Huskies lose, but score, in football debut (with video highlights)

MAYNARD -- Powerful, yet merciful.

West Central scored on its first six drives and rolled up 56 first-half points, then took the foot off the pedal in the second half of a 62-8 romp over Cedar Valley Christian in the Huskies' debut to varsity football Friday night at West Central High School.

"We weren't here to see how many points we could score," said Blue Devils Coach Steve Milder. "We had our second and third teams ready to go."

And those reserves played plenty after a first quarter in which the Blue Devils scored five touchdowns. West Central tallied on eight of its first nine drives.

It was a case of a well-oiled machine racing against a bike with training wheels. West Central is projected as a top-10 team; Cedar Valley Christian is literally taking its first steps.

"What can you say?" said Huskies Coach Ed Betsworth. "It shows we're a new team. We're small in numbers, but we didn't quit. We played tired, we played hurt, and we didn't give up."

May the record show that the first touchdown in Cedar Valley history was scored by junior Nick Henderson, who went high to catch a pass from Arturo Melendez, shed a tackler, then raced 43 yards for a touchdown.

It was the Huskies' first touchdown, and the final score of the night.

"I just caught it and kept pumping my legs," Henderson said. "The blockers blocked, and I got to the end zone."

Melendez added the two-point conversion, giving the Huskies something to feel good about on their 65-mile ride home. More than 100 fans made the trip from Cedar Rapids to Fayette County. All of them accompanied the Huskies in their postgame huddle.

Joe Spina, a senior lineman, received a lunch box -- a token of appreciation from the coaching staff that will travel from player to player throughout the four-game season.

In that blue lunchbox will be placed a piece of turf from the field on which the Huskies record their first win. Someday.

The Cedar Valley bleachers erupted as Henderson sprinted for the historical score. A number of the West Central fans stood and cheered as well.

West Central's Michael Lincoln scored four touchdowns in the first quarter on runs of 22, 37, 10 and 15 yards. He didn't carry the ball after that, and finished with 87 yards on five carries.

"We were going to go one quarter and go hard," Milder said. "We were here tonight to get our whole program better, from top to bottom."

Twelve different West Central players carried the ball, none more than eight times.

The entire second half was played under a continuous clock, which is instituted in the second half of any game with a 35-point margin.

West Central stymied the Huskies on the ground; CVC finished with minus-40 yards on 31 rushes.

It gets drastically more difficult for the Blue Devils next week; they travel to Tripoli. Cedar Valley is idle next week; the Huskies play at Dunkerton on Sept. 2.

WEST CENTRAL 62, CEDAR VALLEY CHRISTIAN 8

At Maynard

TEAM STATISTICS

CVC

WC

First downs

6

15

Rushes-yards

31-(-40)

38-320

Passing yards

99

45

Comp-Att-Int

6-17-3

2-3-0

Plays-total yards

48-59

41-365

Fumbles-lost

7-1

5-3

Punts-average

4-25.0

0-00.0

Penalties-yards

5-35

3-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: CVC -- Nick Henderson 9-5, Arturo Melendez 7-2, Eric Gustafson 1-(minus 1), David Sperling 3-(minus 11), Jeremy Strutz 11-(minus 35); West Central -- Michael Lincoln 5-87, Lucas Cavanaugh 8-54, Spencer Grimm 6-52, Kaleb Kime 5-38, Amos Miller 3-31, Joey Wolfe 3-18, James Niemann 2-18, Bryan Byerly 2-15, Jake Doty 1-7, Derek Woods 1-6, Mason Bantz 1-0, Colton Ingels 1-(minus 6).

Passing: CVC -- Melendez 3-8-1-75, Strutz 3-9-2-24; West Central -- Byerly 1-2-0-22, Ingles 1-1-0-23.

Receiving: CVC -- Sperling 3-33, Henderson 2-51, Luke Long 1-15. West Central -- Miller 1-23, Devin Decker 1-22.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Cedar Valley Christian

8

--

 

8

West Central

34

22

6

--

 

62

SCORING SUMMARY

WC -- Michael Lincoln 22 run (Amos Miller kick)

WC -- Devin Decker 22 pass from Bryan Byerly (Miller kick)

WC -- Lincoln 37 run (Miller kick)

WC -- Lincoln 10 run (Miller kick)

WC -- Lincoln 15 run (kick failed)

WC -- Lukas Cavanaugh 5 run (Miller kick)

WC -- Miller 10 run (Miller kick)

WC -- Miller 23 pass from Colton Ingels (Spencer Grimm run)

WC -- Kaleb Kime 17 run (run failed)

CVC -- Nick Henderson 43 pass from Arturo Melendez (Melendez run)

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