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WEST VALLEY PREPS

Westview flies to the front, holds off 2nd half Shadow Ridge surge

Posted 10/11/19

Shadow Ridge followed its game plan, repeatedly sending senior tailback Michael Clark in behind its mauling offensive line.

Unfortunately for the visitors, this dominance largely took place in the second half, when the Stallions trailed 28-7.

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WEST VALLEY PREPS

Westview flies to the front, holds off 2nd half Shadow Ridge surge

Posted

Shadow Ridge followed its game plan, repeatedly sending senior tailback Michael Clark in behind its mauling offensive line.

Unfortunately for the visitors, this dominance on Oct. 11 largely took place in the second half. And Avondale Westview had a 28-7 halftime cushion to play with.

"We knew we were going to have to throw the ball a little bit more this week because we knew they were going to stack it up against us," Shadow Ridge coach Bob Chappelle said. "Two holding penalties, an offensive pass interference and a fumble on those first two drives really hurt us. We were moving the football."

Shadow Ridge (5-2 overall. 1-1 region) rallied in the second half, scoring on its first three possessions to cut the deficit to 10. Westview (3-4, 2-0) would not let the Stallions get any closer, thanks to a pair of late defensive stops and the all-around brilliance of junior quarterback Nico Vasko.

Vasko finished the 37-27 victory with 16 completions on 29 attempts for 255 yards and three touchdowns, plus 25 carries for 164 yards and another score.

Early in the fourth quarter, Vasko made the decisive play. Shadow Ridge was on the ascent following senior tailback Michael Clark's 12-yard touchdown run to narrow the Knight's lead to 31-21.

On third and 1 at his own 37, Vasko hit the hole in an instant — much like his older brother, Tyler, used to for Westview — and ripped off a 42-yard gain. That set up his 5-yard touchdown pass to senior tailback Vidal Wilson and allowed the home team to run four minutes off the clock.

"Nico is really a running back who can also throw. He's taller than his brother and about the same weight," Westview coach Nick Gehrts said.

Vasko showed off his arm more in the first half. Senior receiver Isac Hall entered the game with 43 receptions for 805 yards and the Stallions had no answer for him.

Gehrts said the Knights are somewhere in between their traditional wing-T ground attack and a moders pread offense — running more of a shotgun wing-T where Vasko functions as a third back. But against the Stallions, the coach said he liked his receivers' 1-on-1 matchups so Westview spent much of the first half in an empty backfield.

Following a fourth down stop, Vasko connected with Hall for 24 yards. Three plays later, Hall got behind the coverage on a fly pattern and Vasko hit him in stride for a 42-yard touchdown.

Westview forced a fumble on sophomore Isaac Yates' reception and fell on it at the Stallions' 45. Vasko, who was responsible for 25 of his team's 30 rushing attempts, went off tackle for a 15-yard touchdown and 14-0 lead.

It was 21-0 after Vasko flipped it to junior slot D'Hayven Valentine — technically a forward pass — for an 11-yard score.

"They obviously came in deciding they were going to throw the football," Chappelle said. "We watched film and knew we were going to have to contain the quarterback. I didn't think they were going to throw that much, and out of a totally empty backfield. They found something they liked and kept working at it."

Slowly, Shadow Ridge got up off the mat. Clark came in leading 6A with 948 rushing yards on 116 carries.

Clark's eight carries for 60 yards on his team's next drive set up a one-yard touchdown plunge by senior quartreback Kaiden Lansford 2:35 before halftime.

The final completion from Vasko to Hall was a killer for the visitors, covering 61 yards. A horse-collar tackle on the play injured Hall and he exited the game with five catches for 160 yards.

Wilson loped in from the 2 for a touchdown on the next play, restoring the Knights' 21-point lead before the half.

"At halftime, we got our offensive line together because they were bringing pressure from the edge. We solidified what we were doing in pass protection. We also knew that when we were running to our two-receiver side we were outnumbering them. The left side of our offensive line is really good," Chappelle said. "If it's 21-7 at the half it's a different game."

Valentine picked off Lansford early in the second half and returned it to the Stallions 17. But the Shadow Ridge defense stiffened, and after its fourth-down stop the offensive line began to lean on Westview.

Clark broke into the clear for a 35-yard gain. He followed up by pushing the pile for a 7-yard score.

Clark easily passed the 1,000-yard mark for 2019 on the night, finishing with 220 yards on 25 carries.

"I'm extremely proud of the second half. We ouscored them 20-9. That was our guys saying, 'We're going to play 48 minutes,'" Chappelle said. "Michael has had an amazing year. He ran extremely well and our offensive line played really well. These kids are taking a heck of a lot of ownership for us."

Vasko's 22-yard pass and 20-yard scamper led to junior kicker Christian Malla's 35-yard field goal and a 31-14 advantage late in the third quarter.

Shadow Ridge junior fullback Jacob Thurman aided Clark, gaining 15 yards on a carry and 16 more on a screen pass. Clark's 12-yard scoring run drew his team within 10.

Vasko's big run gave the Knights some breathing room but the Stallions weren't done. Lansford ran a play-action fake and unloaded a deep ball to  junior receiver Zach Sutton, who did the rest on an 86-yard scoring play.

"That's something we drew up at halftime because we were running blast successfully against them. So we went with a blast pass play action. Kaiden threw a great ball and Zach made a great catch. We got one there," Chappelle said.

Westview stopped Clark on a two-point carry and forced two Stallions punts in the final five minutes. Valentine added another interception to hold on.

The Knights have won the 6A Southwest Region every year since its inception in 2013. Maintaining that position is, by now, an unspoken charge on the campus. 

"We obviously didn't get off to the start we wanted. The good news is our oaching staff has been here before. And we really talk about going 1-0 every week," Gehrts said. "The region championships is there. They know it. And no class wants to be the team that messes that up. And our seniors played their tails off."