Sesay provides offensive punch as West M outlasts Lakewood
FALLS TOWNSHIP — West Muskingum's Rashid Sesay made his presence felt during the home opener on Thursday at Whirlwind Stadium.
The senior speedster finished with 182 yards on 19 carries and scored a school-record-tying five touchdowns, four on the ground, as the Tornadoes dispatched Lakewood 48-28 in a game delayed by weather in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Adam Crawford got the Lancers on the board with a 3-yard TD run, but Sesay took the ensuing kickoff 78 yards to the end zone to tie the game.
Lakewood fought back on its next drive, as Adam Crawford hit receiver Tyler Christman from the West M 11 to make it 14-7 with 2:36 left in the first.
Sesay and the West M offense came back swinging and knotted the game at 14 after Sesay took Jake Anton’s swing pass and broke two tackles for a 54-yard score, outracing Lakewood’s secondary.
Negative plays circumvented the Lancers' first drive of the second quarter, but the Tornadoes chewed up most of the second quarter with Sesay capping the 9-play, 67-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run. Kicker Silas Kuhn converted his third extra point of the half to put West M up 21-14 at the break.
Special teams played a large role all night, and the opening kick of the second half was no different. Freshman Carter Smith caught a short kick from his own 37-yard line and barrelled his way to the Lancers' 40. Three plays later, Sesay scored his fourth touchdown of the night, a 4-yard scamper, as the lead grew to 28-14.
The improvement of the West M three-man front was put on display midway through the third. Sacks from Cord McKenzie and Kaiden Fleming took the charge out of the Lancers' offense, forcing another three-and-out.
As soon as the game started to slip away for Lakewood, the defense provided a needed stop. Cornerback Tyler Christman picked off Anton at the Lancers' 39, returning the ball to the Lancers 45. Crawford cut the deficit to seven, scoring his second touchdown on the ground from the West 3. Ethan Romine’s third point after was good, bringing the Lancers within 28-21 early in the fourth.
Sesay's fifth TD came on a 13-yard TD run after a weather delay, but Isaiah Mitchell answered with a 36-yard TD run for the Lancers.
Carter Winland then put the Tornadoes back up 41-28 with a 5-yard TD run, and Jake Anton capped the scoring for the winners with a 26-yard scoring run.
Adam Crawford finished with 141 yards on 17-of-26 passing and ran for 59 yards, Mitchell added 83 yards on nine rushes and Hunter Crawford led the Lakewood receivers with six catches for 77 yards.
Anton ran for 78 yards on six carries and Winland carried the ball 17 times for 58 yards in the win.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: West M's Sesay delivers historic effort in win over Lakewood
