Westfield takes on unbeaten John Milledge

The Westfield Hornets host John Milledge on Friday night in a GISA Region 4-AAA showdown with a ton at stake.

The Hornets enter the game with 6-1 record overall and 2-0 record in region play, and they have won 15 straight region games dating back to 2012. The Trojans are 7-0 overall and 1-0 in region play. They are coming off of a 23-6 win over Westminster in their region opener.

“They are obviously the best team we have seen all year,” John Milledge head coach J.T. Wall said. “Those guys are a veteran ballclub who have won the last two state championships.”

The Hornets are coming off the two state titles and feel as if they have a target on their back.

“I am sure we do; everybody wants to beat Westfield. It is always a big game for anybody to play,” Westfield head coach Ronnie Jones said.

Last year, the Hornets beat the Trojans 49-14, but Jones expects a tougher game this time around.

“I don’t think it is a possibility to duplicate something like that; it was just one of those games where everything we did went right. There were some turnovers involved,” Jones said. “I think we are fairly even. I look for turnovers to play a big key. I don’t ­expect ­either team to dominate the other,”

The Trojans and Hornets are both focused on limiting those key turnovers in the rematch.

“When you play a team that is that good, you can’t help them out by making mistakes. We have to go in and play a very disciplined ballgame,” said Wall, whose offense is led by Cam O’Neal, who has 14 rushing touchdowns and nearly 1,100 yards on the ground.

The Hornets are led by a high-scoring offense that has not scored less than 28 points in a game this season, including 35-0 shutout of Gatewood. Westfield quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has 1,127 yards passing and rushing, and has combined for 18 touchdowns.

“Our offense is pretty much spread out. We are fortunate to have our quarterback here for the third year, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he can throw the football to good receivers,” Jones said. “Our goal was to get better before these region games got here and hopefully we have improved.”

The Trojans’ defense has been strong, as well, and has not allowed more than 20 points in a game.

“They do a lot of things that we haven’t really seen. They have got fire power out of the wazoo, so to speak,” Wall said. “Coach Jones does a great job of calling the game. It is going to be a chess match on both sides of the ball.”