West Lafayette Jr-Sr High School

On a warm August evening in West Lafayette, the Red Devils took the short trip down the road to face the Harrison Raiders in a high profile local early season matchup. West Lafayette showed they could hang with the larger school until the final whistle in a tough 28-21 loss. The game started with both teams shaking off some early season rust. West Lafayette moved the ball well, mixing runs and passes, while the defense made its presence felt with a huge goal-line stand, recovering a key fumble to shut down a Harrison scoring opportunity. The quarter ended 0-0, with both defenses making early statements. West Lafayette got rolling in the second quarter as they put together a solid drive, and Kojo Steffy rushed in a touchdown on a first and goal. With the point after, the Red Devils led 7-0 with about nine minutes left in the half. Harrison answered with a long pass to tie it up at seven, but West Lafayette wasn’t fazed. They came right back with a tough, balanced drive with some hard runs mixed with short passes and nice yards after the catch. Kojo Steffy scored again with just under three minutes to go, putting West Side up 14-7. Right before the half the defense made another big play when JJ Weida snagged a tipped pass for an interception, stopping Harrison’s last drive of the half. The Red Devils went into the locker room with a 14-7 lead. The third quarter didn’t go West Lafayette’s way. A few key injuries forced the Red Devils to dig deep into their bench, and Harrison took advantage. The Raiders put together three straight scoring drives, flipping the game and taking a 28-14 lead heading into the fourth. The Red Devils regrouped in the fourth and continued to battle. With nine minutes left Blake Biddle found Kojo Steffy for a touchdown pass on 4th down, cutting Harrison’s lead to 28-21. The defense continued their early success, shutting down the Raiders for the rest of the game. West Lafayette pushed hard for another score, but time ran out, and Harrison held on for the win. Key Performers Linebacker JJ Weida anchored the defense with 10 tackles, followed by Samuel Steffy with 8. On offense, quarterback Blake Biddle completed 19 passes for 196 yards, spreading the ball effectively. Kojo Steffy led the ground game with 102 rushing yards, while Fielder Melchi hauled in 7 catches for 88 receiving yards.