Williamsburg- After suffering back to back losses, West Branch came out of the gates like they had something to prove. They went above and beyond in making a statement as the Warriors went on to win 49-16. On the second play from scrimmage, quarterback Ayden Gutierrez found Josh Cantolina for a 52-yard touchdown to open the scoring. After holding Williamsburg scoreless for their first two offensive drives, slot receiver Will Herring ran off tackle to the left and found the front pylon for an 8-yard score to put the Warriors up 14-0. The Warrior defense continued to shine, not allowing a single first half point. Running Back Derek Yingling found the endzone at the end of the half, and a Kyle Godin extra-point put the Warriors up 21-0. Godin was 7-7 for PAT’s.
“We were ready to bounce back and take out the frustration from our last two losses,” said Aidan Kephart. “We wanted to dominate them physically all night long.”
The Warriors came out of the break a little sluggish. Although Yingling scored another touchdown to put the Warriors up 28-0, their defense became lackluster. The Warriors gave up a series of chunk plays that eventually led to two Pirate touchdowns. The Pirates converted a 2-pt conversion on each score, so suddenly a 28-pt Warrior lead dwindled down to a 16-pt lead. From that point on, West Branch owned every aspect of the ballgame. The rushing attack couldn’t be stopped, as Yingling looked like a 99 overall player from Madden 19, making guys miss and running people over. The passing attack also caught fire, as a multitude of receivers were in on the action. Gutierrez went over the 1000 yard mark on the season.
Aidan Kephart rushed for his first touchdown of the season, as did Hudson Pase. Will Herring and Noah Hoffner each recorded an interception as well. Gage Thompson hauled in a one-handed snag for his first touchdown of the year. Six different Warriors found the endzone during Friday’s contest.
The Warriors churned out 449 yards of offense, while the Pirates earned 252.
“We responded well with a big time win,” lineman Terry Smeal said. After not playing our best football for two weeks, we needed that for our confidence and our postseason hopes. I don’t feel like this friday is just another night either. With it being Senior night, we want to make sure that if this is our last time playing at L.T Drivas, we go out on top.”
West Branch (5-3) hosts Northern Bedford (2-6) this Friday for Senior Night.
BOX SCORE:
Score By Quarters
West Branch 7 14 14 14
Williamsburg 0 0 16 0
Individual Statsitics
Rushing:
Derek Yingling 31-173 (2 TD’s)
Aidan Kephart 2-47 (1 TD)
Will Herring 5-45 (1 TD)
Ayden Gutierrez 2-21
Hudson Pase 2-9
Andrew Dawes 2-6
Derek Browne 1-(-2)
Passing:
Ayden Gutierrez 8-of-13, 150 yds., 2 TD
Receiving:
Josh Cantolina 4-108 (1 TD)
Noah Hoffner 2-14
Gage Thompson 1-16 (1 TD)
Eddie Dale 1-12
