West and Cedar Rapids Kennedy have started a tradition of a Thursday night football game to begin the year. This breaks up the constant Friday night lights atmosphere, but it is much more than just a strange scheduling occasion.
These past two years the Trojans and the Cougars have had two close games, with the victorious team being decided by three points; a 12-9 victory by West last year and a 34-31 Cougar victory last night. In addition, the classic home field advantage phenomenon rang true as the home team won on both occasions.
Last year’s game was a game won in the trenches, where both defenses played exceptionally well. This resulted in difficulty for both teams to score any points. Thursday night’s game at Kingston Stadium was a high scoring and high paced affair. Both teams accumulated over 400 total yards of offense. While West did the majority of that work through the air, Kennedy’s yardage took place on the ground.
First year starting quarterback Alex Henderson ’16 had quite a debut. He threw for 358 yards and three touchdowns while completing 20 of his 30 pass attempts. Although the offensive line didn’t hold up as well as one would think with statistics like that, Henderson was able to create plays by throwing on the run, and even running for crucial first downs.
Wide receiver Oliver Martin ’17 appears to have already emerged as Henderson’s prefered target. Martin reeled in 11 catches for 203 yards and two touchdowns. However, he wasn’t the only beneficiary of Henderson’s right arm. Wide receiver Devontae Lane ’17, who is playing football for the first time since junior high, caught a few passes for long gains, and seniors Bryson Adcock and Dallas Majors also contributed to the offensive attack.
Kennedy’s senior running back, Tyler Dralle, accounted for most of Kennedy’s offense against the Trojans. He ran for over 250 yards with three touchdowns on a whopping total of 40 carries, 26 of which were in the second half. This dominance on the ground shown by Kennedy then opened up the passing game, which was very rare but effective.
West was almost able to come back from a 17 point deficit in the second quarter, but couldn’t seem to get a stop on the defensive side of the ball as Kennedy scored on all but three possessions. West hopes to bounce back from the loss at their next game facing West Des Moines Valley on September 4 in Iowa City.
Written by Aaron Carter
Photos by Paige Brazina:
Photos by Chanel Vidal:
