West High took a big step towards legitimacy on Sept. 11, taking favored Cedar Rapids Kennedy into overtime.

After playing yard-for-yard with the Cougars, who shut out West High, 31-0, last season, the Trojans made several mistakes, including a last-minute missed field goal, that allowed the Cougars to achieve a come-from-behind 23-17 victory.

“The game was a step in the right direction,” said Alex Troester, West’s kicker. “Although the end result wasn’t anywhere near what we wanted, it built character.”

With the score tied at 17-17 in the final minute, both teams blocked field goals to preserve the tie. West missed another opportunity in overtime when Troester’s field-goal attempt curved wide, and Kennedy’s Royce Bell ran the ball in for the game-winning touchdown on the following possession.

West was coming off its first win in nearly two years, a startling upset of Waterloo West last week, and the Trojans continued to show improvement, even in defeat.

“These kids put in a great off-season, and they’ve improved a lot,” said head coach Brian Sauser.

“I think we’ve proven that we’re a good team. We’ve got our swagger back, and we’re starting to play well,” said Jamal Thompson, who led the Trojans with 166 yards on 21 carries.

Through the first quarter, it looked as if West’s victory Sept. 4 had been a fluke, as Kennedy jumped out to a 10-0 lead. The Trojans battled back, led by the running of Thompson and Charles Rogers, who combined for a pair of TD runs to put West up at 14-10.

A Troester field goal on the last play of the half made it a 17-10 game.

“Battling back to take that lead, it was a huge confidence boost,” said Troester, who made 1-of-4 attempts. “But there are two halves in football; we couldn’t finish.”

After West punted on the first possession of the half, Bell led the Cougars on an 85-yard drive that tied the game at 17. After that score, the play slowed down until the final minute, when West had a potential game-wining field goal blocked. Kennedy then drove down the field before lining up for a 37-yard field goal with one second left. West knocked it down, sending the game into overtime.

“We’ve been in a lot of close games, we just need to focus on getting the job done when the pressure’s on,” said receiver Taylor Bontrager.

West’s season will continue Thursday when it takes on undefeated City High in the annual Battle for the Boot. West is a heavy underdog, according to everyone but the players.

“I think we can compete with anybody in the conference,” said Bontrager. “We’re on the way to showing people that West is back.”

Daniel Rothman is a sophomore at West High and writes for the West Side Story.