Joseph Eigo is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Westwood High School for AZPreps365.com 

MESA– Up until Friday morning, Mesa Westwood High School was unsure if its eventual hero would be available for senior night against Mesa. Luckily for the Warriors, he was. 

While the Warriors won’t advance to the playoffs, Friday evening’s thrilling 28-19 victory against cross-town rival Mesa High School, a contest that saw five lead changes, was a tremendous way to cap off the 2021 season and send the seniors on their way. One particular senior left his final mark on his time at Westwood. 

Warrior cornerback Jolani Turner’s status going into Friday night’s game was unclear until the morning of the game. This was due to a pending suspension following a scuffle in Westwood’s loss to Corona del Sol, where Turner was accused of throwing a punch. Turner’s suspension was reversed, allowing him to play hero in his final game at Westwood. 

“They tried to suspend him because of the last game against Corona del Sol, they thought he threw a punch,” said defensive coordinator Sean Freeman. “They gave us the clearance that he could play literally this morning. For this being his senior year, not having any [interceptions] and come out tonight and get two picks and a couple of pass breakups, that's the way you cap it off, man. That kid the last 48 hours was worried, but that’s the way you go out, with a bang.” 

Turner recorded two interceptions on the night, both of which set up Westwood’s struggling offense in Jackrabbit territory, leading to touchdowns. Westwood’s offense couldn’t drive the length of the field until late in the fourth quarter, adding to the importance of both of Turner’s interceptions. 

“It’s a dream come true,” said Turner, gleaming with excitement. “It was so much pressure, too, from the start of the game being down I already knew I had to help my team come back. We’ve been planning on it since we were freshmen that we were gonna have a great season. We ended it six and four, I’m proud to be with these boys and I’m proud to do what I can. Man, I love these guys.” 

An emotional night not only for Turner, but for all of Westwood’s seniors. Prior to the game, a parade with all the seniors riding in low riders showing off their hydraulics got the home crowd ready to will their boys to victory. 

The first half flew by, with both teams utilizing their strong ground games. Though, for Westwood, the ground attack did not help them like it usually does. 

Westwood running back Ryan Willis put two fumbles on the ground in the first half, both coming in the red zone and both recovered by Mesa. 

The first quarter only saw a Mesa field goal put on the board, but the second quarter saw nothing short of excitement. Following Willis’ second fumble, the Warriors defense stepped up and punched the Jackrabbits right back with a Jolani Turner interception a couple plays later, setting up Westwood once again in Mesa territory. 

The Warriors found the endzone following Turner's interception. Quarterback Gavin Letourneau spotted his favorite target, wide receiver Korwyn Brantley-Ellis, inside the 10 yard line, leaving a couple defenders for Brantley-Ellis to shake. Not only Brantley-Ellis shake both, he carried another into the endzone, making it 7-3, Westwood, early in the second. 

Mesa wasted zero time responding to the touchdown, though, as Etwood Williams took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards to the house, leaving the entire Westwood kickoff team in the dust. That put Mesa back ahead, 10-7.

The ensuing Warrior drive stalled before it even got started, thanks to a slew of penalties. Then on fourth down, Westwood snapped the ball over the head of the punter into the endzone, resulting in a safety that made it 12-7, Mesa. The Jackrabbits would get the ball following the safety, but did not augment their lead going into half due to a missed field goal with :10 remaining in the second quarter. 

Picking things up late in the third quarter, Turner's second interception of the night gave Westwood a golden opportunity deep in Jackrabbit territory. Westwood cashed in with a five-yard touchdown catch by Brantley-Ellis, then converted a two-point try to retake the lead, 15-12, heading into the fourth quarter.

Mesa responded with a long, methodical drive, capped off by a touchdown run by running back Craig Montgomery. That made it 19-15, Mesa, with nine minutes remaining. Westwood’s offense would need to find a way to drive the length of the field to take the lead, and that's exactly what it did. 

Quarterback Gavin Letourneau made some huge throws to keep the Warriors offense alive, and Westwood punched it in with a two-yard touchdown run by fullback Sean Sili. The Warriors were back in the lead, 22-19. The defense would need to make one last stop to seal Westwood's final victory of the season. 

Luckily for Westwood, coach Freeman’s defense was up to the task. Defensive back Fred Banks hauled in a beautiful pick-six to seal it for the Warriors, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. 

One impressive moment came just prior to Bank’s pick-six. The Westwood sideline urged its fans to get loud, and the crowd got so loud they caused a false start, not something you see much of in high school football. 

Westwood (6-4) will lose a lot of players following this game, with a slew of seniors set to graduate this year. Head coach Kyle Ide reflected on the career’s of his seniors. 

“This is a special group of kids, we’ve known that our whole time here” said coach Ide. “A lot of these kids have been playing varsity football for three years. We wanted to make the playoffs, we wanted to win the region, but at least we finished above .500 and there was a special game for the kids.” 

A special game indeed it was for the Warriors tonight. While they missed the playoffs, nights like tonight will never be forgotten for all of the Warriors players.