Big first half powers Pewamo-Westphalia football to district title
WESTPHALIA — With the amount of success the Pewamo-Westphalia football program has experienced over the past decade, district titles are celebrated but are also an expectation.
And after falling short of that expectation last season, the Pirates made it a mission to return to the standard of capturing trophies in postseason.
P-W had that opportunity on Friday night against CMAC foe Bath and made the most of it, scoring the game's first 35 points in the first half en route to a 42-15 district final win.
"It feels great, and championships like this are a big deal," P-W coach Jeremy Miller said. "For these guys to come back from last year and work hard and improve every week, I just want them to be thankful for it and enjoy every minute."
P-W quarterback Dylan May started the scoring in the first quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run. Following an interception, May added another touchdown on a 25-yard scamper right before the quarter ended.
P-W forced another Bath turnover to start the second quarter, and the Pirates immediately made the Bees pay, with May connecting with receiver Gabe Miller on a 26-yard pass.
May added his fourth score of the first half with a 6-yard touchdown run, and seconds before halftime, Gabe Miller found Isaac Thelen on a 25-yard strike to make it a 35-0 halftime lead.
"I think we stayed after it and finished, and we challenged our guys to play a good first half of football," Jeremy Miller said. "We showed good fight, and I think we showed really good execution. We were a better football team than last week and hopefully we'll be even better next week."
Bath added two scores in the third quarter, including a 78-yard touchdown run from Bradlee Uhlmann as the quarter expired, but freshman defensive end Hayden Smith intercepted a batted ball and returned it for a short score late in the fourth quarter to make it a 42-15 final.
May finished with 151 yards on 16 carries with three scores, while running back Brayden Thelen also went over 100 yards on 14 attempts.
"We worked really hard in the offseason, and last year's loss really rallied us for this moment," May said. "We still have room to improve, but we'll just keep playing hard no matter who we face."
P-W (10-1) will play in the Division 7 regional final against the the Lawton-North Muskegon winner. The Pirates lost to North Muskegon in the first week of the season, 17-14.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Pewamo-Westphalia football routs Bath in Division 7 district final
