Coming off a loss to Princeton, Lakota West has responded fiercely, with wins over Fairfield 50-14 and Middletown 51-7. When asked how it felt to bounce back after a tough loss to Princeton, quarterback Sam Wiles said, “We feel great, you know it’s all about how you come back from a loss. Last week was a fluke by us, Princeton outplayed us, they’re a good team, but we didn’t play our best”. The Firebirds have continued to prove that the loss to Princeton was a fluke, and on Friday they made a statement against once-undefeated Middletown.
In the first quarter, Middletown could not get anything done offensively, with QB Jeremiah Landers struggling to complete a pass. The Firebirds cashed in a field goal and a Sam Wiles 4th down touchdown run to go up 10-0 by the end of the first. However, things started to get out of hand in the second quarter. Kenyon Norman, the breakout sophomore running back rushed for a touchdown to extend the lead. Kolyn Ogletree had an interception for the Firebirds that would set up greater field position, leading to another Wiles’ touchdown run. West’s defense would continue to hold strong, and with a minute left in the half, they had the ball up 27-0. Right before halftime, Sam Wiles would find receiver Tyson Davis for an absolute dime in the back of the endzone to further add to the lead, and at halftime the score stood 34-0.
After halftime, the Firebirds would never look back, only allowing one touchdown on a Jastin Bourne pass to Joseph Ward. Cam Thomas led the Firebirds in tackles with 5, and Kenyon Norman led in rushing yards with 108. The Firebirds had five total touchdowns on the ground, and three total field goals, two from Kofi Adubofuor, and one from Jacob Seitz. The statistic that stands out from the rest, however, is that West had 513 total yards, and Middletown had only 42. The Firebirds dominated from start to finish, leaving no signs of life for Middletown.
The Firebirds (4-1) will continue to fight for a GMC title this Friday as they host Colerain (0-5) for their annual homecoming game.
