jason Dawson has to be thrilled with how his team began the second period and kept their poise after falling behind 10-0.

 

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To begin their 6th offensive series, Westfield will start at their own 27, where Mikal LeGall gains just 3 yards on a run before Jack Frisoli, Tyler Savage and Adam Wieczorek bring him down.

Then it's a penalty on Westfield for illegal motion. Followed by another penalty - their 7th of the night for a total of 58 yards - to bring up 2nd & 17 from about the 20. Coach Simmons has to be seething right now.

Isaiah Daniel loses a yard as Iverson Munguia knife through for a tackle behind the line of scrimmage as the Champe defense is playing with loads of confidence right now. On 3rd & 18 - Noah Kim's pass is incomplete. They'll be punting away.

It's fair caught at the Westfield 41 by Coby Oxendine, but the Knights get flagged for a late hit that will put them back behind midfield. Those are the kind of costly mistakes that can thwart an upset bid. Coach Dawson has to hope they learn from silly mistakes like that one.

Champe begins at their own 44 with about 7:05 left in the 2nd period.

 

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John Champe goes to the air on first down against this 4-3 setup defensively for Westfield. It's incomplete with Ryan Moses in coverage. Their second down play only picks up a couple, bringing up 3rd & long, where Richie Aguilar comes up with a tackle for loss on a designed QB run for Zach Jackson.

On the punt return, ET Bushra has a long one that he takes all the way back to the 30-yard line of Champe. The Bulldogs are in business.

 

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Three straight plays in a row, John Champe senior LB Brandon Young makes tackles. That brings up a critical 4th & 4 from the Champe 25, where QB Noah Kim of Westfield scrambles down the left sideline (the Bulldogs') and he gains 7 yards.

No signs of ill effects from the broken leg Kim suffered in last December's State Semis against Freedom-Woodbridge.

With 3:08 before half-time, John Champe uses their final time-out. That is a big deal because if Westfield scores before the half and the Knights get a drive going, time won't be on their side at all. The Bulldogs have it at the 18 of Champe.

 

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A late hit personal foul penalty on Westfield - their 8th for 73 yards for the Bulldogs - backs them up to the Champe 33.

But the Bulldogs go to the air and it's a perfectly lofted ball by QB Noah Kim to Alex Richards for a touchdown.

Just when you think you've got Westfield reeling, they rise to the occasion.

 

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How big was that 15-yard penalty for Champe after forcing Westfield to punt and the score at 10-7 with the Knights in enemy territory? Since then, the Bulldogs have wrested momentum away from the visiting Knights.

 

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Champe gets the ball at their own 21 with 2:23 to go before half-time. They keep it on the ground with Koren Robinson, electing not to use Coby Oxendine or going to the pass, until 3rd down.

Zach Jackson's pass is picked off by ET Bushra, who returns it 28 yards after catching it at the 41-yard line of the Knights. However, a penalty - the 9th on Westfield - will push the Bulldogs back a bit.

 

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Perfectly executed by the Westfield offense with Kim, Howard running the out-and-up route precise and exploiting the secondary exactly how they wanted.

Kim's mobility looks fine, and unless a defense gets pressure on him and collapses the pocket, he's capable of carving anyone up at this level.

 

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We'll have some half-time numbers momentarily....

 

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At the Half - it's Westfield 23, John Champe 7.

Some numbers...

Westfield 23:
Noah Kim - 3-9 for 59Yds. 2-0TD/Int. ratio; 2Car. 19Yds.
Isaiah Daniel - 10Car. 80Yds. TD
Alex Richards - 1Rec. 33Yds. TD
Avery Howard - 1Rec. 26Yds. TD
Max Ahiakpo - 5 Tackles, TFL, Fumble Recovery, PBU
Caleb Wheatland & Elijah Tarlton - 4 Tackles apiece

Bulldogs - 26 plays for 163 total yards (17 rushes for 104 yards; 3-9 for 59 yards passing); 9 penalties for 88 yards; 0 turnovers


John Champe 7:
Zachary Jackson - 28 for 18Yds. 0-1TD/Int. ratio
Kornel Robinson - 10Car. 44Yds. TD
Tyler Savage - 1Rec. 11Yds; 2 Tackles, TFL
Brandon Young - 7 Tackles (4 Solo)
Jack Frisoli - 4 Tackles (2 Solo)

Knights - 23 plays for 66 total yards (15 rushes for 48 yards; 2-8 for 18 yards passing, INT); 5 penalties for 40 yards; 2 turnovers

 

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Jack Frisoli fields the 2nd half kickoff for John Champe and gets about 9 yards to their own 24 when he is stopped in his tracks by Max Ahiakpo of Westfield.

The Bulldogs shift to a 3-4 look on defense. QB Zach Jackson is unable to get the hand-off exchange, keeps it and loses a yard as LB Caleb Whetland drops him. Jackson then runs for 7 on a design play. On 3rd & 4, it's Kornel Robinson on the run and he comes up short of moving the chains by a couple.

A low-line drive punt from Tyler Savage gives ET Bushra a chance for a great return. He gets 34 yards on the return, except Westfield is flagged for their 10th penalty. That puts them back at their own 34 for their first offensive possession of the second half.

 

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Westfield is on the move as QB Noah Kim completes a pass on 3rd & 3 to Eli Soto, then Isaiah Daniel runs for a few into John Champe territory.

That sets up Westfield taking a shot down the field with Kim finding Alex Richards on a 33-yard completion. Jack Frisoli thought he had an interception on it and just didn't quite complete the play.

The Bulldogs get backed up 15 yards on an unsportsmanlike penalty, their 11th of the night for 113 yards. Mikal LeGall gains 3 and then John Champe burns a time-out with 6:45 to go in the 3rd period, Westfield in position to add to their 23-7 lead as they face 2nd & 7 from the 28-yard line of the Knights.

 

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Noah Kim struggled - 1 of 7 to start - but he's been in a groove every since then. Kim has completed 5 of his last 6 passes with 3 of them going for touchdowns.

 

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A nice kick return by Jack Frisoli, measuring roughly 44 yards, gets John Champe to midfield. The Knights will try to cut into this 30-7 deficit, and they'll likely have to abandon the run a bit and go to the air.

The Knights get a clutch completion on 3rd & 6 from the 46-yard line of Westfield with Zach Jackson finding tight end Brandon Young for 21 yards on the waggle play.

Champe goes back to the running game out of double tight to their side and pick up a few with Coby Oxendine as well as Kornel Robinson. On 3rd & 4 from the Westfield 19, it's an incomplete pass.

Coach Jason Dawson will use his 2nd time-out of the half with 2:47 left in this 3rd period before a 4th & 7 from the 19-yard line of the Bulldogs. He knows converting this and getting a touchdown is imperative to have any chance of a comeback.

 

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Westfield is going with a methodical, patient approach to close out the third quarter. Kyle Simmons and company begin by using the run to set up the pass with the tandem of Isaiah Daniel - their main workhorse - and sophomore Mikal LeGall.

With the Champe defense focusing in on the run and corners playing off in coverage, the Bulldogs decide to go to the air once they reach midfield with a couple of stop routes as QB Noah Kim hits Eli Soto for a pair of completions totaling 15 yards.

 

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Great balance of pass and run for Westfield tonight on offense.

 

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John Champe's Brandon Young is helped off the field after a 3rd & Goal play for Westfield. Young has been in on 10 total tackles (6 solo) by my count this evening. That came after a run of 8 yards by Michael Richie of the Bulldogs.

On 4th & Goal - Noah Kim connects with Avery Howard, except it is out of bounds at the 1. He's got reliable hands that he has displayed all night long.

Nice play, but Champe takes over at the 1 with 10:43 remaining.

 

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5:47 to go - Westfield leads Champe 30-7. Westfield uses a time-out as the Knights are facing 1st & 10 from the 21-yard line of the Bulldogs.

This drive for Champe began at their own 1 and it's the 10th play with nearly 5 minutes gone by ... Tyler Savage has had a couple of nice receptions, including a 30-yard gainer from QB Zachary Jackson.

The game-plan for Coach Kyle Simmons, assistant Jeremiah Davis and crew on defense has been splendid. They've double covered Savage a good chunk of the night and they have some players on defense really anticipating well what's coming, particularly against the run.

 

[matthew328826]

So demoralizing for Champe, which put together a 13-play drive that went 79 yards on a tough Westfield defense.

 

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An impressive showing from Westfield in this 2nd half to say the least.

 

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In some respects, this scoring is a bit deceiving as Champe has moved the ball with more regularity the past couple drives and they had a couple of missed opportunities.

As strong as Westfield has looked at times, there have been sloppy moments, too. Of note the most - the 12 penalties for about 128 yards is something that Kyle Simmons will be harping up likely above all else, even in what will be a 20-plus point victory over a Knights team that is no pushover. Keep in mind, Champe began as a Class 3 school and they've been a steady contender in moving up to Class 4, Class 5 and now Class 6 over the years.

 

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More to come...

 

[matthew328826]

Final Stats:

Westfield 37: (2-0 Overall)
Noah Kim - 9-17 for 152Yds. 3-0TD/Int. ratio; 2Car. 19Yds.
Isaiah Daniel - 14Car. 107Yds. TD
Mikal LeGall - 13Car. 66Yds. TD
Alex Richards - 2Rec. 66Yds. TD
Avery Howard - 3Rec. 64Yds. 2TD's
Eli Soto - 3Rec. 22Yds; 3 Tackles
Max Ahiakpo - 9 Tackles (6 Solo), 2TFL, Sack, 2 Fumble Recoveries, FF, PBU
C.J. Hoffman - 8 Tackles
Richie Aguillar - 6 Tackles (3 Solo), TFL
Eliajh Tarlton - 6 Tackles

Bulldogs - 49 plays for 360 total yards (9-17 for 152 pass yards; 32 rushes for 208 yards); 12 penalties for 128 yards; 0 turnovers


John Champe 14: (1-1 Overall)
Zachary Jackson - 8-18 for 119Yds. 1-1TD/Int. ratio; 10Car. 16Yds.
Kornel Robinson - 13Car. 56Yds. TD
Coby Oxendine - 5Car. 24Yds; 6 Tackles (5 Solo)
Zion Robinson - 5Car. 24Yds; 4 Tackles (3 Solo)
Tyler Savage - 4Rec. 43Yds; 3 Tackles, TFL
Tristan Parson - 1Rec. 42Yds. TD
Brandon Young - 1Rec. 21Yds; 10 Tackles (6 Solo)
Jack Frisoli - 1Rec. 6Yds; 7 Tackles (5 Solo)

Knights - 51 plays for 239 yards (8-18 for 119 pass yards, 1 intercept; 33 rushes for 120 yards, 2 fumbles lost); 6 penalties for 55 yards; 3 turnovers