#RockReport Southport

Rocks Varsity Football traveled to Southport on Friday night, downing the Cardinals in a 40-36 thriller.

Offensively, the Shamrocks were anchored by the solid play of the offensive line. The big men up front paved the way for several long and impressive scoring drives. Evan Manley topped it off with steady hands, including catching the game winning touchdown with 6.7 seconds left.

The Rock Defense fought hard to contain an explosive Cardinal offense. Jackson Garrett and Matthew Tongate led the way, with Koby Hauser adding consistent coverage. The defensive big play came when Jackson Garret undercut a Southport route, intercepting the ball and returning it for a defensive score.

Shamrock Special Teams did a great job of pinning the Cardinals deep, forcing them to drive the field after the numerous Rock scores. Alex Bales came in and boomed several key kicks, which the entire kickoff coverage team was excellent in bottling up any potential return. William Harrison buckled down in the closing minutes of the game to hit a pair of key field goals, putting the Rocks in position to win.

Special mention should be given to Luke Dedrick, Jordan Grimes, and Austin Ward. These Rocks made significant contributions in preparing the team for the Friday contest. They were #unbreakable during the week, providing the best possible look for their fellow teammates.

Come see your #unbreakable Rocks next Friday, when Westfield will travel to Zionsville High School to take on the Eagles. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm.

#Gameday Southport

Tonight, your Rocks will make the trek down to Southport High School to take on the Class 6A #9 Cardinals. They face a high-powered Southport passing offense that can put up points in a hurry. Last week, the Cardinals played Roncalli, putting up 21 points in the second quarter alone. Roncalli fought back to make it a game, and Southport hung on with some defensive heroics in the latter part of the game. This week looks like it could be a QB duel with both defenses looking to lock down the opposing scoring threats. Westfield will need to ground the air attack and put up some points of their own in order to win this game.

Your #unbreakable Rocks could sure use your voices in the stands! We know it's a long drive, but the weather should be beautiful and we have you covered with directions. See you at the game!

#RockReport JV @ Harrison

It took a little time, but I finally got a hold of the report from Saturday's JV game...

The Junior Varsity Westfield Football team started their season with a tremendous victory.  There was an ebb and flow to the game with many momentum shifts, but finished with Westfield players stepping up and making big plays.

The offense for the Shamrocks started the game with a rocky start, but the two headed quarterback duo of Sophomore Cam Nance and Junior Clint Hostler had the offense rolling in no time.  Hostler started the scoring for the rocks with an efficient and explosive drive.  Junior Josue Gonzalez contributed in the first scoring drive with multiple catch and runs to keep the chains moving and put the Raider defense on their heals.  Junior Mike Brown, the offensive player of the game, contributed with multiple punishing runs, but the play of the game came on a 3rd and long when Hostler dropped back and was forced to scramble. Hostler not only picked up the first down but pushed the Rocks into scoring territory.  Hostler finished the drive with a one yard run.  Nance added a score a few drives later on a great scramble to give the rocks the lead.  The duo of Brown and Hostler combined in the last minutes of the game to score a third time to put the game out of reach for the Raiders.

The defense for the Rocks had many shining moments but also showed the rust of a first game.  The defense started out by allowing the Raiders a long drive and score.  The Rocks tightened up and shut down the Raiders for the majority of the game.  The player of the game for the defense was Junior Carson Broshar.  Broshar made multiple big plays including an interception after a tipped pass by Junior Connor Voorhis.  Later in the game, Broshar made an outstanding play on a pass to the sidelines, intercepting it right before he stepped out of bounds.  On the final drive, the Raiders offense was making one final push to make the game competitive again, when Sophomore Logan McClurg intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal the victory for the Rocks.  Freshman Alex Bales also contributed with multiple extra points, a 37 yard field goal, and great kick-offs and punts.

The JV Rocks will play again this Saturday 8/29/15 at home against the Southport Cardinals.

#RockReport Freshmen vs Harrison

On a crisp, bright day hearkening the arrival of the autumn, the Westfield Freshman Rocks were ready to begin their journey on one of fall’s great rites of passage: football season. Taking on the visiting Raiders of Lafayette’s Harrison High School, the young Rocks were anticipating a great battle. Upon the kickoff, the frosh team showed their anxiousness for starting the season. By the end of the first quarter, the score was in Harrison’s favor, 22-0; however, this did not dampen the Rocks’ unbreakable resolve. Led on offense by the running of player of the game Dorian Henson, the young Rocks scraped and clawed their way back into the game. A dual quarterback system featuring Pat Beam and Mr. Consistency Cameron Frye contributed to the passing game, finding receivers Collin Caldwell, Owen McGraw, and Zach Collins for multiple completions. The biggest offensive play came on a late deep pass to Kyle Pepiot, who warded off the threats of would-be tacklers and found his way into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.

Led by Pepiot, the defense played a hard-nosed game against a tough Harrison running game. Forcing two turnovers, the defense placed the Rocks’ O in a great position for the majority of the night. Mr. Consistency Camerson Frye was calling the shots on field at middle linebacker and found his way into the Raiders’ backfield multiple times. Collin Caldwell provided a huge play for the defense when from his defensive end spot, he stuffed a run into the backfield, changing the course of potentially game-altering Harrison drive.

Alex Bales made his debut as the Rocks’ kicker for a game of perfect execution in the PAT department. He also served as the punter and kickoff specialist, where he pinned Harrison deep in their own territory on a majority of kicks. Mr. Consistency Sam Lupear provided great snaps to Bales all night. It was Bales’ last PAT that set the Rocks over the edge. Overcoming tremendous pressure, the frosh kicker put the ball between the uprights for the go ahead.

Having won 35-34 in a barn-burner of a victory, the frosh Rocks are now 1-0 and will be coming off a short week to play against the Cardinals of Southport, this Saturday, August 29th. Rock Nation, come to the southside of Indy to show your support! Go Rocks!

#RockReport Harrison

Rocks Varsity Football hosted their first game at Riverview Health stadium, earning a 38-21 victory over the Harrison Raiders.

Offensively, the Shamrocks were led by Ryan Pepiot. The senior quarterback captained the Rocks to a 35-8 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Johnathan Swidan chipped in 5.5 yard per carry, and Lucas Schultz snagged the big play of the night with a great snag of a deep ball across the middle of the field in that set the Rocks up for a score.

The Rock Defense was stalwart for most of the night, yielding only 8 points through 3 quarters of play. Sam Trompen led the way alongside the consistent play of Luke Lammers. The key series for the Rocks came at the start of the second half, when the Raiders started out with a -1yard, 3-and-out drive.

Shamrock Special Teams shined in their phase of the game. Caleb Sanburn provided great longsnaps all night, while Bryce Sears added consistent play across several teams. The entire kickoff team smothered any Raider thoughts of a return, while William Harrison tacked on a 47-yard field goal.

Special mention should be given to Devin McGinnis, Cameron Nance, and Bryan Hoover. These Rocks made significant contributions in preparing the team for the Friday contest. They were #unbreakable during the week, providing the best possible look for their fellow teammates.

Come see your #unbreakable Rocks next Friday, when Westfield will travel to Southport High School to face the Cardinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm.

#GameDay Harrison

It's finally here! The countdown shows less than 4 hours to go until the opening kickoff of the 2015 season. Very soon, we will be charging out onto our new field for the very first time. We hope the place will be packed. We hope that the entire community that has been so very supportive even before we had this exciting new stadium will be there to cheer us on. We hope to reward the tireless efforts and abundant donations of the countless people that made this dream home into a reality with a very special 2015 season. We promise to compete with every ounce of our energy and play to the very pinnacle of our potential. We think that will mean a lot of fun Friday nights.  And it starts tonight against the visiting Harrison Raiders. What a great day to be a Shamrock.

See you at the launch pad.

#RockReport Ben Davis Scrimmage

Normally there will be a much longer recap posted here on Sunday nights or Monday mornings. This week Rocks Varsity Football scrimmaged defending 6A State Champion Ben Davis on Friday night. Being a scrimmage, score wasn't kept.  Both teams were certainly excited for the opportunity to hit a different color, however. There was great competition on both sides.

The Rocks would like to wish Ben Davis the best of luck entering their season and defending their title.

Come see your #unbreakable Rocks next Friday, when Westfield will host the Lafayette Harrison Raiders for the first ever home opener at the new Riverview Health Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm.

Soft Opening

Nothing flashy this week. Just a scrimmage against defending 6A State Champion, Ben Davis. Consider it a soft opening of The Rock; an appetizer for the main course next week. Appetizers can be pretty fantastic, though, so come on out tonight. Get your first taste of Friday Night Lights, and see your #unbreakable Rocks in action.

Scrimmage format information can be found here. I believe we are doing Option B. First snap is at 7pm.

And We're Off!

16 days left until the opening kickoff of the 2015 season. That means practice is in full swing. The Rocks all reported to camp on Monday, and got things rolling. Two practices and one extremely challenging obstacle course later, they have demonstrated what it means to be #unbreakable. Now, we're going to keep that momentum rolling right into the normal practice schedule.

For fans, your first official look at the team can be Saturday morning, when we have our annual Green vs Gold game at 10AM.

We're pretty busy brushing off the dust and warming up our pads, but I wanted to pass along some images from camp.