The 6A No. 11 Cardinals seemingly had their second win iced except the 5A No. 5 Shamrocks (2-0) had a different idea. A 40-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds on the clock turned out to be a reversal of fortune for Southport.
The Cards (1-1) scored first in the topsy-turvy non-conference contest on Johnston’s TD pass to Higgs, but Westfield stormed back with three touchdowns. TD runs by Andrew Mappes and Johnston provided the Cardinals with a 21-20 halftime lead.
Southport’s Johnston and Westfield’s Ryan Pepiot tangled in a quarterback duel. Johnston had 22 completions for 271 yards, two touchdowns and three uncharacteristic interceptions, compared with Pepiot’s 23 connections for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Blake Evans had 11 catches for 144 yards for the Cards, and Mappes had 17 carries for 94 yards.
Southport’s Sergiey Slaughter had 10 tackles, Jalen Williams nine.