Westview Overpowers Hampton For 2-A BlueCross Bowl Crown

Alabama Commit Ty Simpson Accounts For Five Chargers' Scores In 55-14 Win

  • Saturday, December 4, 2021
  • Joseph Dycus
Westview quarterback Ty Simpson makes a cut as he carries the football in the Chargers' 55-14 win over Hampton in Saturday afternoon's Class 2-A championship game. Simpson, a 5-star Alabama commit, accounted for five scores and 280 yards and was named the game's MVP.
Westview quarterback Ty Simpson makes a cut as he carries the football in the Chargers' 55-14 win over Hampton in Saturday afternoon's Class 2-A championship game. Simpson, a 5-star Alabama commit, accounted for five scores and 280 yards and was named the game's MVP.
photo by Joseph Dycus

Ty Simpson would jog to the sideline on a quarterback keeper, or at least that's how it looked to viewers in the stands. On the field, the effortless athlete was running far faster than any other player on the field. He would beat the defenders to the edge and then explode upfield for chunks of yardage. The five star Alabama commit had 10 carries for 181 yards and two scores. 

 

And it's not like his arm was shabby either, with the quarterback throwing for three scores as well in Westview's DI-AA state championship at the BlueCross Bowl.

Put simply, Simpson was unstoppable in the 55-14 victory.

 

"We've had so much adversity, from not having air conditioning in the weight room, to coaching changes, to COVID, we've just had so many barriers," Simpson said. "To come out with a win, it means the world to us."

 

Hampton may not have a talent quite like Simpson, but they went 12-2 for a reason. The disciplined and tough Bulldogs began the game by embarking upon a nine minute touchdown drive in which the Bulldogs ran 17 plays, only two of them passes. The seconds ticked away as the underdogs essentially played keep-away from Westview's explosive offense. 

 

Quarterback Conor Jones cashed in for a eight yard touchdown at the end of the drive, and he followed that up with a powerful blast into the endzone for a two-point conversion. In the ultimate contrast of styles, Simpson's offense took all of 19 seconds to march downfield for six. He uncorked a rainbow down the right sideline to junior receiver Quincy Hamilton, who separated from his defender and jogged in. 

 

The Bulldogs followed up their 17 play drive with the worst kind of one-play drive. A Bulldog fumbled the ball on the first carry and Charger defender Omarion Harris recovered, giving Simpson the ball at the 34 yard line. 

 

Seven seconds later, the Chargers and Bulldogs were engaged in a tied ball game. After testing the right sideline, Simpson lofted a 34 yarder to Garner Anderson for another long touchdown. After a two point conversion on a Hamilton rush, the Bulldogs were on their heels. 

 

"We knew they were going to hold the ball to keep our offense off the field," Simpson said. "We knew we had to take advantage of our opportunities on offense, and we did with those two drives."

 

Conor Jones used his arm to guide the Bulldogs on the response drive, one that included a 22 yard strike to Morgan Lyons to convert on second and six. Jones ran twice more, and then connected with Lyons in the endzone to tie it back up at 14-14. After the gritty and low-scoring Tullahoma and Elizabethton game, the fans were treated to the exact opposite kind of shootout. 

 

The Chargers began to lean on their run game to score their next two touchdowns. On the first, Simpson scrambled down the left sideline, juked and ripped away from several defenders, and was finally brought down at the one yard line on a 55 yard run. He dashed in from the one yard line on the very next play to retake the lead for the Chargers. 

 

Next up was halfback Javion Goins, the halfback who sometimes is overshadowed by his backfield mate. But at teh 4:23 mark of the second quarter, he was the star of the show. Goins slipped free for a 19 yard scoring run. Jones then drove his offense down to the one yard line and was faced with fourth down. 

 

Much like Tullahoma a few hours before, the Bulldogs went for touchdown rather than settle for a field goal. The Charger defense kept Morgan out on the goal line, and the teams went to halftime with the Chargers up 28-14.

 

The second half was when the Chargers pulled away. Simpson started the scoring with a 10 yard run to put Westview up 35-14. With the Bulldogs desperate for a score, Jones tried to hit a receiver on the far sideline for a big play. While Hampton had come back from a deficit in their last game against Trousdale, it was apparent there would be no miracle rally on Saturday night.

 

It went for a touchdown, just not for Hampton. Goins jumped the route on the left sideline and sprinted to the endzone for a pick six. For as great as the offense was, Westview's defense also came to play in the second half. 

 

"It all just fell into place," Goins said about the interception. "I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity, because we weren't going to get many of them. It was surreal and it was crazy, but we got it done. I just don't feel real."

 

Big back Dearca Nicholson bowled over defenders when linemen like Britton Carver and Christian Ingram opened holes for the runner. His two yard score would have triggered the mercy rule, had the extra point been good. Instead, the Chargers had to wait until Simpson hit Cae Spaulding on a one-yard pass to get the running clock. When the unstoppable clock hit zero, the Chargers ran to midfield and accepted their first ever state championship. 

 

"This is a testament to how hard our players have worked and have continued to work all year," coach Jarod Neal said. "It was all fight and no quit, and we kept moving forward no matter what. I'm proud as heck to be their coach."

 

 

Stats

WESTVIEW      14      14      14      13 -- 55
HAMPTON         8        6        0        0 -- 14

 
HAMP – Conor Jones 8 run (Conor Jones run) (2:29, 1st)
WEST – Quincy Hamilton 45 pass from Ty Simpson (Pass fail) (2:10, 1st)
WEST – Garner Anderson 34 pass from Ty Simpson (Quincy Hamilton run) (1:48, 1st)
HAMP –Morgan Lyons 10 pass from Conor Jones (Run fail) (10:53, 2nd)
WEST – Ty Simpson 1 run (Jackson Abel kick) (8:53, 2nd)
WEST – Javion Goins run (Jackson Abel kick) (4:23, 2nd)
WEST –Ty Simpson 10 run (Jackson Abel kick) (7:08, 3rd)
WEST – Javion Goins 29 interception ret (Jackson Abel kick) (6:10, 3rd)
WEST – Dearca Nicholson 2 run (Kick blocked) (9:04, 4th)
WEST – Cade Spaulding 1 pass from Ty Simpson (Jackson Abel kick) (4:14, 4th)

WEST             STATS               HAMP

13                   1st Downs          22                   
19-248            Rush                  57-218                             
116                  Pass                 109                            
364                 Total                   327                            
6-11-2             Passes              11-18-2                           
6-51                Penalties           6-47                       
0-0                  Punts                 0-0                               
0-0                  Fumbles            2-1                          
 
Individual Stats
 
Rushing:  Ty Simpson 10-181, Javion Goins 5-41, Dearca Nicholson 4-26 (WEST); Levi Lunsford 14-66, Conor Jones 19-53, Morgan Lyons 14-52, Ryan Crumley 4-18, Jonathan Greenwell 3-11, Ashton Hardin 1-4, Travis Royston 1-1 (HAMP).

Passing: Ty Simpson 5-10-2 for 99 yards, Garner Anderson 1-1-0 for 17 yards (WEST);  Conor Jones 11-18-2 for 109 yards (HAMP).

Receiving: Quincy Hamilton 2-62, Garner Anderson 2-43, Javion Goins 1-10,Cade Spaulding 1-1 (WEST); Chance Point 4-17, Morgan Lyons 3-39, Dylan trivet 2-22, Ashton Hardin 1-21,Jonathan Greenwell1-10  (HAMP)
 
Records: Westview (14-1), Hampton (11-3)
 
MVP: Ty Simpson (Westview)

(Do you have an opinion on this article, or have a story you believe needs coverage? You can contact the author at Joseph.A.Dycus@gmail.com or on Twitter at @joseph_dycus)

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