Breaking Down The Historic Sectional Comeback In West Lafayette

<p>It was a cold windy November night in West Lafayette, but it was all offense all night. At one point in the game, it was 35-14 and everything felt hopeless for West Lafayette, but then their stars stepped up and played their best half of football ever. West Lafayette completed a historic comeback by scoring 28 unanswered points in the 2nd half to tie the game 35-35 and force overtime. In OT, they got the ball first and scored a TD with the XP. Hanover Central got the ball and scored their TD. They went for 2 and the play was sniffed out and forced outside and the play was stopped behind the LOS for a West Lafayette win.</p>   <p>Monday, I will have a post for just the Hanover Central guys. Initially, I was going to do both sides together, but after a game like that, I felt it was better to separate the teams. A lot of emotion went into that game and I also want to do right by the guys who earned the comeback. That being said, here are the 4 who helped lead the way for West Lafayette.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1077816' first='Carson' last='Kitchel'] - West Lafayette - QB - 6'3" 185lbs - 2024</h2>   <p>Kitchel was the main reason I decided to go to this game instead of heading down to Indianapolis, and I'm glad I trusted my gut. He was confident in the pocket all night and had the arm to make every throw. After the first half, it was him and his brother, who we'll get to in a minute, pleading with and amping up their teammates. I was in the endzone right by them and they came out flat. It was those 2 getting the guys back up again and it was the Kitchel duo who quite literally, got the ball rolling. There were a few throws he made that weren't caught, but put in an incredible spot. 1 was a dropped TD in the corner of the endzone where he couldn't have handed it off better to the WR. Late in the game when they were making a comeback, it was Kitchel playing offscript and making things happen. His game-tying TD pass was maybe the most impressive play I've seen all year. He was flushed out of the pocket, rolling left, squared up his shoulders, and launched a ball right down the field in the back of the endzone making an NFL-level throw. The ball was caught and toe-tapped for 6. They then had to go for 2 being down 33-35. Kitchel again had to wait, find a lane, and make a perfect throw to a wide-open receiver. The place went nuts, as you'd expect, and then sucked the life out of the other side. They scored a rushing TD in OT, but at that point, the defense for Hanover Central was gassed, reeling, and not sure what just happened to their 21-point lead. He's got a big arm that cuts right through the cold chilly wind time and time again. Nice velocity, he didn't struggle to grip the ball in the cold, and didn't need a hand warmer. Kitchel is an impressive well built QB who has had an awesome career, another great season, and proved to me last night he's got the ability to play under the most intense pressure. I left incredibly impressed obviously, but just a big fan of Kitchel and what I think he could become long-term.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@CarsonKitchel</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='710290' first='Cooper' last='Kitchel'] - West Lafayette - TE - 6'3" 195lbs - 2024</h2>   <p>Cooper was the second guy doing what he could before that 2nd half comeback right after halftime. I still can't believe that the team that felt so flat came out from a 28-7 deficit came back, but that's why you play the game. Sometimes, it just takes a few guys wired the right way to lead a team, and that's what you've got with the Kitchel brothers. The chemistry they have on the field is so noticeable as well. Even when the defense knew Carson was looking Cooper's way, they could connect and move the chains. Being able to understand your receiver's body language is huge, and those 2 are probably the definition of "on the same page." Cooper had a handful of nice plays including his TD grab in the corner of the endzone right in front of me. He ran a corner route and Carson gave him a perfect ball. Cooper went up, brought it down, and that got the ball rolling for West Lafayette in the 2nd half. After the TD, the rest of the offense came over wanting to celebrate. Cooper's response was "No, we got work to do. Let's go." and immediately started running towards the sideline. To him, that wasn't a big play. It was just part of the job. He expected to make the play and led the way for the rest of the guys by refusing to stop there. Very subtle, but very big thing that went a long long long way for West Lafayette last night. It was after that drive the defense shutdown Hanover Central and West Lafayette couldn't be stopped. He's got a nice frame, great athletiscm for a guy his size, and is fairly smooth. He's not stiff at all and moves really well. He's played a ton in the slot and they move him in to block as a true TE, so he's got reps in that area as well. After helping lead an OT comeback 41-42, it's hard not to be impressed by either Kitchel from last night, but Cooper was there every time they needed a play made.</p>   <p>Twitter:<strong> @CooperKitchel</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='553108' first='Dawson' last='Martin'] - West Lafayette - RB - 5'11" 175lbs - 2025</h2>   <p>Martin was the back for West Lafayette and man, did he ever come through when they needed him most. In a game that didn't start well, they tried to establish the run. They needed it because they couldn't become 1 dimensional at that point. Martin churned out tough yards and moved the sticks time and time again. They converted a few 4th downs, as you'd expect in a comeback like that, and Martin was the one who was reliable in short yardage. He scored their first TD on the night in the first half. Outside of that, it wasn't until late that he broke through into the endzone again, but that one turned out to be pretty important. In OT, Martin ran through a defender, kept his balance, and laid out for 6. They made the XP and it was all up to Hanover Central. Martin has a solid frame for the interior of the running game and held up just fine. He's got the speed to rip off big runs as well, which is one thing that kept the defense honest. Minimal wasted movement and getting North/South is the name of the game, and that's where Martin was at his best last night. He's an impressive back who has put up 2200+ yards and 32 TDs over the past 2 seasons.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@DMart049</strong></p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='542022' first='Ben' last='Burgett'] - West Lafayette - OL - 6'4" 240lbs - 2024</h2>   <p>Burgett and the entire offensive line should get their credit. Football is about moving the ball and scoring TDs on offense. You cannot do that if your line doesn't give the QB time and/or open holes for the running game. They did just that all night long and Burgett was a big reason why. He's the leader of that line and has great length and then strength in his lower body. He's not heavy on his feet and has no issue moving around. Kitchel stayed clean and off his back because Burgett and the boys up front did their jobs. They did a good job picking up the blitz and adjusting to the pressure when Hanover Central showed it late. When the offense scored a TD, about half the guys went up to Burgett to give him some love. It was clear to me that at least he's a leader on that team. Guys went to him when they had a question and went to him when things went well. That's a sign of a good leader to me. On top of that, I thought from what I could see his hand placement was always just right, and could hand off blitzes. Hanover Central could not create much pressure all night and that's what got them shot down in the long term. Burgett has been key for West Lafayette upfront all season and guys rely on him more than they realize. West Lafayette has a chance to make a deep deep playoff run if these 4 guys keep playing like they are right now. Incredible game last night from Burgett and the OL.</p>   <p>Twitter: <strong>@N/A</strong></p>

It was a cold windy November night in West Lafayette, but it was all offense all night. At one point in the game, it was 35-14 and everything felt hopeless for West Lafayette, but then their stars stepped up and played their best half of football ever. West Lafayette completed a historic comeback by scoring 28 unanswered points in the 2nd half to tie the game 35-35 and force overtime. In OT, they got the ball first and scored a TD with the XP. Hanover Central got the ball and scored their TD. They went for 2 and the play was sniffed out and forced outside and the play was stopped behind the LOS for a West Lafayette win.