Milan rematch no better for Chargers
Milan rematch no better for Chargers Posted: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 12:02 pm
Press Sports Writer For some teams, the date 11/11/11 might have been lucky, but not for the Westview Chargers as they saw the season come to an end in a 35-14 loss to the Milan Bulldogs Friday night. Westview finishes the season at 7-5, while Milan (10-1) moves on to the third round of the Class 3A State Playoffs. Milan travels to Fairview (10-1) Friday night. Milan used big plays to eliminate Westview. The game was much closer than it appeared — minus the big plays and the score. The Chargers and Bulldogs were evenly matched and the play on the field from both teams showed that. “I thought we gave a great effort out there. We are like any football team and it did not go to plan every time, but our kids fought and battled back and put ourselves in a situation where we had some opportunities there at the end,” Westview head coach Don Coady said. “In a lot of ways, we played well tonight, and we just came up short.” Arkel Coleman sealed the Chargers fate with 40-yard interception return for a touchdown with 2:33 left in the game to put the Bulldogs up by two touchdowns. Coleman had two interceptions and three touchdowns in the game. To add insult to injury, Vashawn Graves picked off another Ryne Vinson pass 53 seconds later for a 35-yard touchdown return. Vinson threw three interceptions in the game that Milan turned into scores. Much like the first meeting between the two teams, Milan jumped out to a 14-0 lead before Westview could find the end zone. After Vinson threw his first interception of the game to Coleman, the Bulldogs went 49 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead on Coleman’s three-yard run with 10:49 to play in the second quarter. Coleman struck again for the Bulldogs late in the quarter when he found a hole in the Charger defense and went on a 51-yard scoring run to put the Bulldogs up 14-0. The Chargers quickly answered, going 80 yards eight plays and scoring on a Vinson to Abraham Haddad 36-yard pass to make the score 14-7 at the half. The Chargers were looking to build on their momentum in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs quickly put a stop to that. On the first play from scrimmage to open the second half, Kevius Finch found a seam in the defense and outran the Charger defense for an 81-yard touchdown run to put the Bulldogs up 21-7. Westview used a mixture of run and pass plays to control the rest of the third quarter, keeping the score at 21-7. Vinson went 11-of-24 for 167 yards and one touchdown for the game. It was the most passes he attempted for the year. Collins Alexander had 39 yards rushing on 13 carries, giving him 961 yard for the season. Wyatt Zarecor led the Chargers with 81 yards on the ground. “Milan is tough against the run and they put us in situations a lot of times where we had to throw. During most of the game we were able to complete enough passes to keep drives alive and move down field. But we were not having a lot of success running the football. Throwing is not what we do best,” Coady said. The Chargers had 117 yards on the ground, running the ball 43 times for the game. The Bulldogs used big plays on the ground to rush for 302 yards. Finch had 152 yards on 10 carries and Coleman finished with 133 yards on 12 rushing attempts. Westview made the score 21-14 early in the fourth quarter, giving them hope of eventually tying the score and possibly taking the lead. Zarecor scored on a six-yard run with 10:49 to go in the game leaving the Chargers with plenty of time to make a comeback. But Milan chewed up 6:30 off the clock on a 13-play drive that ended when Coleman fumbled the ball at the Charger 20. Haddad fell on the loose ball at the 18-yard line with 3:19 to play. Three plays later, Coleman intercepted Vinson’s pass and returned it 40 yards for the score, atoning for his earlier fumble. For the 15 seniors on the team, they finish their high school career at Westview with a 29-19 record and a 4-4 playoff record. Westview will be losing Haddad, Alexander, Will Thompson, Colton Nanney and Kyle Coleman with this senior class “They have been a great group. We have enjoyed having them around and they have had a great career here. They got out here tonight in the second round game and battled right up to the end. I’m proud of this group,” Coady said. Westview will have 10 seniors on next year’s squad with Ryne Vinson, Quan Williams and Wesley Grimes leading the new class of seniors. Leading tackler Hunter Beale will be back as a junior, along with 10 other juniors. Published in The WCP 11.15.11
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