Jeanarion Kamga ran for 114 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead undefeated Westside to a 27-12 win over the Academy of Richmond County on Friday, Sept. 6, at ARC Stadium.
Kamga, who was a top running back in the CSRA last season, scored on runs of 26 and 13 yards to lead the 3-0 Patriots.
“Kamga rushed for 1,500 yards last year, so he’s a stud,” said Westside Coach Lee Hutto. “He’s one of the best backs in this area; that’s our guy. We’re going to lean on him. He’s our bell cow, and when we got to have it, we’re going to give it to him.”
The Westside running back ran mostly up the middle behind the Patriots’ strong and large front line.
In the first half, both teams went back and forth in what were two action packed quarters.
Westside scored the first touchdown of the game when Kamga ran those 26 yards to the end zone, and teammate Shelton Freeman kicked the extra point conversion immediately after for a 7-0 Westside lead.
ARC, 0-3, did not take to kindly to this, as running back Mykheal Smith ran 32 yards for a touchdown with 5:41 remaining in the first quarter. However, the kick was blocked, and the Patriots led 7-6.
Andre Morgan countered for Westside when he scored a touchdown on a six-yard run on first-and-goal, bringing the score to 13-6 in favor of the Pats. This time, Freeman missed the PAT.
Westside built a 20-6 halftime lead after quarterback Jaylen Stone hit Xavier Devaughn with a seven-yard touchdown pass. Freeman’s PAT made it a 14-point Patriot advantage at the half.
In the second half, Kamga went on another run in the third quarter, this time for those 13 yards to bring the score up to 27-6 in favor of the Patriots.
Despite the loss, the Musketeers did not give up, and their coach, Keenan Grissett, praised their efforts, especially in the fourth quarter.
“Some of our players have the ability to make plays when their number is called,” Grissett said.
“Ben Wright is one of those guys. Our quarterback tonight, Chase Caldwell, hasn’t played that position since middle school, but tonight he put his best on display for us.”
Caldwell went 14-for-21 for 163 yards. He did throw one interception, which stopped an ARC drive late in the third quarter.
Wright, a wideout, caught three passes for 51 yards in the fourth quarter. Marty Thomas scored a five-yard touchdown run to bring the score to 27-12 with 36 seconds left to play.
Up next for Westside is a road game at Hephzibah on Friday, Sept. 13, at 7:30 p.m. ARC will play at Macon Howard on that same Friday at the same time.
Ryan Eastman is a junior communication major at Augusta University.
