Fresh off their first-round victory over Cedar Falls, the Trojans were looking to make a statement by defeating the No. 1 team, Dowling Catholic, on their home turf. Under the bright lights of Mediacom Stadium, the Trojans were unable to find a rhythm.
The Maroons scored first in the early minutes of the game, quickly gaining a 7-0 lead. The Trojans had a promising first-quarter drive, but it was abruptly ended with an interception in the end zone. From there, the Maroons launched an offensive onslaught.
Dowling tacked on two more touchdowns in the second quarter, leaving the Trojans down 0-21 heading into the locker rooms.
Throughout the game, Dowling Catholic controlled both sides of the ball, gaining yards while permitting very few. Dowling dominated the line of scrimmage, only allowing West to compile 54 rushing yards, with two yards per carry. The Trojan offense averages around 192 rushing yards per game this season.
The Trojan defensive line was unable to stop the running game, as Dowling tallied 275 rushing yards total, with six yards per carry.
The score was 0-28 going into the fourth quarter, and there was little momentum left. The Trojans were nearing the end zone late in the fourth quarter, but a potential touchdown was brought back on a costly holding call. The final cementation of the loss was after a Dowling running back broke out for a 61-yard touchdown.
The final score of the game was 0-35.
While the result didn’t end up in West’s favor, the team morale was still high for making it as far as they did. Henry Elser ’26 was proud of the team for the winning season.
“Eight and three is hard to do; it’s hard to win eight games. We definitely wanted to finish out a little higher, but being a top-eight team in the state is still pretty good,” Elser said.
Colin Whitters ’26 is optimistic about the future of the team and hopes that the underclassmen strive for even more next year.
“We were happy with the season this year, but hopefully the younger guys, the ones coming back next year, aren’t satisfied,” Whitters said.
