​Game 1 Recap
Westfield vs. Terrell: Terrell Wins 34 – 7
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Game 1 for the Westfield Hornets continued a theme that we had seen during the 2018 season. The Hornets played stingy defense for the better part of 3 quarters, turning the Eagles away multiple times on the plus side of midfield. Unfortunately for Westfield, the offense struggled mightily and turned the ball over multiple times in the first half that led to 10 points for the Eagles at halftime.

The Hornets found themselves down at half 10 – 0 after Q Wright scored a 1st Quarter 36 yard TD and the Eagles also connected on a FG. The Second half didn’t improve for Westfield as Terrell scored a TD right out of the locker-room and cruised to a huge 34-7 victory after the Hornet Defense finally wore down. It was a hot and sticky night throughout and left more question marks for the Hornets than answers.

Some of the biggest concerns for Westfield are on the offensive side of the football. Who are the players that will be able to make plays in the open field? Right now the Hornets are unable to gain any type of push from the offensive line. The interior run game is not yielding many yards which leaves the Hornets very predictable and unable to get good athletes like Walker Young, Hunter Spence and Hunter Hancock open field looks.

The defense played well until it got tired. Being on the field most of the game left the defensive Hornets gassed and the defense that bent most of the night finally broke under the pressure of turnovers and poor starting field position.  Westfield needs to build off of the defensive production and shore up open field tackling to help out the struggling offense in the weeks to come. If the Hornet defense can get a bit of help from the offense we could see a big season for the Gang Green D!
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While Game 1 was disappointing for coach Bruce Lane he has some bright spots to build on. Michael Fitzpatrickwas all over the field Friday and will only get better as the season goes on. The offense had opportunities for success and if they can increase execution the production will come. Continue to lean on the defense and special teams while the Hornet offense figures out the scheme and gains familiarity with the concepts. Better days are ahead for the Hornets if they continue to work hard and trust the process!

GAME 1 PREVIEW
WESTFIELD SCHOOL VS. TERRELL ACADEMY

THE HORNETS TRAVEL DOWN TO DAWSON, GA. TO TAKE ON THE 2018 GISA AA STATE RUNNERS-UP, THE TERRELL ACADEMY EAGLES. WESTFIELD WILL BE BREAKING IN NEW OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE SCHEMES AS THEY GO OUT OF CLASSIFICATION FOR AN EARLY TEST FROM A AA POWER. FIRST YEAR HORNET HEAD COACH BRUCE LANE IS HOPING TO GET OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT AND BUILD OFF OF A 4-7 2018 PLAYOFF CAMPAIGN.
 
THE FIRST GAME IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT IN THE OVERALL TRAJECTORY OF A SEASON BUT THE HORNETS WILL BE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION DURING THIS FIRST GAME BECAUSE IT WILL BE A LITMUS TEST FOR HOW THE SEASON WILL TURN OUT. WESTFIELD NEEDS TO BUILD CONFIDENCE, ESPECIALLY ON THE OFFENSIVE SIDE OF THE BALL. BIG QUESTIONS EXIST FOR THE HORNETS ON OFFENSE CONSIDERING THEY ARE REPLACING STARTERS ACROSS THE O-LINE AND AT QB. WHO WILL BE THE LEADERS WHO WILL STEP UP FOR THE HORNETS ON OFFENSE?
 
WESTFIELD SHOULD RELY ON THEIR STRONG DEFENSE IN THE EARLY PART OF THE YEAR WHILE THEY ARE ALLOWING THE OFFENSE TO SPIN UP IN A NEW SYSTEM. THE HORNETS WERE VERY STRONG IN 2018 ON DEFENSE AND OFTEN KEPT THE TEAM IN GAMES WITH TIMELY TURNOVERS AND STINGY DEFENSE UP FRONT. WESTFIELD WILL NEED TO BE OPPORTUNISTIC IN THE TURNOVER BATTLE TO HAVE EARLY SUCCESS IN 2019.
 
MGSN GOT AN UPFRONT VIEW OF TERRELL ACADEMY DURING THE 2018 AA STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. THE GATEWOOD GATORS HAD GREAT SUCCESS AT RUNNING THE BALL DIRECTLY AT THE EAGLES AND ALSO FORCED THE EAGLES’ TIMING OFF IN THEIR SPREAD ATTACK. WESTFIELD NEEDS TO ATTEMPT A SIMILAR APPROACH BY PLAYING BALL CONTROL OFFENSE AND ALLOWING THEIR DEFENSE TO SWARM THE EAGLES. TERRELL ACADEMY WAS EXTREMELY ATHLETIC LAST SEASON SO WESTFIELD WILL HAVE TO USE GREAT LEVERAGE AND KEEP EVERYTHING IN FRONT OF THEM ON DEFENSE.
 
THIS GAME WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT TEST FOR WESTFIELD AND WILL GIVE COACH LANE A GOOD TOOL TO ASSESS WHERE HIS TEAM IS EARLY IN THE 2019 SEASON. WHILE WESTFIELD SHOULD FIELD A SOLID DEFENSE I THINK THE HORNETS WILL STRUGGLE A BIT ON OFFENSE IN GAME 1. IF THE HORNETS CAN INCREASE THEIR OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION AND REDUCE TURNOVERS, THEY WILL BE IN A GREAT POSITION TO WIN GAME 1.