Senior night; A night to remember by all Wahawks
October 28, 2022
The Wahawk 2022-23 football season closed Friday, October 21st at Memorial Stadium with a win against Ottumwa High School with a final score of 42 to 34
Friday marked not only the end of a season but also celebrated the seniors of some of our fall sports. Senior football players, cheerleaders, cross-country runners, dancers, as well as band members were all announced before the kick-off of the varsity game. An emotional tribute to those who have dedicated their time to their sports as they close off this chapter in their lives.
The final game left players, parents, and students in tears as the class of 2023 celebrated their final victory of the season.
Undoubtedly, the game was an intense back-and-forth battle. The Wahawks proved they were here to play when Noah Jebe had a crucial tackle on the goal line, resulting in a fumble that the Wahawks recovered. Once recovered, they pieced together an excellent drive. The Wahawks in the first quarter abused short screens to get Cavelle Fay in the scoring position; Kyle Elliott and Depree Banks kept the drive alive with multiple huge pass completions. Once in position, Fay finished off the drive by scoring a 17-yard touchdown. The Wahawks went for the extra 2 points and converted it making the Wahawks up by 2. Right after the Wahawks scored a huge touchdown against the Ottumwa Bulldogs, Tanner Schark scored a 25-yard touchdown resulting in the score being 6-7.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Wahawks put together another exceptional drive resulting in Alex Willis rushing an 11-yard QB keeper on 3rd and 5th to get the Wahawks into scoring position. To top the drive off, Willis scored an 11-yard touchdown. On the very next drive by the Bulldogs, Abaya Selema had a 66-yard touchdown, almost tying the game. Four minutes later, Fay scored an 8-yard touchdown. This was just the beginning of the night for Fay, as he had the perfect senior night game. Three minutes after Fay’s touchdown, Cameron Manary had a yard touchdown for the Bulldogs, once again making it a nail-biting game with the score at 22-20.
In the 3rd Quarter, Elliott had a game-changing interception that got returned for 28 yards, which lead to Fay scoring a 9-yard touchdown. After the Wahawks marched the ball down the field, Willis completes a 9-yard pass to Depree Banks to keep the drive alive. A few plays later, Willis had a complete pass to Engstrom and he pitched the ball to Fay for his 3rd touchdown of the night. The Bulldogs responded with a 37-yard rushing touchdown for themselves. The end score of the 3rd quarter was 36-28.
The final quarter of 14 seniors’ high school career began with Elliott telling his team, “This is the last 12 minutes you will ever play for the Wahawks again, make it the best 12 minutes you’ve ever played”. The Bulldogs came to play the 4th quarter where they scored right away on a 23-yard toss touchdown, making the score 36-34. The Wahawks marched the ball all the way down the field playing the best game they played this season. They ran the ball the full drive, letting Fay show what he can do while the clock ticked away. The Wahawks made it to the 5-yard line where they were stopped and held to their 4th down. Fay scored on their 4th and 5th to take the lead as his final snap off football as a Wahawk.
This was a game to remember by all the seniors at West. Kudic said, “This team means the world to me and I’m happy I could help contribute to this amazing team”. Willis says, “I love these boys and I’d do anything for them, so it’s sad to not be able to play with them anymore, but we’ll always be a family.” This was a wholesome moment knowing how much these boys love each other and what they would do for each other.
Fay ended off the night with 206 rushing yards, Willis ended the night rushing for 41 yards and passing for 101 yards. Branden Bauler rushed for 23. Banks had 48 receiving yards. Elliott received 36 yards. Fay rushed 31 yards. Defensively Jacob Muller led the team in 8 tackles with 1 tackle for loss. Elliott, Courtney Gladney, and Torian Doss, a freshman starter, had 4 tackles by the end of the night.
Congratulations to all the seniors on another amazing season, we are all proud of you. Thank you for dedicating your time to the programs at West.
