Going into the game, the Trojans were determined to bring the Boot to the west side after four years of falling short against City. The team was hopeful for the win, having come just one point short in their previous matchup.
About halfway through the first quarter, West took an early lead with a field goal from Adam Salem ’26, putting them up 3-0. With this early lead, West had an advantage; however, City wasn’t ready to back down. City turned the ball over, but West High regained possession and drove 60 yards down the field in six plays. The drive ended with Julian Manson ’26 scoring a touchdown, making the score 10-0.
As the second quarter came to a close, Salem added another field goal, giving the Trojans three more points and a 13-0 lead at halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Trojans came out strong and scored a six-yard touchdown by senior Campbell Janis. West was now up 19-0, putting them far ahead of City. As the third quarter came to a close, Mikey Moody ’27, who shared quarterback duties with Liberty transfer Reece Wheeler ’27, scored a touchdown for West. The score was 27-0 heading into the final quarter.
With a dominating score, the Trojans were set to win the match; however, they maintained their momentum until the final minutes, with Salem adding a field goal and capping the game at 30-0.
Securing the Boot after four years made the win very meaningful for a lot of the players.
“I feel my whole high school career, I’ve known that the Boot belongs at West, and it feels great that we got it back. However, this is just game one, and it’s nice to get the first game jitters out of the way, and now we can focus on the upcoming week,” Janis said.
The Trojans will hold their first home game against Dubuque Hempstead this Friday, Sept. 6. West leads the series 6-4 and is projected to put up many points.
