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Sideline Report This Week in Northern Region Football
Westfield celebrates its 58-34 victory over West Springfield High School in the Northern Region championship.
(By Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post)
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Westfield, which won the state title in 2003, knocked off West Springfield in the Northern Region championship last week by rolling up 522 rushing yards and breaking the region title game scoring record in a 58-34 win. Seniors Steven Tabot, Brian Kennedy and Brandon Ferrell gained most of the yardage.
Westfield might not have Division I commitments playing receiver, but seniors Johnny Pickett and David Kruchko have been fine targets for quarterback Mike Glennon, who is bound for North Carolina State.
Oscar Smith junior linebacker Perry Jones, the Southeastern District defensive player of the year, established a new school record for tackles previously held by brother Joe, now an assistant in the program. The other inside linebacker, junior Jerod Askew, also is part of a first-team defense that allowed only 33 points all season (the backups gave up 28).
Oscar Smith had lost in the Eastern Region final the past three years, and fell behind 9-0 to unbeaten Salem in last week's final at Norfolk State before pulling out a 17-9 win. Salem handed the Tigers a 33-7 loss in the 2006 region final.
After chasing the region title for so long, Morgan said there is no chance that his Tigers feel that they have accomplished their goal.
"We're so close, there's no satisfaction now," he said. "They're still striving for more. I'm not too worried about complacency or satisfaction. I think they're still a hungry group."
Like the Northern Region, the Eastern also went to an expanded playoff format this season, so each team had to win three postseason games to reach the state semis. The Central and Northwest regions did not add a semifinal round.
Westfield is vying to become the eighth consecutive Concorde District team to reach the Division 6 state final. That run includes Robinson, which was not a member of the Concorde when it reached the state final in 2001 and 2004 but is in the Concorde now.
-- PRESTON WILLIAMS
