Westside falls in quarterfinals to Cedar Grove

CLARKSTON -- Westside just couldn't seize control.

Trailing by two touchdowns midway through the third quarter, the Seminoles got a huge touchdown to cut Cedar Grove's lead to seven. In that split moment, it looked like Westside was going to come back and make a close game out of it.

But then a barrage of points came, which led to Cedar Grove's 41-25 win in the GHSA Class AAA quarterfinals Friday at James R. Hallford Stadium.

"We could never grab the momentum," Westside head coach Spoon Risper said. "Every time we got a little momentum, it was taken away. Credit to them, they have a bunch of animals over there. They can play football."

Everything looked up for Westside (9-4) with 7:20 to go in the third quarter. Out of the swinging gate formation, receiver-turned-quarterback Gerimie Mitchell ran to his right to avoid a heavy rush. At the last moment, he found receiver Ty'gee Cunningham wide open across the field. Mitchell hit Cunningham, who finished the play for an 88-yard touchdown.

But on the ensuing kickoff, Cedar Grove got a 95-yard return for a score from Israel Spivey.

The Saints (11-1-1) then forced a three-and-out and scored on their next possession. From there, the Cedar Grove rout was one, which was aided by two fumbles for Saints touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

The game was decided with 9:17 remaining in the fourth quarter and Cedar Grove leading 41-7.

Banged up all year, Westside was forced to move Mitchell from receiver to quarterback early in the first half due to an injury to starting quarterback Savion Knowlton. Mitchell finished 14-of-23 passing for 277 yards, three touchdowns and one interception

Westside's top receiver of the game was Cunningham, who hauled in four passes for 156 yards and a score.

Westside scored 18 fourth-quarter points.

"I knew my kids wouldn't give up," Risper said. "They're not cut from that kind of cloth. They played hard from start to finish, and we're proud of them."

Near the end of the first half, it looked like Westside had tied the game on a 26-yard pass from Mitchell to Donta Pate in the end zone. But a holding penalty brought the play back, with Mitchell throwing an interception to Cedar Grove defensive back Tre' Shaw on the ensuing play.

From the Cedar Grove 10, running back Demetrius Tharpe carried the ball 46 yards and past midfield.

Two plays later and with three seconds left in the half, it looked like the Westside defense was going hold the Saints to a one-score lead at halftime. The Seminoles brought pressure and almost sacked quarterback Jelani Woods. But Woods was able to dump the ball off to running back LaBron Morris, who weaved his way through the Westside defense for 35 yards and into the end zone. The play gave Cedar Grove a 14-0 lead at the half.

"They took us for a ride," Risper said. "Nobody would have ever thought this team would make it to the quarterfinals. My kids gave it their all, and that's all I ask for."

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Westside falls in quarterfinals to Cedar Grove ."