Herkimer 29, Westmoreland 20
The score was around what I expected. Everything else was different. A game I expected to be back & forth was pretty much dominated by Herkimer. What prevented this game from being lopsided - a couple big special teams plays from the Bulldogs and a bunch of Magician mistakes when they were threatening to score.
After trading drives that went about as far as Miss Daisy without a driver, Westmoreland's Tim Harrison retreated to pick up a bouncing punt within his own 5, and nearly broke it free. He was caught from behind after a 49 yard return. They proceeded to lose 20 yards on an errant option toss, but a late hit moved it up 15 of those yards - a common theme of Herkimer errors keeping Westmo around. A 31 yard completion from Tyler Deveans to Jack Acquaviva on 3rd & 11 was the big play of the drive, which led to a 1 yard Deveans plunge on 1st & goal, putting Westmoreland up 7-0 with 4:25 left in the 1st quarter. It didn't take long for the Magicians to respond. On the 1st play of the ensuing drive, Austin Mills ran one up the gut, shed a couple would-be tacklers early, and busted out 58 yards into the end zone, putting Herkimer up 8-7 at the 4:11 mark. This is a lead Herkimer would never relinquish.
After a 3 & out, Herkimer got the ball back and proceeded to get up the field quickly. A 32 yard catch & run from Brennen Thompson off a Mills pass broke it deep into Bulldog territory, and 3 Mills runs finished it off, the last one being a 3 yard plunge into the end zone on 1st & goal. The Magicians were up 14-7 with the 1st coming to a close. Mills picked off a Deveans pass (another common theme) setting up another quick strike - after an incomplete pass, Thompson had the Madden Run of the Night, shaking a couple tackles and hitting the trigger button a few times, juking left & right around 4 other would-be tacklers, going from the middle of the field to near the right sideline, cutting back to the middle, and ending up in the promised land with a 46 yard TD. The 2 point conversion gave Herkimer its largest lead, a 22-7 cushion less than 1:30 into the 2nd quarter. Herkimer's offense stalled for the rest of the half, with a pair of 3 & outs and a looming 3rd & 22 at the end of the half, and Westmo was able to get back in it. After another 3 & out and Deveans pass picked off by Mills again, the Bulldogs fed Tim Harrison, who got them into the red zone off consecutive runs of 17 & 18 yards. On 3rd & goal from the 14, Deveans lofted one up to where only 6'6" Tyler Taverne could get it, and he grabbed it in the end zone, shrinking the lead to 22-14 with :55.5 left in the half. They went to the break with that score - Westmo ran 13 more plays than the Magicians and held the ball for much longer, but in this case, it was because Herkimer's scoring drives were quick.
The 2nd half was the land of missed opportunities for Herkimer. They started at their own 8 yard line after a Zach Steele kick return TD was called back on a hold. Two Mills completions, a 16 yarder to Dan Appley and a 46 yarder to Steele, along with a roughing the passer penalty, quickly put the ball at Westmoreland's 15. Mills hit Appley on the ensuing play, who was headed toward the end zone, but had the ball popped out around the 1. The ball snuck out of the end zone before another Herkimer player could pounce on it, resulting in a touchback. The next time they got the ball, they moved up the field quickly again. A Mills 14 yard run & Thompson 22 yard run put them back in the red zone, at the 12. A block in the back moved it back to a 2nd & 24 at one point, and after a 17 yard completion from Mills to Eric Johnston, they were left with a 4th & 3 at the 6. They went for it, and Mills came up one yard short. They nearly forced a safety right after, forcing Westmoreland's offense right to the goal line after tackling Robert Heitzmann nearly in the end zone, and an ensuing punt & 19 yard Johnston return put Herkimer at the Bulldog 23 to start the drive. This time, they would cash in. An 11 yard completion to Adam Kirkpatrick on 4th & 4 set up a 2 yard Mills plunge into the end zone, making the score 29-14 with 3:06 remaining in the 3rd. Deveans had it poked away on the ensuing Westmoreland drive, but Tim Harrison helped make up for it. He had his own Madden run, dirty dancing his way away from 3 Magicians converging on him right after the catch and turning it into a 74 yard TD return. The extra point was no good, however, keeping it a 2 possession game at 29-20. On a day where Harrison didn't have much room to breathe (10 carries for 57 yards, 35 of those being on consecutive carries), he made up for it in the return game, picking up 123 return yards on just 2 returns.
Herkimer's longest drive was the following one, running 12 plays and chewing up 6:22 of clock, but after getting to Westmoreland's 18, they stalled again, turning it over on downs. The Bulldogs couldn't capitalize, getting pinned deep in their own territory, and another nice Johnston return put it at their 32 for Herk to take over. They made it to the 19 this time, but Mills had the ball stripped while going back to pass, and Westmoreland recovered. However, on the 2nd play of the drive, Deveans dropped back to pass, and Mills found his way to it again, picking off his 3rd pass of the night. They basically ran out the clock, turning it over on downs, but with just :01.2 seconds remaining, and found their way into the Class D finals, taking on Sandy Creek at the Carrier Dome Saturday @ noon. Austin Mills went 7/16 in the air for 153 yards; he also rushed for 130 yards on 22 carries & 3 TDs. He lost a fumble, but picked off 3 passes himself. Brennen Thompson had a strong game for Herkimer, with 124 rushing yards & a TD on 13 carries, along with springing his 1 reception 32 yards. On Westmoreland's end, Tyler Deveans went 5/15, throwing for 72 yards, a TD & 3 picks. He ran for 14 yards on 7 carries & a TD, along with a lost fumble. He was sacked 3 times for a loss of 28 yards, whereas his counterpart, Mills, wasn't sacked once. Tim Harrison was bottled up for most of the night, rushing for 57 yards on 10 carries, and 4 receiving yards on 1 catch. He did his damage on special teams, returning a punt 74 yards to the house and taking his other punt return 49 yards, nearly breaking it out to go all the way. Herkimer outgained Westmoreland, not including penalties or special teams, 424-104 on the night. Westmo was held to just 12 offensive yards in the 2nd half. However, Herkimer had some costly, untimely penalties (7 for 72 yards), and only scored once in the 2nd half on 5 opportunities inside the Westmoreland 20. If Herkimer could have capitalized, this game could have been a blowout. On this night, Herkimer was the better of the two squads, and the actual score didn't necessarily indicate the amount of opportunities they could have, and probably should have, converted. They'll need to shore that up going forward, but they move on to the Dome for the 3rd straight year, and I'm sure to all of them, that's what matters.
Neat-o Stat of the Night - Already mentioned it. 5 red zone trips for Herkimer in the 2nd half alone with 7 points to show for it. Also, 22 of Herkimer's 29 points came in the matter of 5 minutes and 35 seconds. Talk about the flood gates opening.
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