On Friday, Sept. 29, the 4-1 Millard West Varsity football team took on 1-4 Millard North Mustangs in their final “Millard matchup” of the year.
Both teams came into this game on winning highs, but one team’s was bigger than the other. West had yet to drop a game since their week one loss to Millard South, 28-27, while Millard North finally got everything to click, and beat down on Lincoln Southeast, 49-28.
Millard North started the game with the ball on offense, and went on a quick, one minute, five second drive to put the Mustangs on the board first. It was the first time this year the elite Wildcat defense allowed a score on the opening drive.
“I think it was a big learning experience for our team,” senior defensive back Jon Ferguson said. “We had not faced that type of adversity before. We had to come together as a defense, reset, and build off of what went wrong.”
Millard West responded with a quick drive of their own, as Bobby Joseph took it 70 yards on a house call to even things up at seven a piece.
It would prove to be a tough night for the Wildcats defensively, as Millard North made it clear early that they would control this game. Millard North controlled the clock for essentially the rest of the first quarter, as things would end tied, 7-7. The Mustangs would continue to run the ball in their patented “veer” offense, as junior full back Colin Bogacz finished the day averaging 4.6 yards per carry for the Mustangs, which included a touchdown on the night as well. His touchdown made it 14-7, around the halfway point of the second quarter.
“As a linebacker, I need to read the inside guard and the tackles, to try and predict where the play is going,” senior linebacker Kaden Struck said. “It was hard for me to read the veer at first, but the guys on the outside were there to help on the back end in case I made the wrong read.”
While Millard North kept running the ball, this was not the case for Millard West. The two offenses contradict each other schematically, but it worked in the Wildcats favor as a quick pass to senior wide receiver Jackson Williams tied things at 14 heading into halftime.
“Brody [Peterson] was having a game throwing the ball and the offensive play calling was great,” Williams said. “We had a short amount of time on the field offensively, but we just called the plays we knew would work, got the ball into the hands of our playmakers, and tried to score as quick as we could.”
Millard West would start with the ball in the second half, and senior quarterback Brody Peterson found Williams for the second time that night, and the quick score put the Cats up, 21-14.
Millard North would have one more score in them, as senior quarterback Evan Hansen went to junior running back Caden Vermaas, for a score. As things were tied, Millard West defensive back Harrell Jackson had a crucial forced fumble and recovery, giving the Wildcats short field, and time to seal the deal.
For good measure, Peterson decided now was a good time to once again unload yet another touchdown pass, and for the third and final time it was to Williams, tying his career high with three touchdowns in a game, and put the Wildcats up, 28-21.
Millard North’s offensive mindset would come back to bite them, as they ran out of time. Millard West eked out their fifth straight win, 28-21, and play Lincoln Southeast at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6.
