Magna • Soujah Gasu, the speedy tailback for the Cyprus Pirates, ripped his way through the West Panthers defense through 3 ½ quarters with several long scampers and a touchdown Friday night.
However, on one costly possession, Gasu coughed up the football, and the Panthers pounced.
West captured its first lead of the evening on the ensuing play when quarterback Romeo Johnston lobbed a beautiful ball to a wide open Viliami Makoni. West never looked back, taking down the PIrates 33-21 and improving to 2-0 for the first time since 2010.
Panthers dual threat receiver/running back John Abercrombie grinded his way to a 1 yard TD run, his second of the night, to seal the road win.
Things were looking optimistic for the Pirates, which was seeking its first 2-0 start since 2013, during its opening two drives of the game. Featuring the speed of Gasu and power of Albert Taufui, the Cyprus two-pronged rushing attack kept the West defense on its heels. Highlighted by a 41-yard jaunt in which he spun loose from a defender, Gasu eventually scored from 6 yards out. His counterpart, Taufui bruised his way through the Panthers defense from the 5 on the following drive to give his team a 14-0 lead.
PLAYER OF THE GAME <br>West High dual RB/WR threat John Abercrombie blistered the Pirates defense with more than 200 all-purpose yards. He showed his versatility with a 65-yard scamper in which he cut through several Cyprus defenders for one score then barreled his way into the end zone from a yard out for a second TD, hitting the pylon in the process.
That’s when West unleashed Abercrombie, who was practically a one-man show. He found pay dirt on a 65-yard dash down the West sideline to cut the lead to 14-7.
Johnston connected twice with Brydon Johnson for touchdowns in the third quarter. The first was on a floater into the corner of the end zone, and the second took place as Johnson leaped into the air in the back of the end zone and kept both feet inbounds.
The Cyprus passing attack had been relatively quiet on the evening but erupted in the third when quarterback Parker Meldrum fired a 62-yard bomb into the outstretched hands of Josh Amasio for the Pirates’ final score.