Westergaard, BC get past Harvard

Shortly after Burlington Central honored its 2010 Hall of Fame Class during halftime of Friday night's game, senior running back Brandon Westergaard turned in a hall of fame performance of his own.

Westergaard had 3 touchdowns and an interception in the fourth quarter of the Rockets' 33-24 victory over Harvard in Big Northern Conference East action.

Westergaard also led the Rockets' with 220 yards on the ground as Central (2-5, 2-1) finished with a whopping 467 rushing yards in the victory.

“The offensive line, this is one of those games where those guys should get as many accolades as possible, Rockets coach Aaron Wichman said. “They controlled the line of scrimmage.

Controlling the line of scrimmage allowed Central to run for 256 yards in the second half including a 92-yard scoring run from Westergaard to give Central a 19-16 lead with 11:31 left in the game after trailing 16-13 entering the final period.

Central's defense held Harvard (3-4, 1-2) to a 3-and-out on its next possession and Westergaard made the Hornets pay.

He capped off 7-play, 51-yard drive with a 4-yard scoring run giving Central a 25-16 with 7:01 left to play.

The senior was no where close to being finished. With Harvard driving, Westergaard picked off quarterback Timmy Linhart when his pass bounced off receiver Matt Smith.

The play came after a defensive holding penalty had set the Hornets up with a first-and-10 from the Rockets' 39. Westergaard again did the job on offense, this time putting in a 4-yard scoring run after an 11-play drive covering 68 yards.

“When the holes were there, we had to hit them, said Westergaard, who finished with a career high in rushing yards. “Once you get the momentum going, it all keeps rolling.

Central extended its lead when Tre Llanes converted a botched snap into a 2-point conversion after Westergaard's final score putting Central ahead 33-16 with just 1:37 remaining. Linhart did rally and find Collin Nolen on a 15-yard pass play with 18 seconds left.

Where Westergaard did the damage in the fourth quarter, Llanes did it early on. The senior finished with 148 yards and scored on a 57-yard touchdown run with only 5 seconds left in the first half to give Central a 13-9 lead at halftime. He also put the Rockets up 6-3 when he rushed in for a 15-yard score with 35 seconds left in the first half.

Rockets quarterback Ryan Ritchie added 97 yards on the ground. Harvard got 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns from Matt Smith in the loss.