West High’s football team showed a strong performance during their September 10th game, winning against Roy High School with a final score of 19-8. Despite the Panthers getting penalized 19 times for a loss of 177 yards, many of which were in the 4th quarter, West High’s defense held strong almost the whole game, only conceding a touchdown and a 2-point conversion in the 4th quarter. By then, it was too late for the Royals.

After the opening drive, the game was delayed for over an hour due to lightning strikes nearby, affecting the Panthers as well as the Royals. “[The delay of game] affected us because we were cooped up in the locker room for a long time when we really wanted to play. So once we actually came back we were hyped to play and ready to compete and win the game,” says Panthers player Charles Hodge. The Panthers proved this as they came right out of the locker room and scored a touchdown in the 1st quarter, set up by a long run by running back Sesi Vailahi to go up 6-0. The game continued in the same fashion, with West High’s defense rock solid and the offence scoring 2 more touchdowns before the game ended. 

The Panthers dominated with their run game, rushing 40 times for 303 yards. Running back Sesi Vailahi was the standout player, as he had 12 carries for 146 yards and a touchdown, continuing his good season. 

This win brings the Panthers to 3-1 overall, and 2-0 in conference play, which sits them in first place in 6A Region 2.