Dylan May sparks big finish, helps Pewamo-Westphalia top Fowler in CMAC showdown
WESTPHALIA — Momentum had slipped away.
A once 14-point lead for the Pewamo-Westphalia football team had vanished in the early stages of the fourth quarter after it had lost a pair of fumbles in its own territory.
And Dylan May knew the Division 7 No. 8-ranked Pirates were in need of a response.
The senior made big plays on offense and defense that changed the momentum while helping the Pirates to a 27-14 rivalry victory Friday night over Division 8 No. 7-ranked Fowler in a key CMAC showdown.
"This feels really good," said May, who threw for 138 yards and a touchdown, ran for 139 yards and two TDs and had an interception.. "We worked really hard and that last game really had a bad taste in our mouth. We worked really hard to get this win."
May broke free for a 76-yard touchdown run immediately after Fowler pulled even in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. He then ended Fowler's next offensive series with an interception that the Pirates wound up turning into points when Gabe Miller capped the drive with a short touchdown run.
Those plays were pivotal as P-W avenged last year's loss to the Eagles, pushed its winning streak to five and gained at least a share of a ninth straight CMAC title. The Pirates can claim the title outright with a victory over Saranac in Week 8.
"It's great," P-W coach Jeremy Miller said of his team's position. "Winning a league title means you beat Fowler and that's always a good thing. It's kind of icing on the cake with a league title."
Defense delivers again for P-W
One of the constants for P-W this season has been the play of its defense. The Pirates entered Friday allowing just 7.4 points per game and had allowed just 20 points during their four-game winning streak.
And the unit did the job again, slowing down a high-scoring Fowler squad that was averaging 53.2 points and hadn't been held to fewer than 51 points this fall.
"We worked really hard this week," May said after the Eagles (5-1, 3-1) forced four turnovers with three interceptions and a fumble recovery. "We moved some people around. We just did our jobs."
Fowler's two touchdowns came when it took advantage of short fields after P-W lost fumbles on back-to-back drives in the second half. Both of those fumbles lost by the Pirates came in their own territory.
"We had great coverage all night," Miller said. "We didn't get as much pressure as I think we probably wanted, but they bailed us out in the back half and covered those receivers. When you're standing there watching, there just weren't holes. It seemed like our guys were in the right spot every time."
The lone frustration for Miller was the miscues during the third quarter that Fowler capitalized on. P-W overcame those mistakes Friday, but Miller knows they may not be as fortunate in the future.
"I'm proud of the way (our guys) came back because what (Fowler) got is what we gave them turning the ball over like that," Miller said. "It was just absolutely ridiculous. We've got to clean that stuff up.
"Those mistakes you can't do."
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Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Pewamo-Westphalia takes down rival Fowler to claim share of CMAC crown
