Playoff Football: No. 5 Chantilly 35, No. 4 Westfield 28

By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Manager, Washington D.C. Metro Area

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Westfield’s 25-point win at Chantilly in Week 4 — and the Chargers’
first-round playoff exit last season — have caused many to question
whether this is still the premiere rivalry in the Northern Region.

Not anymore.

Charger senior running back Torrian Pace
dashed seven yards for the game-winning touchdown — his fifth — with
2 minutes, 5 seconds remaining as No. 5 Chantilly knocked off defending
Virginia AAA Division 6 state champion and fourth-ranked Westfield,
35-28, on the road in a region semifinal.

With the win, the Chargers advance to their second Northern Region championship in the past three seasons.

“This feels so great,” screamed senior lineman Sam Dietze,
with a coup of elated teammates dragging him away. “I want to give
props to all my teammates. We stuck together. This is brotherhood.”

For
the second straight week, Chantilly rode the legs of its workhorse
senior tailback to victory. Pace carried 34 times for 356 yards and all
five Charger touchdowns on Friday. That came only a week after rushing
34 times for 368 yards and four scores, plus a 53-yard receiving
touchdown, in Chantilly’s 47-38 win over Annandale.

Pace has amassed 2,468 yards and 36 touchdowns in 12 games this season.

“I’ve never had anybody, obviously, like that,” said Charger Coach Mike Lalli,
who all but predicted a breakout season for Pace over the summer.
“Having him creates a lot of confidence. And our challenge is trying to
move the ball outside of Torrian.

“He makes plays on his own and we have to make some plays outside of him … to keep people a little bit honest.”

Added
Pace, whose only scoreless game this year was in the Chargers’
regular-season loss to the Bulldogs: “I have to give credit to my
O-Line. They’re always fighting, getting their blocks, same with
[fullback] Kevin McGrath.”

The
win was only the second for Chantilly in 10 all-time meetings with
neighboring Westfield (9-3). But both victories have come in the
post-season.

The Chargers beat the then-undefeated Bulldogs,
26-21, in the 2006 Northern Region championship game — also at
Westfield — to propel Chantilly to the state final in its only other
win in the series.

It marked the teams’ first regional title since 1996.

“The
two playoff games here have been two of the best games I’ve ever been a
part of,” said fifth-year coach Lalli, whose program has been on a
continued meteoric rise since a winless campaign in his inaugural
season. “They’ve both come down to the last second. Basically, both
times we’ve come down and won in the last second, but they’ve had our
number in the regular-season.”

With the win, Chantilly (9-3)
advances to face No. 2 Oakton (12-0) in the Northern Region
championship at 1 p.m. Saturday at Oakton.

The Chargers lost to
the Cougars, 17-15, on the road on October 3. That narrow, two-point
win was by far the closest the Cougars have come to defeat this season.

“[We]
know that this could be our last game together as seniors,” Pace said.
“After these four years, we have to put it all out. We have to play
like it’s our last game.”

No. 5 Chantilly 7 7 14 7 — 35
No. 4 Westfield 7 13 8 0 — 28

1Q – CH – Pace 11 run (Abott kick)
1Q – WF – Anderson 60 run (Lawless kick)
2Q – WF – Winfrey 14 from Fenyak (kick failed)
2Q – WF – Anderson 90 run (Lawless kick)
2Q – CH – Pace 19 run (Abott kick)
3Q – CH – Pace 89 run (Abott kick)
3Q – CH – Pace 67 run (Abott kick)
3Q – WF – McInturff 67 from Fenyak (McInturff from Fenyak)
4Q – CH – Pace 7 run (Abott kick)

Passing
CH – Strittmatter – 6-for-12, 73 yards. WF – Fenyak – 12-for-21, 230 yards, 2 TD, INT; Spees – 0-for-1, 0 yards, INT.
Rushing
CH – Pace – 34 car, 356 yards, 5 TD; McGrath – 6 car, 35 yards. WF – Anderson – 20 car, 200 yards, 2 TD; Doty – 1 car, 6 yards.
Receiving
CH – Ryan – 2 rec, 37 yards; Vaughn – 3 rec, 22 yards; Gombos – 1 rec, 11 yards. WF – Winfrey – 5 rec, 110 yards, TD; McInturff – 4 rec, 87 yards, TD; Anderson – 1 rec, 30 yards.
Defense
CH – B. Abatemarco – INT; Fries – INT; Jeffrey – sack. WF – Winfrey – fumble forced, fumble recovery; Hall – 2 TFL.
Time of Possession
CH – 26:31. WF – 21:21.