West End (0-4) at Cleveland (1-3)
Series record: West End 16, Cleveland 4
Last meeting: 2011 – West End 12, Cleveland 6
Last week: Westbrook 34, West End 7; Piedmont 35, Cleveland 0
By Gene Stanley/Messenger Sports Correspondent
Two teams badly in need of victory collide in this matchup in Blount County.
West End hasn’t won a game since Week 9 of 2011, while Cleveland’s last win was against J.B. Pennington in the first week of this season.
If that similarity isn’t enough, the teams look very much alike.
“They run the Wing-T and use a lot of the same plays we do,” West End coach Randy Hallmark said. “They’re going to run the ball right at you and dare you to stop them – just like we do.”
Hallmark also said that although both of Cleveland’s lines are big, the defensive line is huge.
“We don’t find many teams bigger than us,” he said. “But they’re possibly a little bigger.”
Speaking of lines, that is where West End has had some troubles, because the Patriot big boys must play both ways.
“We match up well with them at almost every position,” Hallmark said. “So if things go well, we could possibly break through with a win.”
Hallmark said that in last weeks’ game, he saw some improvement in the first half, but was disappointed in the second half. West End trailed only 14-0 at halftime before Westbrook scored three straight touchdowns over the final two quarters. West End trailed only 14-0 at halftime before Westbrook scored three straight touchdowns to put the game out of reach.
For the Patriots, Levi Weems completed 6-of-15 passes for 85 yards, while Chase Blanton rushed for 61 yards on 20 attempts.