CL/W/B defeats Southwestern to win 5th straight | News, Sports, Jobs

Southwestern held off a strong Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brockton offense in the first half with neither team scoring, but the Eagles defense stepped up in the second half and Tandon Bensink returned an interception 30 yards. He scored the first goal. Bensink’s pick ignited Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brockton, which added three more second-half touchdowns and a 28-0 Class C South victory.

“I can’t go into details, but we didn’t get off to a good start before we even got on the school bus,” Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton head coach Ryan Gibbs said of Friday’s win. “We dropped some passes early on, but I just told them that’s what makes a good team and we’re going to find a way to win. “We didn’t play very well in the first half, but we were a complete team in the second half. I believe this statement was made today.”

Southwestern’s defense came into play and caused a lot of problems for the Eagles in the first half as Tyler McIntyre relentlessly pressured quarterback Brayden Gibbs.

“That changes the game,” Southwestern head coach Jake Burkholder said of the impressive pass rush. “We know they like to run the ball around, so we put pressure on them and were able to contain it in the first half. We can drop eight guys and cover, so it starts with putting pressure up front. . Jacobson is a great athlete, so being able to focus on him and put pressure on the front three is huge.”

Southwestern’s Ason Smith breaks up a pass to Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton’s Nick Jacobson in the end zone during a Class C South game Friday at Charles A. Lawson Field. did. Photo by Sherry Phillips

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton was also able to apply plenty of pressure from the defensive line, giving no time to Owen Hayes at center for the Trojans.

“Some pieces are moving,” Burkholder said of the team. “It hurts to miss (Brody) Larson, but we have to do our job. At the end of the day, it’s all about execution. We have a lot of young players who are still learning, We have to keep growing.”

The pass rush caused Hayes trouble when targeting receivers, and the Trojans ultimately paid the ultimate price in Bensink’s interception return.

“I think it goes back to last year,” Gibbs said of the defensive line. “We weren’t physical. To be honest, my style of football, my personality, from the looks of it, I’m a physical type, and the challenge for our defensive line was we wanted to get a shutout every week. Yazan (Abmedian), Kieffer. With (Maytum), Mason (Marin) and Walt (Lukasiak) in the middle, I don’t think there’s anything better in the league.”

Bensink’s interception was a reward for a huge effort on both sides of the ball throughout the game, leading the Eagles with 130 rushing yards.

“Tandon, we have a lot of confidence in him,” Gibbs said. “As far as the running back goes, he’s a sophomore and has a lot of confidence. I felt like he was doubting himself a little bit early in the game, but he started playing fast and the rest was history. That’s who Tandon Bensink is, and everyone else is surprised, but we’re not on the sidelines.”

After both halves of the team struggled to move the ball, Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton finally broke through the Southwest defense and the ball hit Gibbs over the legs as he scrambled out of the pocket. The junior quarterback was practicing short field after the turnover on downs and made the most of it, breaking off a 40-yard run to the Trojans’ 4-yard line.

Gibbs was rewarded with a 4-yard rush on pay dirt and a big run on Carson Fairbank’s kick for a 14-0 lead. Gibbs, whose arm drew attention most weeks, finished with 80 yards and a score on seven rushing attempts.

Missing key offensive pieces and with the Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton defense firing on all cylinders, the 14-point deficit seemed too much for Southwestern.

“We had a great game plan,” Burkholder said. “The kids were grown and ready to go, but sometimes the momentum changed a little bit. We have to ride that wave and understand that what goes down will come back. We We struggled a little bit with that and things got out of hand, but we have some guys who are giving it their all.”

After dropping some key passes that could have led to touchdowns in the first half, the Eagles made their presence felt in the fourth quarter and pulled away. Nick Jacobson scored both touchdowns, and both were highlight-reel plays.

First, Jacobson reeled in a 15-yard pass that Gibbs feathered in on the sideline of the end zone, and the junior receiver tapped the toes of both feet nicely. Then, with less than five minutes left, Jacobson caught a pass on the right side of the field, ran past defenders on the southwest side and ran to the far side line for a very long 49-yard touchdown, making it 28-0. he led.

“We came into this week a little nervous,” Gibbs said of Jacobson and Devin Hughes. “Both of them haven’t practiced all week and have been a little sick since last week. They were a little rusty at first, we all got a little rusty, but they just ripped it off and did what they had to do. I did. Top players make plays in important moments.”

The victory for Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brockton (5-1, 5-1) clinched second place in the division behind undefeated Salamanca (6-0, 6-0) and Southwestern (3- 3) , 2-3) I have to fight for the next two weeks to get over .500.

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton 0 0 14 14 — 28

Southwest 0 0 0 0 — 0

CL/W/B – Bensink 30 Interception Return (Fairbank Kick)

CL/W/B – Gibbs 4 runs (Fairbank kick)

CL/W/B – Jacobson 15 pass from Gibbs (Fairbank kick)

CL/W/B – Jacobson 49 passes from Gibbs (Fairbank kick)