{"id":414332,"date":"2026-08-23T03:28:18","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T03:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/414332\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T03:28:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T03:28:18","slug":"ottawa-wes-weatherford-hang-on-to-top-plano-for-21-14-week-1-win-shaw-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/414332\/","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa, Wes Weatherford hang on to top Plano for 21-14 Week 1 win \u2013 Shaw Local"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the game on the line Saturday, Ottawa<\/a> senior running back Wes Weatherford had Plano\u2019s number.<\/p>\n

No matter what jersey he was wearing.<\/p>\n

After the Ottawa defense made a stop in the closing minutes inside its own 10-yard line to preserve a seven-point lead, Weatherford took seven handoffs and turned them into 52 yards and three first downs. His last carry on a fourth-and-1 at midfield was a breakaway deep enough into Plano territory that it offset an illegal block downfield penalty and still gave the Pirates the win-sealing first down of their 21-14, season-opening victory over the Reapers<\/a> at King Field.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was Week 1. We really needed to set the tone,\u201d the 5-10, 210-pound Weatherford said. \u201cWe were 3-6 last year, but we wanted to come out today and show everyone we\u2019re still a problem down here in La Salle County with a good win against a decent team so we could start our season off nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s @OttawaHigh<\/a> \u2018s Wes Weatherford icing the 21-14 win over Plano with a first-down run on 4th-and-1. Weatherford finished with 193 yards (would have been over 200 had a big chunk of this run not been called back by an illegal block penalty). pic.twitter.com\/zTs0p5kYw9<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 J.T. Pedelty (@jtpedelty) August 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Weatherford finished with 26 carries for 193 yards and two of Ottawa\u2019s three touchdowns. He did it wearing his customary No. 21 in the first half and a replacement No. 35 in the second half after his primary jersey was shredded by a would-be tackler.<\/p>\n

\u201c[No. 35] was my dad\u2019s number in high school and college, so it was kind of an extra push for that last half,\u201d Weatherford said. \u201cBut 21 is my number. Hopefully the next eight weeks \u2013 and more \u2013 I\u2019ll be able to just wear 21.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Wes<\/p>\n

Wes Weatherford (J.T. Pedelty)<\/p>\n

As a team, Ottawa outgained the Reapers 339-182 in yards from scrimmage \u2013 all 339 of those yards coming on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cWes was an absolute workhorse today,\u201d Ottawa coach Jared Mundt said after his first career varsity coaching victory. \u201cHe ran a lot of tough yardage, a lot of yards after contact. That\u2019s Ottawa football. Incredible job by him tonight, and the line up front did their job. …<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are still things we can improve upon, but we\u2019ll take it, we\u2019ll learn from the film and get better. Bring on the next opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n

That Ottawa (1-0) had that much success with its bread-and-butter running game and Plano (0-1) was in the game right to the end was a testament to the Reapers\u2019 fight and ability to cash in on big plays.<\/p>\n

After the Pirates drove 80 yards on 13 plays on the game\u2019s opening drive, culminating in a Weatherford 1-yard TD plunge, Plano answered midway through the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run from Cooper Beaty set up by QB Ryder Knapp\u2019s 72-yard keeper.<\/p>\n

Ottawa scored again right before halftime \u2013 Weatherford breaking through a stacked line on third-and-1, splitting the safeties and then hopping out of an attempted ankle tackle in the end zone for a 14-7 halftime lead.<\/p>\n

\"Ryder<\/p>\n

Plano quarterback Ryder Knapp (5) carries the ball as Ottawa’s Jacen Guerrero (52) and Nolan Giacomini (50) attempt to tackle him Saturday, August 22, 2026, at King Field in Ottawa. (MaKade Rios for Shaw Local)<\/p>\n

Plano got even again on its second possession of the second half following a back-and-forth sequence that saw Reapers junior Jeremy Chavez recover a muffed punt deep in Ottawa territory, Ottawa senior Rylee Hogue recover a Plano fumble inside the 5-yard line, then Beaty blew up a Pirates keeper on fourth-and-1 to force a turnover on downs and set up a Braylon Schmidt 4-yard scoring run to tie things 14-14.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fumbled, and our defense knew we had to go get a stop,\u201d Beaty said. \u201cThat was a big play, put us back in scoring position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ottawa answered with a quick 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive punctuated by a 1-yard Jordan Gomez touchdown run to go ahead 21-14 early in the fourth. <\/p>\n

Plano \u2013 led on the day by Knapp\u2019s 105 yards rushing and 33 passing, Beaty\u2019s 21 yards on nine carries and 45 yards from scrimmage by Ethan Taxis \u2013 had a chance to tie it again, driving from its own 35 down to the Ottawa 5. But a fourth-down pass fell incomplete, allowing Weatherford and the Pirates to run out the clock for the win.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a young team,\u201d Plano coach Kyle Tutt said, \u201cand this was a great learning moment for us. … We had some opportunities today. We have to make sure we capitalize on those opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to get back in the lab and get those things fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Weatherford\u2019s 193 yards, Gomez rushed for 73, Joseph Donahue for 47 and Jacoby Gooden for 21.<\/p>\n

Ottawa\u2019s Tucker Johnson recorded three tackles for loss, with Brayden Steicher adding 1\u00bd. The Pirates visit Streator (0-1) in Week 2.<\/p>\n

Fin Winter had two TFLs for the Reapers, who next Friday host Manteno (1-0).<\/p>\n

\"Ethan<\/p>\n

Ethan Taxis (3) of Plano runs tries to run through the tackle of Ottawa’s Diante Jones (11) on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at King Field in Ottawa. (MaKade Rios for Shaw Local)<\/p>\n