For the better part of three quarters, it appeared one of the biggest upsets in recent memory might be brewing at Cupples Stadium on the South Side.
City League runner-up Westinghouse (10-2) gave the mighty Farrell Steelers all they could handle for about 36 minutes on Saturday afternoon, but Farrell (10-0) flexed its muscles in the fourth quarter and pulled away for a 24-7 victory in a PIAA Class 2A first-round matchup.
Farrell — ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 2A — came into the contest averaging 56 points per game. The Bulldogs gave them their toughest test of the season, but in the end, Farrell had a bit too much firepower.
“I’m proud of my guys — and not just for tonight, but everything leading up to it,” Westinghouse coach Donta Green said after the defeat. “I think we’ll learn a lot from this loss and come back stronger next year.”
Farrell running back Anthony Stallworth came into the game with 1,907 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground, averaging more than 17 yards per carry. The Bulldogs limited Stallworth to 117 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries — about 4 yards per attempt — but they had no answer for junior Kylon Wilson.
Wilson delivered a big-time performance with five carries for 67 yards and two touchdowns, plus three catches for 35 yards and another score. He also had a dazzling 75-yard touchdown on an interception return called back by penalty.
Westinghouse quarterback Keyshawn Morsillo did what he could to will his team to victory, passing for 140 yards and rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. But he lost two fumbles that would prove costly, as Wilson scored on a 33-yard run immediately following Morsillo’s second fumble to make it a 24-7 early in the fourth quarter.
“I felt like when I scored, that gave us a little momentum,” Morsillo said. “I felt like that was a turning point, but they had a good run. I want [Farrell] to win [states], too. Take it all the way and win it. They’re a good team.”
Wilson scored the first points of the game for Farrell on an 11-yard run on the game’s opening drive, giving Farrell an early 6-0 lead. The score remained 6-0 going into halftime, although the Bulldogs nearly took the lead going into the break with a 10-play, 98-yard drive that ended with Kai’Ron Collins getting tackled inches short of the goal line as time ran out.
“When we saw them run the ball and get stopped, we were like, ‘Oh wow, let’s get off the field,’” said Farrell coach Anthony Pegues. “That was the ultimate bend-don’t-break [moment].”
Despite the missed opportunity, Westinghouse came out strong and took a 7-6 lead in the third quarter on Morsillo’s 21-yard touchdown run — the first time Farrell had trailed in a game all season. But Farrell showed its championship mettle by responding with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Trian Holden to Wilson, and Stallworth added a 3-yard touchdown run to make it 18-7 shortly after.
Although the Bulldogs’ season ended with a bitter defeat, it was still a groundbreaking season for the program that included their first PIAA subregional victory.
“It’s all part of the process,” Green said. “I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe we were supposed to lose that game, unfortunately. But I can tell you from that loss, we got better.”
First Published: November 20, 2021, 10:44 p.m.
