West Holmes (7-2, 5-1) has been putting up huge numbers for much of the season, but last week it was a defensive battle to the end against New Philadelphia (6-3, 5-2), with the Knights edging out the Quakers 9-8 on a final second touchdown pass from Morgan Smith to Nate Fair.
West Holmes got on the board first on a field goal from 27-yards in the second quarter. At the end of the first half Aidan Mushrush missed a field goal, and West Holmes held the lead until the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, the Quakers took an 8-3 lead on an 11-yard run by quarterback Keaton Fausel that was followed by a two point conversion.
Smith and the Knights marched downfield in the fourth quarter. With a fourth-down at the 10-yard line with only five seconds on the clock, Fair was wide open in the back left of the zone and caught the touchdown pass by Smith with no time left, sealing the dramatic win for the Knights.
"You guys fought hard- you're warriors," Quaker Coach Mike Johnson told his team after the game. "As we move forward, we've got a big one coming. That's where we got to go from here. Let's keep it going. This is going to make us better."
West Holmes had three turnovers in the game on a pair of picks and a fumble, and New Philadelphia did not turn the ball over once. However, the Quakers were not able to capitalize on their opportunities.The game was riddled with penalties, especially on the West Holmes side of things with 19 penalties for 132 yards. The Quakers had seven penalties for 58 yards in the game. West Holmes was 4-for-5 on fourth down, including the game winning touchdown pass.
Smith led the Knights going 18-for-29 for 207 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had 153 yards rushing in the win. Kyle Maltarich caught 10 passes for 127 yards.
The Quakers Etnie Richardson had 16 carries for 57 rushing yards. He also carried the ball three times for 19 yards. The game put him over the 1,000 yard mark on the season. He has 174 carries for 1,004 yards and nine scores.
Fausel ran 18 times for 88 yards. He also went 6-for-11 for 38 yards in the air. Zach Rothrock picked off a pass and caused a fumble. Jordy Delacruz had an interception in the game.
The Knights host Mount Vernon (2-7, 1-5) on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Quakers travel to Dover (5-4) on Friday for a non-conference matchup at 7 p.m.
