Senior delivers on plea to coach
Quame Gaines had only picked up a yard on the ground in the second half against Brashear, but with a chance to give Westinghouse sole possession of first place in the City League, the Bulldogs running back pleaded for one more shot at the Bulls defense.
“I told Coach to give me the ball, trust me, I promise you I’m going to get this done for you,” Gaines said. “I wanted to end the game. I wanted it to be on me and I wanted to end the game.”
He did just that as the senior sprinted through a blitzing Brashear defense and raced for a clinching, 64-yard touchdown run with 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter that gave Westinghouse (3-0, 2-0) a shocking, 21-9 victory against the Bulls at Cupples Stadium.
“They had been blitzing since halftime. Since we came out, they’ve been sending the whole nine yards and they knew our plays,” Gaines said.
“I told Coach, trust me, same play. I’m going to get it done for you and I did. This is for me, my team, history. We got it done.”
It was a memorable night for Gaines for several reasons.
Not only did he score the clinching touchdown, but he also finished with 18 carries for a career-high 205 yards and all three Westinghouse touchdowns.
It was the first time that the Bulldogs had defeated the two-time defending champions since a 21-17 victory Sept. 29, 2001. The win moved Westinghouse into the driver’s seat for their first City League title since capturing back-to-back crowns in 1995-96.
“I’ve been here 10 years and we’ve never beat them ... but, big win. Huge win,” Westinghouse coach Monte Robinson said.
“I’ve been saying for the last two years that we were turning the corner and I said at the beginning of the season that we had turned the corner.”
Though most of the players on the Westinghouse roster have come up through the program, the school did get several additions from Wilkinsburg when it shut down at the end of the last school year. Though only one, senior Genaro Coleman, is a starter he turned out to be a huge addition as he came away with a pair of interceptions deep in Bulldogs territory.
Westinghouse ran the ball effectively throughout and asserted dominance on the first drive with a 12-play, 75 yard drive that Gaines capped with a 1-yard run.
The half ended with Westinghouse leading, 14-0. Brashear scored on a blocked punt, then picked up a safety to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-9 in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs then gave the ball to Gaines who sealed the win with his touchdown run.