Before a raucous crowd of red-garbed Fanatics, the Wolverines defeated the Jefferson Democrats 42-23 in the team’s 2016 home opener Friday night.

“We moved the ball very well on offense,” team captain Cam Welther ’17 said. “Wish we could have held them to zero, but it doesn’t always work out like that.”

Although the Wolverines finished with a dominant victory, the game began with a two-play touchdown drive by Jefferson.  The Democrats returned the opening kickoff 41 yards, setting up a deep pass and a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Wolverines answered quickly, as freshman QB Jameson Wang ’20 completed all four of his pass attempts on the next drive to lead the Wolverines to a touchdown.  Zac Harleston ’17 pulled down three passes while Max Robertson ’17 capped the drive with a 26-yard touchdown reception.

Wang would finish the game with three touchdowns passing, two to Robertson and one to Harleston.  Thomas Glover ‘18 led the rushing attack with a pair of long touchdowns, including a 90-yard sprint in the fourth quarter.

Glover runs 90 yards for a WOLVERINES TD!!! HW leads 36-15, Q4 7:43 pic.twitter.com/Zw4N1P0qXF

— Harvard-Westlake (@hwathletics) September 3, 2016

After allowing Jefferson’s first score, the Wolverines defense clamped down on the Democrats’ run-heavy approach, holding them scoreless until deep in the third quarter.  Welther, playing at defensive end, recorded a key fumble recovery midway through the fourth quarter.

On special teams, fill-in kicker James Kanoff ’17 was a perfect 4-4 on point after tries.  Robertson recorded an unorthodox play on the kickoff return unit, muffing the kick but recovering in time to dash over 50 yards into Jefferson territory.

The Wolverine offensive line held strong, allowing zero sacks during the course of the contest. Although often overlooked, the offensive line did the dirty work, providing an effective first line of protection for the Wang.

The team will look to capitalize on their hot 2-0 start and build more momentum against their next opponent.

“Feels great, you know, moving on as a program, we’ve got Garfield next week,” Welther said.  “We really saw a lot of good things tonight, some bad things, but overall, great win for the team.”

The clock winds down to seal the Wolverines 42-23 victory in their home opener. A strong day all around.
— H-W Chronicle Sports (@HWCsports) September 3, 2016

The Wolverines’ game against Garfield will be at home next Friday, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.