The Chantilly Chargers got back onto the winning track last Friday night in their Concorde District home football game versus Westfield. But it wasn't easy.
The Chargers, who two weeks ago lost for the first time this season in an overtime setback at Centreville in the annual Sully Bowl game on Oct. 15, scored all of their points in the final quarter to defeat Westfield, 17-14.
The come-from-behind win improved Chantilly's record to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in district play. Westfield fell to 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the district.
Westfield trailed Chantilly, 14-0, after three quarters of play. But the Chargers got untracked in the final quarter as quarterback Carson Romine (12-of-22, 144 yards) rushed for touchdown runs of one and 15 yards. For the game, the QB led his team in rushing with 109 yards on 17 carries.
Of Romine's 12 completions on the night, four of them went to junior wide receiver Caleb Reinhardt (71 receiving yards).
Billy Germain converted extra point kicks following both of Romine's fourth quarter scoring runs as Chantilly tied the game at 14-14. Later, Germain, a junior, won the game with a 28-yard field goal.
<b>EARLIER</b> in the game, Westfield, following a scoreless first quarter, surged ahead with a couple of second quarter touchdowns — a 24-yard scoring pass from quarterback Matt Pisarcik to wide receiver A.J. Winesett, and a one-yard keeper run by the junior signal caller. That gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead going into halftime. Neither team scored in the third quarter, setting the stage for the Chantilly rally.
Chantilly will be at home this Friday night against Herndon. The Hornets (1-8) are coming off a Saturday afternoon, 35-14, homecoming loss to non-region opponent Loudoun Valley (Cedar Run District). The Hornets hurt themselves in the loss to the Vikings with two turnovers deep inside Valley territory. Loudoun Valley also returned an interception for a score.
The Chantilly defense, in facing the Hornets, will have to keep an eye on Herndon running back Cameron Reynolds, a hard-running, 5-foot-11 inch, 210-pound bruiser who seemed to dish out more hits than he took against the Loudoun Valley defense. For the game, Reynolds gained 117 yards on 20 carries. He scored a second quarter touchdown on a 12-yard run off the right side in which he ran over a couple of Valley players in the secondary before romping into the end zone.
Chantilly, following this week's game with Herndon, will wrap up its regular season schedule on Nov. 5 with a district game at Oakton.