West Triumphs Over Brown Deer in Double Overtime

It was a great double-overtime victory for the Wauwatosa West Trojans against Brown Deer on Friday night, with a final score of 19-13. This win evens their record at 1 and 1.

After Brown Deer scored quickly on their first possession, the Trojans came right back with a long scoring drive that saw them convert critical third downs along the way.

The offensive line created great lanes for several slashing runs by seniors Reggie Cole and Amari Rushing. Rushing finished the game with a Trojan high 103 yards on the ground. To cap the drive, sophomore Jared Morzinski, starting his first game at quarterback for West, found senior Tyler Gross in the end zone.  

Second-half heroics were again provided by West junior Mickey Morgan. For the second week in a row, Morgan returned an interception for a score. This one featured a great run of 65 yards down the Trojan sideline. West converted the extra point for a 13-6 lead.

The Trojan defense held tough throughout the second half, keeping a run-dominated Brown Deer out of the end zone until just over two minutes remained in regulation, when Brown Deer tied the score on a short run. West ran out the clock, preferring to take their chances in overtime.

High school overtimes are played with no clock, and teams take turns trying to score from 20 yards out. West played offense first, and things looked bad when their first play was a fumbled handoff.

Then it was Brown Deer’s turn, but the Trojan defense continued to play extremely tough, and Brown Deer missed a 37-yard field goal.

To start the second OT, West played defense first. The Brown Deer offense went nowhere, and their field goal attempt was blocked thanks to an outstanding defensive push by committee, including junior tackle Elijah Banyard-Johnson and sophomore linebacker and running back Greg Lewis.

The Trojan’s second turn at offense was a short, sweet ride. A long offensive penalty was followed by a nice completion from Morzinski to Morgan. Then Lewis and Rushing took turns crashing for yards near the goal line – ending with Amari Rushing’s 1-yard score to end the game.

The next Wauwatosa West Trojan varsity game is against Cudahy at 7 p.m. Friday. The Trojan junior varsity plays at Cudahy at 5:30 p.m. Monday, and the freshman play Cudahy at West on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Find the complete Trojan football schedule at http://www.wauwatosa.k12.wi.us/schools/high/west/tw_football.cfm.