West rolls over Highland

Maroons junior quarterback scores on two long touchdown runs

BY DAVID WILHELM

News-Democrat

BELLEVILLE --

Mack scored on touchdown runs of 40 yards and 52 yards after Highland turnovers in the first quarter, sparking the Maroons to a 28-6 win in the season opener for both teams.

"They were pretty big, just to get the team motivated for the season opener," said Mack, a 5-foot-10, 170-pounder. "Those were set plays we have in our offense. We go with what we've got.

"This was huge, trying to get us into the playoffs. This was a key win. We had to get it. Every win is a key win, but if we would have lost this, the motivation would have been down. We're taking it week by week."

Senior Sean Lewis also scored on runs of 15 yards and 4 yards for West (1-0), which won its fourth straight game dating to last season.

Mack finished with 12 carries for 186 yards. He had 142 yards on his first three runs.

"They were playing really hard to the ball, and he got loose," Maroons coach Ric Johns said. "He had a really nice coming-out party tonight.

"I think (Lewis) garnered a lot of their attention, which is one reason our quarterback was effective as he was."

Highland (0-1) finished with five turnovers, all on fumbles.

"We turned the ball over several times," Bulldogs coach Ron Holt said. "I don't know if it was lack of execution. I don't know if it was first-game jitters or maybe a little bit of intimidation. I'm not sure what the cause was, but it wasn't pretty in the first quarter.

"You saw the turnovers by our offense, but our defense missed some reads. We had people in the wrong spots, and that's what gave up those first couple of scores. We missed some reads."

Highland began to dig a hole on its first possession. After senior quarterback Travis Becherer completed a 3-yard pass to junior Justin Huelsmann, Huelsmann fumbled. Maroons junior Jake Wagner recovered on the Bulldogs' 40, and Mack scored down the left sidelines on the next play.

Junior Dale Korte fumbled on Highland's next possession, and West junior Bryan Hern recovered at the Maroons' 48. Three plays later, Mack broke free again --his second long TD run, and West led 14-0 with 5:28 to play in the first quarter.

Lewis' 5-yard run made it 21-0 with 2:39 to play in the second quarter. Lewis finished with 13 carries for 82 yards.

Highland's lone score was a 13-yard run by Becherer in the third quarter. The Maroons answered on their next possession, with Lewis' 4-yard run culminating a 68-yard drive.

"Our defense kept working," Johns said. "I think they're a fine offensive team. They do a lot of nice things. We're just happy to learn all we learned tonight and come out with a win, too.

"We'll be a lot better next week (against Althoff) than we were this week. We found out a lot about some kids. I think we'll be able to correct a few things. This was just a really nice game to come out with a win. They're a quality team."

Holt was encouraged that the Bulldogs played better in the second half.

"We still had a few turnovers, but we executed better, and our defense played much better in the second half," he said. "That quarterback, that kid can run. He's a good player. A little mistake against a lot of teams is an 8- or 9-yard play. Against that kid, it's a 60-yard run, and that's what happened tonight."