In a matchup of two undefeated teams, the Westside Patriots leaned on a relentless defense and timely playmaking to edge Aquinas’s Fightin’ Irish 20-14 on Friday, Sept. 19, at the Hill in Aquinas High School.
After a scoreless first quarter, Westside struck first when wide receiver Tamari Curry pushed through on a fourth-and-inches play for a touchdown with 11:30 left in the second quarter. The Patriots’ defense then set the tone with a key interception, holding Aquinas scoreless at halftime.
Coming out of the break, Westside’s momentum surged. Joshua Crawford broke free for a 40-yard rushing touchdown, pushing the Patriots’ lead to 14-0. Minutes later, wide receiver Elliot Jackson connected on a short pass for Westside’s third score, stretching the lead to 20-0 with 2:19 left in the third quarter.
But Aquinas refused to go quietly. A huge kickoff return followed by a strike to Christian Kates got the Irish on the board in just 19 seconds, making it 20-7. In the fourth quarter, Jack Rhodes hauled in a touchdown reception to pull Aquinas within six with 6:10 remaining.
The Fightin’ Irish drove deep into Patriot territory in the final minute, reaching the 1-yard line with less than 40 seconds to play. A holding penalty backed them up, and Westside’s defense stood tall, forcing an incompletion on fourth down to seal the victory.
Coach Cedric Mason said the Patriots pride themselves on a “bend but don’t break” mentality.
“They do a lot of good things,” the Westside coach said. “To shut out anybody in 2025, it’s almost impossible because the coaches, especially the Aquinas coaches, know what they’re doing. We came up big when we needed to.”
He added that he was proud of how his defense held firm with the game on the line.
“That could’ve easily went the other way there with the ball on the 3-yard-line,” he said. “We stood strong when we needed to.”
Defensive pressure proved pivotal, with Brandon Lyons and Jeffrey Hughes both recording key sacks.
“Especially in a pass attack like that, you gotta get pressure on them,” the Patriots’ coach said. “We forced them to get the ball out a bit faster than what they needed to, and that helped us on the back end.”
For the first-year head coach, the win also sent a message.
“Just because this is my first year does not mean that I don’t know football or know how to run a program,” he said. “We’re gonna keep plugging along, keep working and just block all the outside noise.”
With the victory, Westside stays perfect on the season at 5-0 and makes a statement against one of the area’s most disciplined programs. Aquinas will look to bounce back when the Irish (3-1) host Howard for their homecoming night on Sept. 26, while Westside will have a bye week before heading on the road to face Howard on Oct. 3.
(Rodrigo Burgos Avila is the editor in chief of the Bell Ringer, Augusta University’s student newspaper.)
