The JV football team took on the Round Rock Dragons on Thursday, Sept. 15, hopeful to grab their first win of the season. Unfortunately, against their hopes, they fell to the Dragons, losing 42-0. 

Westwood received the first-quarter kickoff with a kick through the endzone. Starting from their 25-yard line, the Warriors fumbled the ball on their first play from scrimmage, which led to a Round Rock touchdown, despite the great defensive tackling from linebacker Micheal Pulsifer ‘25. 

“We gotta stay locked in,” Pulsifer said. “We have to not put ourselves in bad positions defensively. Whatever play coach calls for me, that is the assignment that I am gonna execute. It’s all in the coaching.”

Following a Westwood punt late in the first quarter, the Dragons went on a swift two-minute, run-heavy drive ending in a touchdown with 3:24 left on the clock. Westwood received the kickoff and put together a nice offensive drive, but it was cut short by another fumble, capping off a mistake-ridden first quarter for the Warriors. 

The second quarter opened with a stand by the Warrior defensive line, stopping Round Rock on the goal line on third down. However, after a power-run by the Dragons running back on fourth down, the Warriors gave up a touchdown, falling behind 21-0. On the next drive, Westwood continued their battle with turnovers, throwing an interception in their own territory, leading to another Round Rock touchdown. After being forced to punt, the Warriors gave up another touchdown with 1:16 left in the first half, following an injury to defensive linemen Nehemiah Woodard ‘24. The final score of the first half was 35-0.

“We definitely need to put in some more work,” defensive back and wide receiver Diego Mercado ‘25 said. “We need more reps, more playing time, and need to get better as a team. We need to improve in executing, and finishing the play, where everybody is doing their job.”

The second half was an improvement for the Warriors. Although the opening Round Rock drive led to another touchdown, the defense looked sharp. Another nice tackle from Pulsfer led to the first punt of the game for the Dragons, and although the offense was never able to get going, the defense made stop after stop on the opponent’s offense, holding the game to a 42-0 loss.

“I think our kids played with great effort today,” Coach Dezmunn Williams said. “It was a struggle without our starting quarterback offensively, but our kids still got out there. The defense played really well today, making some plays, and stopping them on fourth down. We just got to work on finishing as a team, but I think our defense and offense are starting to figure it out, and I think we are growing.”

The Warriors will take on Austin High next Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 5:00 P.M. at the Warrior Bowl.