Hazelwood West Can't Overcome Flat Start Against Columbia Hickman

The Wildcats varsity football team fell to 0-3 under , after suffering a 27-9 home defeat to Columbia (MO) based David H. Hickman High School, Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Stadium.

The Wildcats gave an admittedly disheartening performance in the first half,  according to Hawthorne, but after getting shutout 20-0 in the first 24 minutes, West’s first-year head coach found a lot to be positive about in a second half, in which the Wildcats outscored the Kewpies 9-7.

“That first half was embarrassing,” Hawthorne said. “I was embarrassed. We should all be embarrassed. But we talked about a few things at halftime, made a few changes, and the guys played better.”

The Wildcats did indeed play better in the second half, especially on offense, where they moved the ball pretty consistently against the Kewpies, after managing just two first downs in the first half.

On one drive in particular, West strung together three straight first downs behind some tough running by senior DeMarco Taylor and sophomore T.J. Dominique. Senior fullback Justin Moss, who finished the drive off with a 16-yard touchdown, ran up the middle for his first touchdown as a varsity player.

“It’s a work in progress,” Hawthorne said. “We’re very young. And we’re still trying to find that right mix, especially on that offensive line.

"We made some wholesale changes after last week and we’re still trying to find the right mix that works.”

Moss finished the day with a team-high 60 yards rushing, as seven West ballcarriers totaled just under 150 yards combined.

Unfortunately, the offensive star of the day was Hickman’s junior running back Deven Larry, who outrushed the entire Wildcat team by himself, finishing with a game-high 162 yards on 22 carries.

Kewpie quarterback Logan Fitch also had a big day, passing for three touchdowns that helped Hickman turn an early 7-0 advantage, into a 20-0 bulge by halftime, and a 27-0 edge after three quarters.

One bright spot for West on defense was the play of senior Kane Davis, who delivered some of the biggest hits of the day from his linebacker spot. He led the Wildcats with 11 total tackles, while also posting an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

“I’ve been really impressed with his (play),” Hawthorne said. “We didn’t really think he could play that position. But he’s proven us wrong, and he’s only getting better.”  

Next week, West will be at home again, with a critical Suburban North Conference game against archrival Hazelwood East High School.

The Spartans will come to Wildcat Stadium with a 2-1 record, after suffering their first loss of the season on Friday night at Jefferson City (MO).

Saturday’s game against East is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

“We went up there and saw them (on Friday),” Hawthorne said. “And even though they didn’t win, you could see they have a bunch of good athletes. They’ve got a lot of speed and they can make big plays. Hopefully, we’ll be ready for that kind of challenge.”

SCORING SUMMARY

Score by Quarters

F

Hickman

7

13

7

0

27

Hazelwood West

0

0

0

9

9

First Quarter

Hick: Will Owens 2 yd run (Andrew Cox kick), 5:12

Second Quarter

Hick: Alex Keith 5 yd pass from Logan Fitch (Andrew Cox kick), 4:48

Hick: Jake Cowan 11 yd pass from Logan Fitch (kick failed), 1:09

Third Quarter

Hick: Jeff Treadway 4 yd pass from Logan Fitch (Andrew Cox kick),

Fourth Quarter

HW: Safety, opponent snap out of end zone

HW: Justin Moss 16 yd run (Danny Potts kick),