What We Saw: Westwood Rallies From 20 Down To Knock Off Irmo

Westwood completed one the of the most improbable wins in school history Friday night to put Region 4-4A in complete chaos. The Redhawks rallied from a 20-point deficit late in the third quarter to rally for a 42-37 win over Irmo at District Stadium. The win by Westwood (4-4, 3-1) creates a three-way tie for first place with A.C. Flora (7-1, 3-1) and Irmo (5-3, 3-1). If all three teams win next week in the regular season finale, A.C. Flora will secure the top seed from the region based on points allowed in games involving the three teams. Westwood would claim the No. 2 seed and Irmo would be third based on the head-to-head meeting. Westwood trailed 34-14 but scored twice in a 21-second span in the final 27 seconds of the third quarter to get back into it. <strong>Noah Jennings</strong> caught a 5-yard strike from <strong>Camren Brown</strong> that made it 34-20 with 27 seconds remaining in the third quarter Irmo fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Westwood recovered at the Yellow Jackets 42. Jennings had a 41-yard reception to put the ball at the 1 and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="92206" first="Julian" last="Milligan"]</strong> powered in from there to make it 34-26 entering the final quarter. Brown helped tie it at 34-all with a 6-yard scoring pass to <strong>Zyere Lee</strong> with 5:18 remaining. Irmo regained the lead on a 24-yard field goal from <strong>Jose Villanueva</strong> with 1:53 remaining. Brown calmly marched the Redhawks down the field and hit Jennings with the game-winner from 11 yards out with 16 seconds remaining to seal the comeback. Brown, Jennings, and Milligan were the offensive catalyst for the Redhawks. Brown threw for 235 yards and three scores and added 130 yards rushing and another TD. Jennings, a junior, had his third straight strong outing with eight receptions for 161 yards and two scores of 5 and 11 yards. In the last three weeks, Jennings has 18 receptions for 453 yards and five scores. Milligan rushed for 92 yards on 16 carries with touchdown runs of 4 and 1 yards. Irmo was paced by sophomore running back <strong>Erick Tucker</strong>. He scored four touchdowns on runs of 3, 1 and 6 yards as well as adding a 42-yard touchdown pass. <strong>Izayah Whiteside</strong> finished with one passing score and a 4-yard TD run. Other notables from the contest: -          Seniors <strong>Jaylin McDuffie</strong> and <strong>Jeremiah Jennings</strong> are a couple defensive standouts for Westwood. McDuffie is a 6-1, 240 defensive tackle that is hard to move out of the hole. Jennings is mostly a safety but is not afraid to move down into the box with his 6-2, 195-pound frame. -          A Class of 2025 name to keep in mind is Westwood’s <strong>Dekontee Mack</strong>. The freshman defensive end is already 6-2, 220 pounds and continues to grow. -          Tucker is a name to remember. He has a smaller, compact frame and that makes it hard to bring him down. He scored four touchdowns on runs of 3, 1 and 6 yards and added a 42-yard scoring catch. -          Whiteside is having a great senior season. He has 1,600 yards on the year and will need a strong postseason to make the Yellow Jackets a contender. -          Irmo senior <strong>Nick Emmanwori</strong> is as good as advertised. The South Carolina commit plays most snaps at linebacker but has the athletic ability to drop back and play safety or even cornerback if needed. -          Irmo defensive end <strong>Kenneth Vauls</strong> had his name mentioned several times. He’s a lanky 6-5, 205-pounds and could put on weight to play at the next level.