Mustangs rally for 10th straight victory
Quick take
Westfield rallied for its 10th win in a row, defeating Waxahachie 10-7 in a Region II-6A Division I semifinal Saturday afternoon at Hutto Memorial Stadium.
The Mustangs (12-1) advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2019.
“Everybody just remained optimistic and positive on the sidelines,” Westfield coach Matt Meekins said. “It’s all about the next play and you can’t control the pass.”
Highlights
No points were scored in the first half. The Indians had two fumble recoveries and one interception. Westfield had a fumble recovery in the second quarter.
Indians starting quarterback Roderick Harstfield Jr. got injured on the first drive of the game. Backup Ramon McKinney Jr. came in to spark Waxahachie’s run game. He finished the game with 18 carries for 136 yards.
Westfield junior running back Taji Atkins had success in the first half. He had 94 yards rushing in the first half and the Mustangs’ offense was able to move the ball down the field but couldn’t find the end zone.
Before the game, Atkins felt that Westfield was going to win.
“At the end of the day when I’m with my brothers, we have to go to war,” said Akins, who finished the game with 19 carries and 145 yards rushing for the Mustangs. “I never doubted my brothers. We play for one another always. Everything we do out here is for each other. It’s not a one-man mission or one-man army. We’re a team.”
McKinney threw a 40-yard TD pass to De’Tyrian McCoy as Waxahachie led 7-0 with 8:34 left in the third quarter. The Indians finished the game with 112 yards passing.
Westfield scored its first points of the game when junior kicker Jonathan Dimas hit a 35-yard field goal. The Indians led 7-3 with 5:08 left in the third quarter.
The line of scrimmage was tough all game for both teams, but it was the Mustangs’ defensive line that contained the Indians’ run game.
Junior defensive lineman Bryson Balka and the Mustangs’ defense never broke down, causing havoc in the backfield for the Indians all game.
“We just came in and prepared like no other,” said Balka, who recovered
the fumble for the Mustangs for their only turnover of the game. “It was a dogfight from the start to the finish. That’s a great team and we were just better and worked hard at practice all week. These are my brothers, and I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else.”
Westfield got its big play on offense when senior quarterback PJ Hatter threw a 67-yard
TD pass to Da’John Palomo as the Mustangs took the 10-7 lead with 2:59 left in the game.
“Shoutout to our defense for holding us down,” Hatter said. “We stayed working as a team. When I saw Da’John open it just felt like normal and we were able to score. Waxahachie has a great secondary and scheme, but we wanted it more than them today.”
What it means
Westfield advances to the Region II-6A Division I state quarterfinals. Waxahachie ends the season 10-3.
Game balls
Akins had 19 carries and 145 yards for the Mustangs. Hatter connected with Palomo for the Mustangs’ only touchdown of the game.
Quotable
“These coaches love these kids, and the kids love these coaches,” an emotional Meekins said when asked about going to the state quarterfinals. “There’s a lot of love going on right now out here. These guys are competitors and we have been preparing for games like this for 11 months. Last year, we lost in the Alamadome to DeSoto and we were putting up our equipment on Monday.”
Up next
Westfield will face Duncanville next week in a state quarterfinal at a time and date to be determined.