Delete   Third-ranked Westfield held Bulloch Academy to under 100 yards of total offense as the Hornets won an ugly 17-0 slugfest in the stifling humidity at Gator Alley Friday night.
    The visitors’ defense was as big, quick and aggressive as advertised. The Hornets kept the Gators far away from the end zone and limited them to just 49 yards rushing and 27 yards passing in the GISA Class 1-AAA clash which was BA’s Homecoming game.
    Bulloch’s longest ground gains were a 12-yard option keeper by junior quarterback Loy Waters right before halftime and a 19-yard scamper off an option pitch by senior tailback Jaylen Evans early in the fourth quarter. Evans had 28 yards rushing on five carries, senior fullback Chris Young had 21 tough yards on 10 carries and Waters had minus one yards on 10 carries. Junior tailback Harrison Averitt, Bulloch’s leading rusher, did not dress out for the game.
    The Gators (3-2, 1-2) had 11 plays for negative yardage and were forced to punt seven times. Two lost fumbles and an interception also didn’t help the Gators. First-quarter penalties halted Bulloch’s momentum as well.
    But the Region 1-AAA opponent (3-1, 2-0) had its share of problems on offense too. While the Hornets racked up 224 yards, they could only manage to score three times.
    Senior Jarvis Hart had a 19-yard blast on Westfield’s opening series of the game. On WF’s next possession, senior kicker Landon Beaman booted a 34-yard field goal to give the Hornets a 10-0 lead at the 1:22 mark of the first quarter.
    But Westfield couldn’t find the end zone again until the 4:35 mark of the third quarter when junior quarterback Evan Williams bulled his way over from three yards out.
    Bulloch’s defense, led by linebackers Waters, senior Dillan Finch and junior defensive end Jarret Humphries, held its own against the highly-touted Westfield Wing-T offense.
    In the second quarter, the Gators gave up only seven yards and nabbed an interception. The BA defense was also stout in the second half, giving up only seven points to the perennial Class AAA powerhouse while causing five plays for negative yardage and recovering a fumble. Senior defensive linemen Codi Johnson and Caleb Bohannon created havoc in the Hornet backfield.
    At halftime of the game, senior Emily Morgan was crowned the school’s 2011 Homecoming Queen.