West Lafayette Jr-Sr High School

In a rematch nearly a month after their first meeting, the West Lafayette Red Devils fell short against the Western Panthers, losing 20-14. As in the seasons initial matchup, both defenses focused on stopping the run. A quick first quarter ended with Western leading 7-0. In the second quarter, Western extended its lead to 14-0 with another lengthy ground drive that ate up the clock. West Lafayette took over with 4:39 left in the half and quickly responded. Fielder Melchi hauled in a 14-yard catch to the 18-yard line, setting up Kojo Steffey to punch in the score on the ground with 2:39 remaining. The Red Devils' defense then stood tall, holding Western on its final drive to close the half at 14-7. In the third quarter, both defenses took center stage. West Lafayette forced a punt on Western’s opening drive. Neither team was able to capitalize offensively, and the ground game of both teams depleted the clock. At the end of the quarter, the score remained 14-7. In the final frame, an early touchdown gave Western a 20-7 lead after Dylan Salazar blocked the extra-point attempt with 10:31 remaining. On the ensuing Red Devils drive, which went through the air on most plays, a 20-yard pass to Melchi set up Keaton Bartlett’s 13-yard touchdown reception, closing the score to 20-14 with just over seven minutes left. The defenses stepped up again, however, with both sides forcing a four-and-out. Western was then able to run out the clock for the victory. Key Performers: Defensively, JJ Weida led with 17 total tackles, followed by Cade Kitchell with 15, Martin Gozo with 13, and Dylan Salazar with 12. On offense, Kojo Steffey paced the ground game with 55 yards and a touchdown, while Biddle threw for 96 yards and one score. Melchi hauled in 4 catches for 49 yards, Keaton Bartlett added 4 receptions with a touchdown, and Andrew Pfeiffer also recorded 4 catches.