Westwood’s Eli Loukkala, right, sacks Negaunee quarterback Jason Waterman on Friday night at the Patriots’ field. (Journal photo by Amy Grigas)

WESTWOOD — There were some expectations going into Friday night’s matchup between Westwood and Negaunee.

One was that the outcome would determine which team gained home field advantage in a playoff game next weekend when the two teams are likely to square off again.

Secondly, the size of Miners’ defensive and offensive lines would be a problem for the host Patriots, and third, that the game would be tight from start to finish.

Those expectations all proved false.

The Patriots rolled to a 42-14 win on the strength of their undersized offensive line and the Miners didn’t get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter.

And with Menominee defeating Hopkins 48-38 on Friday, the Patriots now look like they will head to Menominee next week while the Miners’ playoff hopes are looking to be in the hands of Calumet.

The Patriots were led on the ground by Taylor Dellangelo’s 178 yards on 26 attempts. Dellangelo accounted for the first Westwood touchdown from one yard out with six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Chad Pohlman’s squib kick was recovered by teammate Stephen Kangas and the Patriots again marched into the end zone, with Dellangelo tallying another 1-yard score. Westwood completed both 2-point conversions on Dellangelo passes to Erik Anderson and Garrett Mann, respectively.

By the end of the first quarter Dellangelo and his relatively undersized offensive line had a 16-0 lead.

“We drove down and scored, drove down and scored again, and then stopped them,” Dellangelo said of that first quarter. “And you could tell they didn’t want to have anything to do with us.”

Dellangelo finished with three touchdowns. Teammate Erik Anderson added 132 yards on 12 carries, with two scores, one a 63-yard run.

Stephen Kangas added the Patriots’ last score with 51 seconds remaining.

For the Patriots and head coach Scott Syrjala, that first quarter really set the tone.

“I thought it was really big,” Syrjala said of the fast start. “I wasn’t sure — you watch kids on film and they’re big, they’re really big. If you stood on the sideline and watched them coming to the line and us at the line, we’re up to here (makes a line at his chest).

“I tell you what, our kids, they’ve got a big heart. You can’t measure that,” he added. “They’re very coachable, they’re great kids, and they come off the ball well.”

And when you combine solid offensive line play with a good rushing attack, it makes it difficult for the opposing Miners to compete, especially when there are miscues as well.

Negaunee’s miscues came largely on special teams, where the Patriots recovered squib kicks and marched down for touchdowns.

“To put them — a good offense like that — put them in a short field, you can’t do that,” Negaunee head coach Paul Jacobson said. “We made some mistakes special-team-wise, and defensively.

“And credit to them, good game plan coming in, executed well,” he added. “And they did about what they needed to do to get a win.”

Negaunee was led by Nash Hillier on the ground, who accounted for 54 yards on 11 attempts. Jason Waterman added 46 yards on 11 tries. Waterman was also 5 for 10 passing for 77 yards and two scores and an interception.

Waterman completed a 39-yard pass to Alex Munson for the Miners’ first score with 8:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. His second passing score went to Tanner Cain, from 22 yards out.

Now that the undersized Patriots look to take on another bigger team in Menominee, their head coach is looking forward to the challenge, even if it is a big one.

“Now I don’t know if we’re going to be able to compete with the Menominees up in (Division 6) and that, but we’re certainly going to try,” Syrjala said.

And there’s still a chance for a Negaunee-Westwood rematch in a couple weeks.

“If we played them again, which we might if they beat Calumet and we beat Menominee, it’s going to be a battle,” Syrjala said. “I guarantee it.”