West Field football football punishes Skyline in 2nd quarter for 46-37 win
Longhorns win again but learn lessons in second half
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- West Field defensive end Brexton White (53) reaches Skyline quarterback Xavier Cocci for a sack on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field quarterback Easton Eilertson (6) slings a pass during a game against Skyline on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field receiver Gavin Ortegon (88) tries to shed a Skyline tackler on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field running back Caden Judy totes the football for a gain against Skyline on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field’s Boston Kap (1) and Skyline’s Luke Frey tangle during a game Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field players Phoenix Sandoval (5) and Caden Judy (0) celebrate a touchdown against Skyline on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field receiver Kolt Abbott (13) runs with the football as Skyline’s Liam Whitworth (17) pursues on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field High School cheerleaders salute during the national anthem played before a football game on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field receiver Gavin Ortegon runs with the football in a game against Skyline on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- Skyline receiver Luke Frey (2) hauls in a pass against West Field’s Drew Combe (19) on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field quarterback Easton Eilertson lets a pass fly in a game against Skyline on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field running back Caden Judy carries the football against Skyline on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- Skyline receiver Luke Frey runs in for long touchdown reception against West Field on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field running back Caden Judy (0) tosses the ball toward a referee after his long touchdown run was called back by a penalty in a game against Skyline on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- West Field High students cheer during a football game on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
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- In this video still, West Field’s Jaden Fowers (36) celebrates his first-down touchdown with Phoenix Sandoval (5) in a game against Skyline on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Taylor.
TAYLOR — Sure, West Field’s offense flirted with 50 points in each of its first two games to open the 2025 football season, doubling the second-year school’s win total from its inaugural campaign.
But defense is where the Longhorns made things happen in a nonstop march of scoring drives during a second quarter that spurred West Field to a 46-37 victory, sending bleachers full of students and fans on the stadium’s west side out with a home-opening victory.
That defense also learned some lessons, seeing a 39-7 lead dwindle, though never truly be threatened thanks to six touchdown passes by WF sophomore Easton Eilertson, in a second half where Skyline’s spiral-throwing Xavier Cocci finally found receivers instead of turf for some big passing plays.
“We can do whatever we want when we just play together. And when we stick together and our defense is on, it converts to offense,” senior Jaden Fowers said. “But our defense can’t slow down. … We have to get first downs, too, to keep running the clock.”
Skyline led 7-3 early in the contest. Cocci hit Luke Frey for a slant against man coverage, and Frey shed the only tackler between him and paint for a 58-yard touchdown with 10:50 left in the second quarter.
After that, it seemed like Skyline (0-2) ran somewhere around a dozen — though to the Eagles it probably felt like two dozen — consecutive plays between its own 10- and 30-yard lines.
“I thought the D-line did a pretty good job creating pass rush for us without having to blitz,” West Field head coach Eric Jones said. “At times, our coverage was good, but we were very inconsistent. So that’s something we can get better at as the year goes on.”
West Field (2-0) spent the rest of the quarter starting possessions near midfield and cashed in every one of them, scoring 30 points in the final 7:30 of the half.
“I’m glad we didn’t come out flat,” Fowers said. “We kept pushing the pedal. We didn’t convert first downs a lot but we were still pushing through, and I like how much effort we were giving.”
A double-digit-play drive was first to get the Longhorns into the end zone, ultimately facing a fourth-and-goal at the Skyline 2 where Eilertson made a pitch-and-catch score with junior Phoenix Sandoval to go up 9-7.
Two minutes later, Eilertson put air under a ball perfectly up the right sideline to Fowers for a 44-yard touchdown, making it 16-7.
In a play that hinted at the growing avalanche, Corbin Price dropped a sure pick-six at the Skyline 15 but his defense still stood up and forced another punt to midfield. Kolt Abbott broke tackles on a sideline reception of near 35 yards, setting up Eilertson to Fowers for a 7-yard score and a 23-7 lead with 3:12 left.
The Longhorns forced another three-and-out and, with a penalty, made the Eagles punt from their own end zone, which went to the Skyline 40. It took four plays from there, including Boston Kap with a 20-yard run, capped when Eilertson found Sandoval at the front-left pylon for a 3-yard touchdown toss.
Fowers went right pylon on a fake PAT try for two points, good for a 31-7 advantage with 1:09 showing on the clock.
“I thought we came out a little intimidated, but once we had a little success and the kids realized that they could physically hang, you could see the confidence building and it changed the way they played,” Jones said. “Prior to that, there was some hesitation. We’re young, we’re new, we’re trying to learn how to win.”
West Field had no timeouts left so it seemed Skyline would get saved from the repetitive doom of the punt-points cycle but, with 7 seconds left, the Eagles sent a punt snap from their 20 all the way through the end zone for a safety and a 33-7 halftime score.
The Longhorns made it 36 unanswered points to open the third quarter. Eilertson connected with Fowers, who made a contested, one-handed grab, for 42 yards up the sideline to eventually set up Caden Judy for a 1-yard scoring plunge on fourth down. It was 39-7 with 8:06 left in the third.
Then it was Skyline’s turn, crossing midfield with possession (not counting the 52-yard touchdown) for the first time in the game with 5:30 left in the third frame. That seemed to unlock more success for the visitors as soon, Cocci lined a 38-yard touchdown pass to Sione Tupua.
A bunch of holding penalties and false starts pushed West Field back near its goal line, where Eilertson flung an interception near midfield that set Skyline up at the 34. A few plays later, Cocci punched in a 4-yard touchdown run to make it 39-21.
West Field put the game away with a pair of Eilertson passes to Gavin Ortegon: a 19-yard, sideline toe-tap that set up a slant and YAC of 34 yards, the latter seeing Ortegon turn upfield with speed to make it 46-21 with 11:10 left in the ballgame.
Skyline blocked a WF punt with 5:27 left and used the short field to cut it to 46-29. Though disgruntled as the Longhorns may be about what they gave up in the second half, Skyline’s final points came with 15 seconds left, a touchdown pass that still had the visitors down two scores.
“I’d say we got beaten in all three phases in the second half, pretty bad all around,” Jones said. “We need to learn how to close out games. But we won, can’t frown about that.”
Jones credited his offensive staff for converting series after series in the second quarter but lamented several missed scoring chances via dropped long balls and other moments that could have put his team across the 60-point barrier.
“Those are the kinds of things we’re learning to do, to take that next step forward and be a little bit better team, especially with the tougher teams that are on our schedule coming up,” Jones said.
Fowers added a 33-yard field goal, a boot that opened the scoring midway through the first quarter.
Official statistics were not available at the time of this report’s writing.
West Field next hits the road to face Salem Hills (1-1) before opening Region 5 play by hosting Roy (0-2) on Sept. 5.
