After eight strong weeks of regular season action, the West Catholic Falcons and Zeeland West Dux met on Friday in a regular season finale that served as a tune-up for the postseason. With both teams already securing their playoff berth, this game provided both teams the chance to compete against a perennial State Championship contender before the knockout bracket begins. After a competitive first half, West Catholic controlled the second half, emerging with a 28-16 victory.
In the first quarter, the Dux got things started with the game’s first touchdown. Drew Albrecht took to the air, finding Jonah Leslie on a 4-yard touchdown pass. Brandon Holman added a conversion run, and after the opening stanza, it was 8-0 Zeeland West.
West Catholic would respond early in the second quarter, when Grady Augustyn and Cal Peterson paired up on a 16-yard touchdown strike. The Falcons would take the lead on their next drive, as Collin Abram scored on a 6-yard touchdown carry.
Before the half, Zeeland West rallied back with an Octopus from Brandon Holman. The junior tailback rushed six yards for the touchdown, and followed that up with the conversion run. This score with 69 seconds to go in the first half gave Zeeland West a 16-14 halftime lead.
In the second half, this game was dominated by West Catholic. Their defense stepped up to the challenge, silencing the Zeeland West offense. With only a two-point deficit to overcome, their two touchdowns were more than enough to leave victorious. On their first drive of the half, Augustyn found Owen Hunter for a 10-yard touchdown pass. The pair linked up for the conversion pass as well, giving Hunter the Octopus.
West Catholic would ice the game with a fourth quarter touchdown pass of 50 yards from Augustyn to Thomas Puksta, giving the Falcons the 28-16 win.
In the victory, Grady Augustyn was 13/16 passing for 151 yards and three touchdowns. The Falcons (8-1) will be home next week in the postseason. Zeeland West saw Brandon Holman rush 29 times for 166 yards. The Dux (6-3) will also be playing next week in the playoffs.
