West Lafayette Jr-Sr High School

On Friday, September 19, the West Lafayette Red Devils came away with 34-27 victory over the Knights of Lafayette Central Catholic. The victory made it two in a row for West Lafayette and bumps their season record up to 2-3. The first quarter opened with West Side's kickoff. The Knights advanced down the field, but West Lafayette’s defense held strong on first-and-goal, keeping them out of the end zone. The Devils then took possession and reached the red zone, but the CC’s defense stood firm preventing a score. The quarter ended with both stiffening at the goal line, ending in a 0-0 tie. In the second quarter, the Knights opened with a field goal, taking a 3-0 lead with 11:52 remaining. After several defensive stands, the Devils scored with excellent blocking at the line and downfield, clearing the way for Kojo Steffey's 69-yard touchdown run, giving them a 7-3 lead. The half closed with a defensive score by Central Catholic and a 30- yard pass from Blake Biddle to Fielder Melchi, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by Steffey. Halftime score: 13-10. The second half belonged to West Lafayette. After trailing 20-13 going into the fourth, quarterback Blake Biddle dropped a 46-yard pass to Fielder Melchi to tie the game at 20 with just over 11 minutes to play. From there, the defense took over. Micah Davis delivered a game changing interception at the West Side 2-yard line, halting a dangerous Knights drive and flipping momentum for good. The offense capitalized quickly, with Biddle finding Melchi again on a clutch third down 53-yard pass before Steffey punched it in from the 1-yard line to give West Lafayette a 27-20 lead. Moments later, the defense struck again this time with Dylan Salazar picking off a Knights pass for a pick 6 to make it 34-20. Salazar wasn’t done, adding a big tackle for loss on the next drive that helped seal the win. Though Central Catholic tacked on a late touchdown, the result was never in doubt. Key Performers The defense was anchored by Dylan Salazar with 17 tackles, an interception, and a tackle for loss. Micah Davis, interception, Andrew Richards contributed 12 tackles, while JJ Weida added 10, Martin Gozo added another 10 tackles including 2 tackles for loss. On offense, the ground game was led by Kojo Steffey 195 yards and 3 touchdowns. Biddle threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, with Melchi adding 9 receptions for 153 yards and a score.