WALNUT GROVE– It was a wild night full of big plays, turnovers and hard hits as the West End Patriots welcomed the Cold Springs Eagles to town. Thanks to the tremendous play of running backs Nic Rollo and Fisher Willoughby as well as quarterback Cayde Elliott who was playing through the pain of a high ankle sprain, the Eagles left Walnut Grove 26-16 winners over West End.
Cold Springs started the first quarter of action with the ball and great field position thanks to a failed onside kick by West End. Rollo got the Eagles moving in the right direction with three straight carries that netted 14 yards. Next it was dual threat QB Elliott’s turn as he called his own number for a couple. Rollo and Elliott kept the pressure on the ground and, helped out by an offsides call on West End, the Eagles found themselves on the 11-yard line of West End. From there, Elliot connected with Willoughby deep in the near corner of the end zone for the first score on the night. The PAT was good and the Eagles took a 7-0 lead.
West End started their first drive from their own 33 where senior standout Andre Little quickly made his presence felt. From the Wildcat formation, Little took the direct snap and raced 43 yards down the sideline to set the Patriots up with a first-and-10 from the Eagles’ 25. West End managed to get the ball to the Cold Springs 13 but the Eagles’ defense was able to keep them out of the end zone. West End was forced to settle for a 30-yard field goal off the foot of quarterback and place kicker Jackson Stancil. This made the score 7-3 in favor of Cold Springs as the first quarter came to a close.
The second quarter of action started with the Eagles driving for what looked like another score, but they came up short on fourth-and-12 from the West End 14, turning the ball over on downs. Following a false start and an incomplete pass, the Patriots had their backs to the wall with a third-and-12. That is when Stancil connected with Little for a 33-yard strike. On the next play he found Dillion Butler for 49 yards, talking the ball down to the Cold Springs 6. A play later West End was in the end zone for the first time on the night thanks to a 6-yard plunge by Michael Malin. Failing the 2-point play made the score 9-7 in favor of West End with 5:27 left to play before the half.
Starting from their own 31, Cold Springs was determined to answer the West End score and answer they did. Rollo, Elliott and Willoughby kept things simple with good, hard-nosed running between the tackles and it eventually paid off when Rollo bounced to the outside and raced 35 yards down the far sideline for the score. The Eagles failed on the 2-point try but took a 13-9 lead.
Following a weird series of events that saw the Patriots fumble and Elliott recover for the Eagles, only for Cold Springs to give the ball right back on the very next play, West End secured the final score of the first half. On third-and-10 from the Cold Springs 45, Stancil hit Little on a bubble screen and Little did the rest, speeding 45 yards down the field for the score. The PAT was good with the Patriots taking a 16-13 advantage to the halftime break.
“We knew exactly what they were going to do,” said Cold Springs head coach Rod Elliott about the big plays in the first half. “We didn’t focus very well the last two days of practice. In the first half we played like we practiced.”
West End came out of the locker room looking to make a statement, quickly moving from their own 35 to the Eagles’ 10-yard line where they were set up with a first-and-goal. But after the initial opening onslaught, it was obvious to anyone in the stadium that Cold Springs had made the necessary halftime adjustments on defense as they slammed the door on the Patriots’ drive, led by a big third down sack by Willoughby. The defense stood tall and forced a turnover on downs.
The Eagles were only able to move the ball 20 yards on their next drive and were forced to punt the ball away. However, it would quickly be back in the hands of the offense when Mason Barnett picked off a Stancil pass and returned it 31 yards to the Patriots’ 29. From here Rollo picked up 10 quick yards and Willoughby capped the drive with a 19-yard scamper down the near sideline for the score. Adding the PAT put Cold Springs back on top 20-16.
After trading a pair of punts to start the fourth and final quarter, West End was able to put together a drive that reached all the way down to the Cold Springs 13 where it bogged down and the Patriots turned the ball over when they failed to convert on fourth-and-2. Cold Springs methodically moved the ball out of their half of the field but eventually found themselves way behind the chains via a personal foul. Faced with a third-and-29 from their own 49, the call was to give the ball to Willoughby and he did the rest.
“It was so perfectly drawn up that I didn’t even have to break any tackles,” Willoughby said of the run. “I had big monster John Campbell in front of me and all I had to do is outrun everybody.” That is exactly what he did, taking the ball 49 yards down to the Patriots’ 2-yard line.
From here it was academic as Rollo bowled his way through the line for the score. The PAT was blocked but Cold Springs held a two-score lead, 26-16, with 1:38 left to play. As a fitting end to the game, the Patriots’ final drive was halted abruptly when Willoughby intercepted a West End pass to put an exclamation point on the incredible 26-16 Cold Springs victory.
The Cold Springs Eagles will be looking to add another region win next week as they welcome Winston County to town. West End hits the road vs. Falkville next Friday night.
Copyright 2016 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
