West Central shook off an early turnover and turned Friday night in Hartford into a statement win, rolling past Madison 42-21 behind a big night from Boche Knight and Braylon Robbins on October 9th.Madison struck first after coming up with an interception early in the opening quarter. The Bulldogs cashed in at the 7:45 mark, as Henry Veenhof powered in on a one-yard quarterback keeper to give Madison a 6-0 lead. The Trojans answered quickly and never let the momentum swing back. Robbins powered in from five yards out with 4:36 left in the first, and John Goehring’s extra point put West Central on top 7-6. Just before the end of the quarter, Knight punched in a three-yard touchdown run with 0:27 remaining, and Goehring added the PAT to make it 14-6. West Central kept its foot on the gas early in the second quarter. Knight found the end zone again on an 8-yard touchdown run with 8:56 left before halftime, and Goehring’s kick pushed the lead to 21-6.
Madison made a second-quarter push in a hurry. Veenhof scored again on a one-yard keeper at 7:04 (PAT good) to cut it to 21-13, then the Bulldogs struck once more late in the half after a fumble recovery. Veenhof punched in a two-yard touchdown run at 2:39 to go in the second quarter, and Madison converted the two-point try to tie the game at 21-21.
With the Bulldogs threatening to flip the game, West Central delivered a huge response before the break. Robbins broke loose for a 24-yard touchdown run with 0:44 left in the half, and Goehring’s extra point sent the Trojans to the locker room up 28-21.
From there, it was all Trojans. Knight capped a strong night on the ground with a three-yard touchdown run at 6:59 of the third quarter, and Goehring stayed perfect on the extra point to extend the lead to 35-21. West Central put the finishing touches on the win in the final seconds. Beckett Everson scored on a seven-yard quarterback keeper with one second left, and Goehring’s PAT made it 42-21.
By the numbers
West Central piled up 518 yards of total offense and was balanced all night, finishing with 204 rushing yards and 314 passing yards.
- Braylon Robbins led the ground game with 12 carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns, and he also recorded a sack on defense.
- Boche Knight added four rushing touchdowns and was a nightmare for Madison’s secondary, hauling in 10 catches for 217 yards.
- Beckett Everson ran the offense efficiently through the air, going 17-of-25 passing for 314 yards.
Madison finished with 258 total yards, including 149 rushing yards and 109 passing yards.
- Henry Veenhof accounted for all three Bulldog touchdowns, rushing 23 times for 132 yards and completing 11-of-21 passes for 109 yards.
- Ethan Sims led Madison receivers with six catches for 56 yards.
