By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
It was Homecoming for Topeka West before Thursday's United Kansas Conference football game as the Chargers would host the Lansing Lions on a beautiful fall night at Hummer Sports Park.
West, which was looking for its first win of the season, built a 20-14 halftime advantage, but the Lions scored 22 fourth-quarter points to pull out a 36-20 win.
Topeka West sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilkie threw for two touchdowns in Thursday's 36-20 loss to Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Nas Williams-Brown scored on a run and a pass reception for Topeka West in Thursday's 36-20 loss to Lansing. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Lions would start the game off with the ball and score with a Jaxon Pollard run.
The Chargers would get the ball and move it down the field through the air with their sophomore quarterback Josiah Wilkie as Wilkie would find fellow sophomore Nas Williams-Brown for a 12-yard touchdown strike.
The Chargers would force the Lions to punt on their next possession and would take advantage and find the end zone on a 48-yard run by Williams-Brown.
The Chargers and Lions would find themselves full of emotions as they would get into a tussle on the West sideline, which would force four Chargers and three Lions to the locker room early.
“Thing’s like that happen, it’s the game, it’s a physical game,'' Topeka West coach Trey Parker said. "Your guys are hitting and bumping bodies, going to the ground. Tempers are going to flare from time to time.
"You have to reset and refocus. And I think for a moment our guys did, but towards the end we started to lose that focus.”
The Chargers would be outscored 28-6 after the tussle, with the Lions scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers would find the end zone right before halftime as standout senior receiver Gad Munganga would haul in a a 21-yard pass from Wilkie.
Parker on Munganga: “He is a kid that is just learning football, he continues to put in the work, and now we are starting to see the benefits of that. He was just a basketball player and he stepped out on a limb to come play football, and he has became one of our leaders, and he is a really great kid.”
Munganga would lead the Chargers in receiving yards with 120 and a touchdown while Wilkie would throw for 248 yards on 18 of 42 passing with two touchdowns and an interceptions.
Parker on Wilkie: “There were a few things that didn’t go our way. A few dropped passes, he could of thrown for 400 yards. We just have to continue to make our young quarterback feel comfortable.”
The Chargers would take a 20-14 lead into the fourth quarter and be outscored 22-0 in the fourth.
“We just didn’t execute,'' Parker said. "You saw first half we came out, we executed and did what we were supposed to do offensively and defensively. Had the lead going into halftime and just didn’t execute in the second half.”
The Lions would get a big night out of their running back Pollard as he would rush for 158 yards on 23 carries and score four touchdowns.
The Chargers will next be in action at Basehor-Linwood next week.
LANSING 36, TOPEKA WEST 20
Lansing (2-2, 2-1) 8 6 0 22 — 36
Topeka West (0-3 0-3) 8 12 0 0 — 20
Lansing — Pollard 1 run (Pollard run)
West — Williams-Brown 12 pass from Wilkie (Emerson pass from Wilkie)
West — Wiliams-Brown 48 run (kick blocked)
Lansing — Legault 20 pass from Garcia (conversion failed)
West -- Munganga 21 pass from Wilkie (conversion failed)
Lansing — Pollard 1 run (Pollard run)
Lansing — Pollard 6 run (Pollard run)
Lansing — Pollard 25 run (conversion failed)
Individual statistics
Rushing — Lansing: Pollard 23-158, Garcia 3-15, Jorgensen 2-(minus)-3. Topeka West: Brown 9-33, Wilkie 3-13.
Passing — Lansing: Garcia 10-17-1, 192 yards. Topeka West: Wilkie 18-42-1, 248.
Receiving — Lansing: Barnes 3-96, Legault 4-62, Stephens 2-23, Pollard 1-7. Topeka West: Munganga 8-120, Brown 4-83, Lindsay 2-19, Tyree 2-15, Lassiter 1-7. Emerson 1-6.
