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Saturday, October 26, 2024 | 7:56 PM
Westinghouse’s Lloyd Penn dives for extra yardage past Allderdice’s Darryl Stong during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Westinghouse’s Josiah Collins flushes Allderdice’s Mike Butler during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Westinghouse’s Khalil Green looks for daylight against Allderdice’s Ashton Buckner during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Westinghouse’s Jordan Reid intercepts a pass intended for Allderdice’s Dav’Veion Lee during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Westinghouse’s Ashton Buckner scoots into the end zone past Allderdice’s Taivaun Turner during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Allderdice’s Mekhi Butler avoids Westinghouse’s Josiah Collins during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Westinghouse’s Lloyd Penn beats Allderdice’s Damian Scott for a touchdown during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Allderdice’s Brandon Beechaum pulls away from Westinghouse’s Josiah Collins during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Allderdice’s Mekhi Butler makes a touchdown-saving tackle on Westinghouse’s Jaylen Stanford on a punt return during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Allderdice’s Taivaun Turner comes down with a ball intended for Westinghouse’s K-Shawn Hawkins during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Allderdice’s Brandon Beechaum avoids the tackle attempt by Westinghouse’s DaeJour Pickney during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Westinghouse’s Jaylen Stanford avoids Allderdice’s Taivaun Turner on a punt return during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Allderdice’s Brandon Beechaum beats Westinghouse’s Jordan Reid during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Allderdice’s Brandon Beechaum beats Westinghouse’s Marcus Richardson during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Westinghouse’s Jaylen Stanford pulls in a pass against Allderdice’s Damiane Scott during the City League championship game Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
The Westinghouse Bulldogs defeated Allderdice, 40-12, scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half to win their third straight City League championship Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Lloyd Penn spearheaded the Bulldogs offense, catching four passes — all for touchdowns — for 82 yards.
Khalil Green threw for 187 yards and four touchdowns, completing 7 out of 19 passes. Green also ran for 46 yards on 10 carries.
Penn talked about his connection with Green.
“I’ve known him literally since I was about 8 years old,” Penn said. “He played for the Garfield Gators with me, and we grew up playing 7-on-7 together.”
Green commented on his chemistry with Penn, along with the overall team effort.
“We’ve been doing this since little league, since the Garfield Gators,” Green said. “I do want to shout out the O-line and all my other receivers, not just Lloyd. We have a lot of people like that. … I want to shout out the defense. Defense is always holding it down, letting us get opportunities to score more and more.”
Westinghouse shut out Allderdice in the second half, forcing three turnovers. The Bulldogs held the Dragons to 22 yards on the ground for the game.
“When we got into the locker room, I told them we’ve got to play as a family,” Penn said. “We’re a team. If your brother’s down, pick them up. If they’re up, cheer them on.”
Josiah Collins, a team captain and leader on the defensive side of the ball, said the team came out better in the second half.
“We told ourselves we were going to play better and we are going to play faster,” Collins said. “We came out slow after last week, so we just had to embody it and come out here and play like who we are and we did it.”
The teams met earlier this year as Westinghouse took home the win, 50-6. This game was much different as Allderdice came out and played a strong first half.
The Dragons’ offense came alive and began to breathe fire in the second quarter.
Down 12-6, Mekhi Butler heaved one deep to an open Brandon Beechaum. Beechaum made a move and had the angle, running it in for 65 yards, tying the score 12-12 before the end of the half.
Westinghouse made adjustments and surged offensively to start the second half.
Khalil Mitchell, who racked up 105 yards on 15 carries for the game, bursted through a hole and broke it for a 43-yard touchdown run, retaking the lead 18-12 on the second play of the second half.
Penn then caught his third touchdown pass of the day with Green throwing a dart for the 23-yard score. Penn hit the extra point, making it 25-12.
Jordan Reid then picked off a Butler pass in the end zone.
An 81-yard pass from Green to Jaylen Stanford put the ball at the Bulldog 5-yard line. Dameon Hill ran one in for a 3-yard touchdown.
A Jaylen Stanford interception and a 37-yard touchdown pass from Green to Penn secured a third straight City League title.
Stanford, who caught two passes for 89 yards and tallied a pick, talked about the defense locking down Allderdice.
“I feel like our defense is a unit,” Stanford said. “We are one. Whenever one turnover happened, the second happened. And then the third happened.”
The Dragons were led by Butler and Beechaum. Butler threw for 192 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions, completing 10 out of 20 passes.
Beechaum caught eight passes for 176 yards and a touchdown.
“I love watching that kid run,” Allderdice coach Mark Matson said. “I’m just happy he could have a game like that. I wish we could have put it together a little more with him in the second half too. But sometimes it just ain’t your day.”
The Dragons, however, showed no quit.
“These guys, that’s just who they are as people,” Matson said. “They never stop. They never quit. When I go in there, I’m sure they’re gonna be sad, but they’ll be ready. They’ll be ready to go keep fighting and move on to whatever the next step is.”
Tyrell Pollard recovered a Butler fumble to start the game.
On fourth-and-6 at the 13, Khalil Mitchell ran a draw play for a first down.
The 41-yard drive was capped off by a Green 6-yard touchdown pass to Penn, giving the Bulldogs an early 6-0 lead.
A Beechaum 55-yard return set up the Dragons at the Bulldog 36-yard line.
On third-and-6 at the Westinghouse 32, Beechaum was wide open over the middle for the first and more but Butler was unable to connect with him.
On fourth-and-6, a fumbled snap ended the drive.
After being forced to punt on their next drive, the Dragons punted the ball the away and got it back on a muffed snap when Brandon Reynolds fell on it.
Westinghouse shut the door, however, when Shane Carter hit Butler behind the line to gain on fourth-and-1 at the Allderdice 48.
The Dragons defense came to play on fourth-and-1 at the Allderdice 5, when Daryl Strong tackled Green short of the first-down marker.
Nonetheless, a three-and-out led to punting out of their end zone, and after a K-Shawn Hawkins 31-yard return, the Bulldogs had the ball at the Allderdice 15.
The Dragons defense came close to getting off the field, but the Bulldogs had other ideas on fourth-and-11. Green found Penn yet again for 16 yards, making it 12-0.
Butler then hit Beechaum for 45 yards, setting Allderdice up at the Westinghouse 9.
Butler then scrambled away from pressure, finding a hole and taking it in for six. A 2-point try was unsuccessful.
Allderice then recovered an onside kick.
The half ended with both teams exchanging interceptions, with Markius Richardson picking off a pass for Westinghouse and Tai’vaun Turner intercepting a pass for Allderdice.
With 15 seconds left, Butler launched one for 65 yards finding a Beechaum deep for a touchdown, sending the Dragons into halftime tied.
Allderice attempted an onside kick to start the second half. This would come back to bite them.
It led to Mitchell’s 43-yard touchdown run, with Westinghouse retaking the lead at 18-12.
On gfourth-and-1 at their own 39, Butler dropped back and fell for a loss of 8, turning it over on downs.
Green then connected with Penn for a third time.
On the Bulldogs’ next drive, they fumbled at their own 15 and Lukas Stead pounced on it.
The Dragons couldn’t capitalize, though, as Jordan Reid picked off a pass from Butler in the end zone.
This led to the 81-yard pass to Reed and the Hill 3-yard touchdown run.
Stanford then picked off a Butler pass with six minutes left in the game.
Green found Penn for six for 37 yards. A 2-point conversion on a pass from Green to Hawkins finished the Bulldogs’ scoring for the day.
Penn is glad he gets to lead and captain a team he is so close to.
“It feels great, man,” Penn said after winning another City league title. “I couldn’t wait to get to this moment of my high school career to be a leader and be able to lead a team. This is the year that we’re going to win states.”
Tags: Allderdice, Westinghouse
