Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

Western Boone head coach Justin Pelley is open to playing anybody that will make his team better at the end of the season. So while he was disappointed in his team's 42-20 loss to Class 3A No.6 Tri-West, he also saw some good things that will help his team down the road. "We could schedule a lot of people the first two weeks, and playing them is a measuring stick for us," Pelley said. "We figure out where we are. We did some good things tonight and they are pretty good. Give (Jack) Sorgi credit, give their staff credit, they are well coached. But I like where we are. Obviously, we have to do some things better but I see the potential in our kids." Some of that potential comes from the mental makeup of the team. Tri-West jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, and it could have been easy for the Stars to fold right there. But the Stars got on the board on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Quinn Westerfeld to Levi Adkins to make it 21-6. Tri-West responded with a touchdown to make it 28-6, but once again the Stars responded, with Carson Nicley scrambling to keep a play alive and then finding Nathan Thompson for a 43-yard score to make it 28-13 at the half. "We are getting back to WeBo football," Pelley said. "We may not win every game, but we are going to be physical and the effort's going to be there. That showed in all four quarters tonight. I am proud of the kids for that." Tri-West pushed the lead to 42-13 in the third quarter, with Adkins finishing the scoring with a two-yard run in the fourth quarter. Nicley was 4 of 6 for 84 yards, with Westerfeld completing 1 of 3 passes for 19 yards. Luke Shirley rushed for 47 yards, with Jack Mallory adding 41 and Westerfeld rushing for 30. Beau Sawyer had a 31-yard catch. "We had a lot of of guys stand out," Pelley said. "Our offensive line had some highlights, especially in the second half, when they got that mentality. For a lot of them it's their first game and they have to get that physical mentality. Our running backs did a good job of getting off the ball too." The Stars will host Lebanon next Friday in their home opener. Pelley said they will continue to work on finding the best system to help the team reach their potential. "We are trying to play two quarterbacks right now because they are two of the best athletes in the school and there's no pressure on them," Pelley said. "I want them to play football. They will make mistakes and I know that, but I trust them both and they do different things and that is something we will cater to. You're only going to learn by playing football, you can't just get it from practice. I am proud of how our kids came out, yeah we got beat, but the effort and the no quit mentality was there." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on X @Will_Willems.