Gardner – With its best weapon in wide receiver Dylan Blake on the sideline, PikeView was hoping some of its younger players would step up and fill his shoes Monday night.
That didn’t happen.
The Westside defense came away with five turnovers – two fumble recoveries and three interceptions – as the Renegades pounded the Panthers 40-6 Monday night at PikeView.
“We really would’ve liked to have had the shutout but the defense played well for sure,” Westside head coach Tyler Dunigon said.
Playing without several of their own players who were ruled ineligible, the Renegades drew first blood late in the first quarter.
With the offenses on both sides trading interceptions to start, the Renegades used a 59-yard punt return by Hansel Bledsoe to set up shop deep in the red zone. Two plays later junior running back Derrick Taylor found paydirt from three yards out, helping stake the visitors to an 8-0 lead.
“He was a little dinged up for us to start the year,” Dunigon said of Taylor. “He came back for us against Independence (six days ago) and I feel like he’s playing well. He plays middle linebacker for us too and I feel like he’s played three pretty good straight games.”
It took all of two minutes of game time to add to it.
After a punt, Westside quarterback Jaxon Cogar unleashed a bomb, connecting with receiver Noah Lusk on a 54-yard scoring strike. The two hooked up again on the conversion attempt, swelling the lead to 16-0. Both offenses traded turnovers in Panther territory later in the second quarter but another touchdown run by Taylor and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cogar to Dante Lowe as the clock expired gave the Renegades a 32-0 lead heading into the break.
Westside beats the halftime horn. Cogar finds Dante Lowe and takes it himself on the conversion attempt. It’s 34-0 at halftime #wvprepfb pic.twitter.com/o1J42ckEQy
— Tyler Jackson (@TJack94) October 4, 2021
“The players want Dylan out there and I get it,” PikeView head coach Jason Spears said. “But there’s also opportunity for them to step up and be that guy. Be that go-to guy and try to make something happen. In the second half we looked good on defense. We came out and we just – I guess it took someone to get them angry and they just started playing football, but the offense just wasn’t clicking today.”
The PikeView defense backed up their coach’s claim, applying pressure every time Cogar dropped back in the second half and even scoring the team’s lone touchdown when a pass bounced off the hands of a Westside receiver and into the arms of PikeView’s Peyton Greer, who returned it 80 yards for a score.
On 4th down Westside goes for it. PikeView’s Peyton Greer returns an INT 80 yards for a score. That’s the third INT PV has forced #wvprepfb pic.twitter.com/8KMtK8NMbt
— Tyler Jackson (@TJack94) October 5, 2021
On the evening Cogar led the way for the Renegades, tossing two touchdowns and running for another as they converted on all five of their two-point conversion attempts.
The win was Westside’s second of the year after picking up their first on Friday against Shady Spring.
“There’s definitely a little more juice in the building,” Westside head coach Tyler Dunigon said. “The boys were excited to play and they were excited to get to come down here and play this football game. We’ll look at the film, see what we need to correct and hope we have this same juice for homecoming against Liberty. The kids are excited to play so we’re going to try and close this thing out.”
With the loss PikeView drops to 0-4
Westside will host Liberty on Friday while PikeView will travel to Montcalm.
W: 8 24 8 0 – 40
PV: 0 0 6 0 – 6
Scoring Plays
First Quarter
W: Derrick Taylor 3-rush (Cogar to Vance), :43
Second Quarter
W: Noah Lusk 54-yard pass from Cogar (Cogar to Lusk), 10:42
W: Taylor 4 rush (Cogar to Bledsoe), 3:23
W: Dante Lowe 15-yard pass from Cogar (Coar run), :00
Third quarter
W: Cogar 4 rush (Taylor Rush), 4:13
PV: Greer 80-yard INT return (Conversion fails), 1:37
