by The Valley Forge Patriots (1-3) took on the Westlake Demons (2-2) at home on a beautiful senior night, and they were able to take home a win with a score of 42-38 in an absolute thriller of a game. This one went back and forth for a majority of the game and it was a true story of the run vs the pass. Valley Forge ran for a combined total of 466 yards and 5 touchdowns. 286 of those yards, along with 4 of the touchdowns, came from 6’3 senior back Daymon Watts. On the other side junior quarterback Moe Abdelhady threw for 427 yards and 5 touchdowns. It was the run that would prevail in this matchup, however when the game was on the line the Patriots found an unlikely hero to finish it off.
The Patriots came out of the gate hungry in this one. The gameplan was to tear apart the Demons defense on the ground and they did just that on the first drive. They picked up almost 60 yards from the run on the first 5 plays of the game. Looking to run the ball again in the redzone the Patriots made a big blunder fumbling a pitch and turning it over after the promising start.
The Demons now with the ball at their own 18 yard line were looking to take advantage of the turnover. Their first play was a run up the middle and Patriots linebacker/quarterback hybrid Sean Frank filled the hole and punched the ball out to get his squad the ball right back. They quickly took advantage as Daymon Watts took a carry 11 yards to the endzone to put them up 7-0 with 8 minutes left in the first.
Unphased, Westlake bounced right back on offense. It only took them 3 plays to get on the board. Lined up at midfield, Westlake drew up a screen at the perfect time. Quarterback Moe Abdelhady snapped the ball and immediately felt the pressure of a Patriots blitz. He evaded and floated the ball to his running back Wes Urich and there was nothing but green grass ahead of him. He took it 51 yards to the house and after a missed PAT the score was 7-6 Patriots with 7 minutes left.
After giving up the score, the Patriots wasted no time getting back to work on offense. They put together a 6 play scoring drive with 5 runs and just 1 pass. They once again just gashed the Demons defense on the ground play after play. The Patriots offense line was completely dominating the line of scrimmage. They got the ball down to the 3 yard line where senior Evan Tappe punched in the score making the game 14-6 late in the first quarter.
The second quarter got started with some strong defense from both sides. Both teams forced 3 and outs and the Patriots got a 4th down stop giving them the ball with 9 minutes left in the half.
Valley Forge got to work on their own side of the field and stuck to the same game plan of the ground and pound. After moving across the 50 yard line Watts took a carry 39 yards down inside the 10 yard line. He started up the middle, juked it to the outside and was pushed out of bounds at the 6 yard line. He then cleaned it up with a 5 yard touchdown extending the lead to 21-6 with 7 minutes left.
Feeling like they needed to score, Westlake responded with a 6 and half minute drive that resulted in a score. The Demons came up with some crucial 3rd down pick ups and a massive 4th down conversion on the drive. They slowly moved their way into the redzone, and capped the drive off with a 4 yard touchdown run from senior Antonio Colon. After an unsuccessful 2 point attempt the score was 21-12 with 1:42 left in the half.
The half would end with that score and Westlake to receive the 2nd half kickoff.
Westlake came out of the locker room and got back to what was working in the first half, the air raid offense. They put together a drive with 5 completed passes and it was the last one that was most impressive. Abdelhady took the snap at the 28 yard line and with time in the pocket threw one down towards the endzone. The pass was a bit underthrown and looked like it could be heading the other way. That was until senior receiver Williams Bierfeldt went over the defender and secured the ball after a slight bobble. This highlight touchdown grab brought the Demons within 3 making the game 21-18 early in the 3rd quarter.
After strong defensive stops for both teams, Valley Forge got back to their first half ways. Daymon Watts took over on this drive for the Patriots. Every play he got the ball it was either a chuck play or a strong 5-8 yard run, always keeping his squad on schedule. On the first play of the fourth quarter Watts went 11 yards untouched for his 3rd touchdown of the night, extending the Patriots lead 28-18.
With their backs up against the wall the Demons came up with back to back massive plays. The first was a 30 yard Abdelhady pass over the middle of the field and the next was a 40 yard jet sweep from receiver Stephen Towbridge all the way down to the 10 yard line. However, the Patriots defense locked in and the Demons found themselves with a 4th and goal from the 15 yard line. Abdelhady took the snap and threw an outside fade towards the endzone. Bierfeldt once again used his 6 ‘1 frame to jump up and snag the ball out the air giving them the score. After converting the 2 point try the score was narrowed to 28-26 with 10 minutes to play.
Valley Forge once again responded in a big way. The story was no different this drive as Watts’s takeover continued. They ran right up the field and Watts secured his 4th score with a 31 yard touchdown from a carry between the tackles. After the PAT they extended the lead to 35-26 with 7 minutes left in regulation.
That score didn’t last long however. On their first play of the ensuing drive Abdelhady went deep to a wide open Bierfeldt. He caught the ball in stride and took it 69 yards for his 3rd touchdown of the game. The score moved to 35-32 and then Westlake shocked everyone in the stadium.
The Demons lined up for the kickoff and went for a surprise onside kick. The Patriots were not ready for it as it bounced off a players hands and into a Demons. They once again didn’t waste any time getting on the board. Abdelhady found junior receiver Gavin McMillen 10 yards down field where he broke a tackle and took the grab 45 yards to pay dirt. After scoring only 6 points in the first half the Demons now led the game for the first time 38-36 with 6 minutes left.
After getting the ball back it looked like the Patriots were gonna run all over the Demons once again. However Watts made a crucial mistake taking the ball up the middle and putting it on the ground. Westlake was there to recover and the game had flipped upside down for Valley Forge.
Abdelhady led his team to redzone again after another big pass down the sideline. Needing a stop the Patriots defense held stout and forced a major 4th down. With kicker troubles all game the Demons elected to go for it. They looked for the goal line fade once again but this time it was too high for Bierfeldt, giving the ball to the patriots inside their own 20 with 3 minutes left.
With life, the Patriots found themselves on 4th and long, needing to do something they haven’t done all night… pass the ball. With only 16 passing yards on the game Frank dropped back to pass with the game on the line. He surveyed the field and found junior Aiden Soto over the middle for 20 yards and the conversion. With the clock ticking they went back to Watts, who was completely gassed, got them all the way down to the 2 yard line. With the whole stadium knowing the ball was going to Watts, Frank faked the handoff, made an unbelievable play to evade a sack and found his fellow senior Evan Tappe in the endzone to take back the lead in dramatic fashion. The score was 42-38 with just 13 seconds left.
The Demons got the ball with 10 seconds left on the clock and attempted a lateral play to close it out but it wasn’t enough. The game finished 42-38 and was capped with an amazing final drive. While Daymon Watts dominated the whole game, quarterback Sean Frank was the hero in this one, leading his team down field for the win.
The Patriots look to keep the momentum and go to 3-3 on the season as they take on Buckeye at home next week. On the other hand Westlake will look to bounce back from this tough loss as they head back home to take on the Bay Rockets.
Players of the Game
Valley Forge Patriots RB Daymon Watts – 28 carries for 286 yards and 4 touchdowns. 10.2 yards per carry
Westlake Demons QB Moe Abdelhady – 26/36 427 yards and 5 touchdowns
Westlake Demons WR William Bierfeldt – 9 catches for 160 yards and 3 touchdowns
