An age-long sister rivalry against the McNeil Mavericks ended in a Warrior victory on Friday night, Oct. 13, with a final score of 62-27.

Matt Pravednikov ‘19 started the game with a five-yard rush when he received the Mavericks kickoff in the first quarter. Wide receiver Ryan Lindley ‘20 gained 24 yards in the first play in rushing plays and set the Warriors up for success. Only a few minutes into the game, quarterback Will Jennings ‘18 ran 29 yards for a touchdown. He pushed through defensive players and was almost taken down at the one-yard line, but passed the endzone (7-0). With a notable block by defensive end Reed Harrington ‘18, the Mavericks were unable to gain yards in their first offensive plays of the game. Running back Jaikem Murphy ‘18 rushed the ball 12 yards two plays in a row, immediately followed by a 25-yard first-down by Thomas. In the next play, Murphy performed a triumphant block that threw a Maverick defensive player out of bounds and gave room for Thomas to run the ball to the two-yard line. Although the team was unable to score a touchdown, Kaeden Roberts ‘18 kicked a successful field goal and put the Warriors up 10-0. Defensive end Brandon Kothlow ‘18 pushed back a Maverick receiver from gaining any yards, followed by a tackle from Luca Mazzola ‘19 who stopped a receiver who already gained 15 yards with only minutes left in the quarter. The first quarter ended 10-0.

The clock read 11:21 when the Mavericks scored their first touchdown of the game and put the Warriors ahead by only three points (10-7). Murphy ran 10 yards for the first offensive play, then 13 yards in the next by shoving through the Maverick defensive line and put the Warriors close to goal. Lindley scored his first touchdown of the season from Jennings’ 25-yard pass into the endzone and Robert’s extra point was good (17-7). The Mavericks gained another touchdown shortly after with 7:43 left on the clock (17-14). Back on offense, the Warriors quickly earned yards and with the help of Pravednikov, the ball was on the one-yard line again. Murphy ran through the middle of the line and scored a touchdown with five minutes left in the half (24-14). Kothlow demonstrated advanced coverage on defense and blocked a pass for a Maverick receiver. Mazzola stepped up and stopped a running receiver who was ahead of the Warrior defense. Reese Green ‘18 stopped the Maverick quarterback from rushing yards on fourth down for a turnover and the crowd grew in volume. There were only 13 seconds left in the half when Pravednikov caught a blocked pass from Jennings and gained 20 yards. Thomas then rushed the ball closer to the goal. Pravednikov caught the 17-yard touchdown pass with 0:03 left on the clock, and kept the Warriors in the lead at the end of the half with 31-14.

“Offensively, Will played great, our receivers got our balls, and everyone did their job,” Mario Debs ‘19 said. “I can’t find think of any way that game could’ve gone better, we played so well. I have great teammates.”

The Warriors came into the second half with even more energy. Debs carried the ball eight yards through the Maverick d-line, then in the next play, ran 25 yards for his first touchdown of the season (38-14). The crowd echoed through the stadium as Debs triumphed over the Maverick defense. However, the Mavericks scored a touchdown with seven minutes remaining in the quarter but did not make their extra point (38-20). Norman Piercy ‘18 caught the Maverick kickoff and gave the Warriors a 30-yard advantage. Debs ran again for an 18-yard gain that was followed by a 56-yard rushing touchdown by Jennings (45-20). Defensive lineman Ethan Brown ‘19 anticipated the Maverick’s offensive play and block their running back from gaining any yards. Kothlow intercepted the ball for another Warrior turnover. Lindley helped the team put the line of scrimmage 19 yards until goal, and Roberts was able to kick another field goal, ending the third quarter 48-20.

“We really needed to come out and just play Westwood-style football. We wanted to see our guys play with unbelievable effort and execute what we asked them to do,” coach Anthony Wood said. “I think the kids played extremely hard and that’s what I was looking forward to. Beating our losing streak with McNeil was a tough one and we really wanted that one. Last year and the year before they knocked us out of playoffs, so we kept that on their minds this week and it gave us extra motivation. McNeil has a good offense, and I’m so proud of how our defense played to shut them down.”

The last quarter started with Debs’ second touchdown, rushing 38 yards to the end zone, 10:20 on the clock (55-20). Soon after, the Mavericks scored a touchdown and brought the score to 55-27. Jennings’ pass was complete to Thomas for a gain of a quick 11 yards. Debs then carried the ball 13 yards. A 12-yard pass to Thomas placed the Warriors on the 11-yard line. Jennings ran into the end zone with four minutes left in the game (62-27). Eric Hawkins ‘19 and Mazzola took down a Maverick running back, stopping a touchdown and ended the game — a Warrior clean sweep of 62-27.

“It felt pretty good winning against McNeil, especially since I was supposed to go to school with most of those kids and I’ve played with all of them, which gave me even more motivation,” Murphy said. “For me, the best part of the game was seeing Mario step up, especially since I’m not 100 percent in my game with my hurt ankle. Watching him play and get his first two touchdowns of the season was awesome; he stepped up to the plate. Ryan also got his first touchdown which was so good because his catches have been amazing so far this year as a back-up receiver.”

The Warriors will play again Friday, Oct. 19 against the Stony Point Tigers at the KRAC.