The Portsmouth West High School Senators, last year’s Southern Ohio Conference Division II football champions, started their title defense Saturday night with a 24-21 win over the Waverly Tigers.

“It felt amazing,” senior Cole Tipton said. “It just gives us that early lead on everyone else.”

Fellow senior Trevor Fike noted the team’s underdog status in spite of their conference finish last season.

“Everyone doubted us coming into it, but we made some really big plays and were able to get the win, and hopefully the momentum will carry over to the following weeks,” he said.

Fike said the Senators went into the matchup focused on playing their style of football, avoiding mistakes and reading their opponents’ plays effectively. Tipton added that Waverly’s senior running back Jase Hurd was a key consideration in the team’s preparation for the game.

“Gameplan was to obviously stop Jase on the run,” Tipton said. “And their quarterback is pretty good, so we had to stop them. They were our main focus.”

The Senators executed their gameplan by forcing a total of six turnovers throughout the game, including four interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

“Jeffrey Bishop had a really great night,” Fike said of his senior teammate. “Four interceptions and a fumble recovery, that was a big factor and hopefully it continues.”

The turnovers forced by the Senators played a big part in the win, and Tipton said he hopes for more of the same from West’s defense in the coming weeks.

“We have really good db’s [defensive backs] that I have full confidence in, so we really just have to make the right plays and capitalize on them,” he said.

The score of the game shows just how close it was, and the atmosphere in the stadium was very loud, creating challenges for both teams. The Senators started the season in August with their only loss of the season in another close contest when the Fairland Dragons scored a game-winning touchdown as time expired in the fourth quarter.

“Honestly, I love playing in adversity,” Tipton said. “It’s more fun, and I think it will make us a better team later in the season. We had a close game at the start of the year versus Fairland and didn’t come out on top, but tonight we did.”

Fike credited his team’s improved focus for the positive outcome against Waverly.

“I think everyone was just able to keep their heads tonight and were able to play their game,” he said. “We all just stuck with one another through the hostile environment of a road conference game.”

The Senators continue conference play this Friday, Sept. 22, against the Minford Falcons. A win would bring their conference record to 2-0 while improving their overall record to 5-1 and keeping their win streak alive.