Western surges past S.C. in second half

COLLINS — A night full of momentum swings eventually saw host Western Reserve get the last surge in Friday's Firelands Conference game at Bachelder Field. Trailing 15-12 in the second half, the Roughriders (6-2, 4-1) closed out the Trojans (1-7, 1-4) with 29 unanswered points in the 41-15 win. "I thought we played the second half really well, it felt like we were running the ball better," Western Reserve head coach Ty Stevenson said. "I thought our defense got on pace, after going up a few scores, and gave the team a ton of confidence." South Central opened the scoring for the night with a strong 50-yard drive. Aaron Hauler led the charge for the Trojans with a few good runs that eventually led to a 1-yard touchdown by Dixon Blanton. Hauler added the extra point for the 7-0 lead. After a slow start for the Roughriders, they got a decent return to open the drive around midfield. Hayden Kieth made two big passes that got Western all the way to the 3 yard, where he looked for a pass, but eventually made a scramble to his right into the end zone for six points. The extra point failed to keep the Trojans ahead, 7-6. With under two minutes left in the first half, Western started a drive deep in its own territory. Keith then found Brexton Fraelich for a long pass that advanced the 'Riders to the S.C. 1. The 91-yard drive was capped by Landyn Weigel up the middle for the short TD and a 12-7 lead they took into halftime. On South Central's first possession of the second half, Hauler broke free for a 55-yard TD run and a 15-12 lead. He ran in the 2-point conversion. But it was all Western from there. The 'Riders went run-heavy on the ensuing drive, which proved effective. Keith and Wiegel traded rush attempts all the way down the field, with Keith scoring from 3 yards out. He added the conversion for a 20-15 lead. After a three-and-out, Western got the ball back and Keith ran 43 yards to set up teammate Jared Hipp's 9-yard TD run. Wiegel added the conversion for a 28-15 lead. With momentum on their side, the Roughriders forced another punt and put together another scoring drive. A pair of big runs by Kieth drove the 'Riders down the field before Landyn Wiegel was able to score on a 10-yard run. To close out the scoring, Western took a slow drive down to the 1, and eventually it was Keith bulling across for the final points, as Hayden Dobias added the extra point. Western, which visits Crestview next, saw Keith finish 8-of-12 passing for 127 yards while also rushing for 143 yards. Wiegel added 44 yards on the ground. South Central hosts St. Paul next week and were led by Hauler, who was 7-of-18 passing for 52 yards and also ran for 96 yards. South Central 7 0 8 0 — 15 Western Reserve 0 12 8 21 — 41 SC — Dixon Blanton 1 run (Hauler kick) WR — Hayden Kieth 3 run (kick failed) WR — Landyn Wiegel 1 run (pass failed) SC — Aaron Hauler 55 run (Hauler run) WR — Hayden Kieth 3 run (Kieth run) WR — Jared Hipp 9 run (Wiegel run) WR — Landyn Wiegel 10 run (kick failed) WR — Hayden Kieth 1 run (Dobias kick)