On a cold and windy night in Berlin, Stephen Decatur and Westlake fought a bruising battle of two wildly different halves, with Decatur staging an all-time epic rally to win in overtime, 27-20, in the MPSSAA football semifinals.
Here’s how it all went down.
After a first quarter in which the teams traded blows with their ground games, Westlake struck first, with Devin Cox opening the scoring with a big run around the outside to make it 7-0.
Decatur quarterback Johnny Hobgood hit Davin chandler for several big gains as the Seahawks built some momentum in the second quarter but failed to find the end zone. And Westlake would strike next with the game’s biggest play.
Going for it on fourth-and-7, Westlake quarterback William Drakeford Jr. hit Caleb Phillips for a 60-yard touchdown to make it 13-0 with 7:46 left in the first half after a missed extra point.
Decatur then advanced to the Westlake 3-yard line, but offsetting penalties stalled that drive late in the first half.
Westlake’s offensive line remained dominant early in the second half, leading to a long rushing touchdown that made the score 20-0 Westlake.
And then Decatur’s offense finally woke up.
Scoreboard:Scores, live updates as Decatur football faces Westlake in Class 2A state Semifinals
Quarterback Johnny Hobgood led the Seahawks down the field and connected with wide receiver Zackari Baker for a long TD to make it 20-7 Westlake.
Decatur got the ball back with 7:30 remaining and marched down the field again, with Nate Tapley scoring on a QB keeper to make it 20-14, and from then on out there was no stopping the Seahawks. Getting the ball back with 4:34 remaining, a big run by Davin Chandler led to a 5-yard TD pass from Hobgood to Chandler.
Just as it looked like the Seahawks had sewn up the epic victory, the extra point from kicker Blake Wallace bounced off the upright, and the game was bound for OT.
Decatur got the first possession of OT and scored on a QB keeper to go up 27-20. The Seahawks then kept Westlake out of the end zone to seal the victory, and the crowd went wild.
The Seahawks will next meet Huntingtown at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, in Annapolis.
