West Lafayette Jr-Sr High School

West Lafayette honored its seniors before the game, and they delivered standout performances on both sides of the ball in a 24-8 victory over the Hamilton Heights Huskies on Friday, October 17, under a beautiful fall evening sky. The Huskies received the opening kickoff, but the seniors quickly made their presence felt. Samuel Steffey intercepted a Hamilton Heights pass and returned it 52 yards to the 33-yard line. The Red Devils capitalized with a 25-yard field goal by Korbyn Keen, taking a 3-0 lead with 7:49 remaining in the first quarter. The defense then came out with another strong series, getting pressure on the Heights quarterback and forcing a punt. West Lafayette was able to move down the field, aided by a nifty 18-yard reception by Fielder Melchi inside the 10 for a first-and-goal, where Martin Gazo slammed it in for the touchdown and the 10-0 lead with 5:15 to go in the quarter. Hamilton Heights scored its only points of the game in the second quarter, adding a 2- point conversion to close the lead to 10-8. On the ensuing defensive series, senior leadership shone again as Samuel Steffey forced a fumble, recovered by fellow senior Dylan Salazar. West Lafayette went into the half with the 10-8 lead. The second half began with a balanced drive, culminating in a 4-yard touchdown run by Blake Biddle to extend the lead to 17-8. The defense then tormented the Hamilton Heights quarterback with relentless pressure and multiple sacks. The Devils regained possession at the 26-yard line after Martin Gazo forced a fumble, recovered by Cade Kitchel, with just over three minutes left in the quarter. Biddle connected with Melchi on a pass inside the 5-yard line for a first-and-goal, capped by a 3-yard jet sweep touchdown to Andrew Pfeiffer. The Devils ended the quarter leading 24-8. In the final quarter, the defense again made big plays and stops, culminating in a drive where senior Niko Karlaftis recorded back-to-back sacks to seal the game. Throughout the night, West Lafayette played complementary football, with the honored seniors dominating both sides of the ball in their final regular season home game. Key Performers The defense racked up 9 TFL’s with 6 sacks. JJ Weida with 12 total tackles and 2 sacks, Martin Gazo 11 tackles including 2 for a loss and forced a fumble, Cade Kitchel added 9 tackles and recovered a fumble. Samuel Steffey added an interception and a forced fumble. The offense was led on the ground by Gazo with 88 yards and a touchdown. Biddle threw for 117 yards and a running TD, with Andrew Pfeiffer added 63 yards through the air and a TD.