It was eighth grade night at Westwood Middle School Thursday. Fittingly, it was eighth graders that propelled the Rockets to a blowout 40-14 win over Eagleville at Dyer-Bouldin Field.
Jayden Carter rumbled 201 yards on 21 carries and found the end zone three times to make the Rocket offense go. Carter scored on running plays of 15, 10 and 8. Caiden Warren also scored for the Rockets on a jet sweep from 36 yards out.
Westwood went on top early when a bad Eagleville snap led to a safety for the Rockets with 2:58 to play in the first quarter. Vaughn Parker took the ensuing free kick and rumbled 45 yards untouched to the end zone – the Carter two-point conversion gave the Rockets a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Westwood led 10-6 at halftime but were plagued by penalties that called back two scores. The Rockets were able to clean up offensively and pull away in the second half. Carter powered into the end zone with 5:10 to play in the third quarter and again with 50 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give Westwood a 24-14 lead after three quarters.
Carter scored again from 8 yards out one minute into the final quarter. That left the final score to Warren, who iced the game with 4:58 to play on a 36-yard touchdown score. Skylar Stinson also picked up 40 yards rushing for Westwood on five carries.
Both Eagleville touchdowns came on quarterback power runs up the middle by Kaleb Snitzer, who was able to break loose for scores of 32 and 50 yards, respectively.
The win moves Westwood to 5-0 on the season. The Rockets travel to Woodbury to take on Cannon County on Thursday, Sept. 17. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and that game will be broadcast live on Thunder Radio.
