Tigers Win Opener Over Vikings
August 22, 2020 at 4:28 a.m.
Tigers Win Opener Over Vikings
By Chip Davenport-
However, the Tigers offense continued its brutal efficiency from last year, powered by Aaron Greene’s three rushing touchdowns of 22, 70 and 54 yards to defeat their hosts 42-35.
Greene rushed for 267 yards on 20 carries, and he looked faster and tougher as the game progressed. Juan Jaramillo was a workhorse at B-back and A-back running 31 times for 120 yards. Julius Jones added 55 yards including two pitch runs to the outside totaling 32 yards that wore out the host Vikings late in the game. Patrick Zollinger added a late game rush that kept the clock running for the Orange and Black as they amassed 31 minutes time of possession, 18 of those coming in the first half.
“How big was that two-pointer by Patty,” head coach Bart Curtis said, alluding to the extra point run by Zollinger that followed Greene’s third TD, a 54-yard run where he looked faster than he did at the start of the game. Zollinger’s run put the Tigers up 42-28 with 7:10 left in the final stanza forcing Huntington dig out of a hole that would require at least two unanswered scores. Zollinger is one of many athletes throughout Curtis’s career who made their bones on the JV team as juniors, but the reps prepared them for these defining moments.
The 2020 Wild Hogs had quite a debut, paving the way for 499 rushing yards, a new program record. Seniors Jacob Hawn and Dalla Anders (another junior JV grinder), and juniors Noah Chew, Michael Ramirez, Trace Stookey put forth an effort worthy of making their graduated predecessors proud.
Huntington returned 16 starters from a team who was thrashed 52-13 in the 2019 opener by the boys from Lake City. They played with purpose.
“Congratulations to Huntington North high School, Coach Prescott and their kids because they played extremely hard the entire game. We did NOT always play extremely hard the entire game. We need to fix that. We gotta play harder. No disrespect to them at all. They’re gonna win some ballgames this year.” Curtis said about his scrappy, opportunistic opponents.
Curtis continued, “I will never get upset about a missed assignment unless it’s repeated. But I will get upset about effort at each snap, and it’s what we need to work on. We have some tough kids.”
The game was a back-and forth match from the start. The Tigers drew first blood on their first possession capped by Greene’s 22-yard scamper at the opening quarter’s 7:08 mark. Jaramillo added a two-point conversion run to make the score 8-0. Garrett Johnson answered with a 6-yard run for the hosts breaking numerous tackles. The Vikes converted a two-point run on a fake kick by Sam Elliott to tie the score with 4:52 left in the period.
The Tigers outscored their hosts 19-14 in the second quarter to take a 27-22 lead into the locker room. Greene’s second TD, a 70-yard sprint, was followed by Aden Dennis’s 57-yard run. Those big runs aside, the Tigers, known for their clock-running long double-digit play drives, used excellent clock management trailing 22-20 to move 37 yards in 6 plays within 51 seconds to retake the lead on Jaramillo’s 1-yard run to paydirt; his first of two TDs for the night. Colton Wampler chipped in with a second-quarter score at B-back while Jaramillo distracted the Huntington defense lining up on the wing for an entire touchdown drive. The senior B-back and place-kicker had 37 yards and kicked
The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter. The Tiger defense came out tough and focused on the opening possession with a drive-stopping tackle for loss by sophomore defensive lineman Kyle Schnackenburg, who was platooned in the front four to increase its intensity.
“He comes to practice every day and he has one speed, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Curtis said. “We’re gonna play kids who play hard.”
The Vikings didn’t convert their extra point after Aden Dennis’s second score, so Warsaw moved to the fourth quarter with a 34-28 lead. The aforementioned fourth quarter TD run by Greene was matched by Viking halfback Garrett Johnson’s second TD of the evening, leaving the score at 42-35 as the hosts could not stop the powerful Warsaw running game. The guests took possession with 4:36 remaining in the game and held on until the clock hit zero.
The Tigers will host Michigan City in their home opener Friday with a later kickoff, 7:30 p.m.
WARSAW 42, HUNTINGTON NORTH 35
W – 8 19 7 8 - 42
HN - 8 14 6 7 – 35
W – Aaron Greene 22 run (Juan Jaramillo run) 1Q - 7:08
HN – Garret Johnson 6 run (Sam Elliott run) 1Q – 4:52
W – Greene 70 run (kick failed) Q2 - 11:19
HN – Aden Dennis 57 run (Garrett Sloan kick) Q2 – 10:04
W – Colton Wampler 5 run (run failed) Q2 5:44
HN – Jackson Holzinger blocked punt return (Sloan kick) Q2 - 3:57
W – Jaramillo 3 run (Wampler kick) Q2 –0:11.7
W – Jaramillo 1 run (Wampler kick) Q3 – 7:31
HN – Dennis 2 run (kick failed) Q3 – 4:27
W – Greene 54 run (Zollinger run) Q4 – 7:10
HN –Johnson 1 run (Slone kick) Q4 – 4:36
However, the Tigers offense continued its brutal efficiency from last year, powered by Aaron Greene’s three rushing touchdowns of 22, 70 and 54 yards to defeat their hosts 42-35.
Greene rushed for 267 yards on 20 carries, and he looked faster and tougher as the game progressed. Juan Jaramillo was a workhorse at B-back and A-back running 31 times for 120 yards. Julius Jones added 55 yards including two pitch runs to the outside totaling 32 yards that wore out the host Vikings late in the game. Patrick Zollinger added a late game rush that kept the clock running for the Orange and Black as they amassed 31 minutes time of possession, 18 of those coming in the first half.
“How big was that two-pointer by Patty,” head coach Bart Curtis said, alluding to the extra point run by Zollinger that followed Greene’s third TD, a 54-yard run where he looked faster than he did at the start of the game. Zollinger’s run put the Tigers up 42-28 with 7:10 left in the final stanza forcing Huntington dig out of a hole that would require at least two unanswered scores. Zollinger is one of many athletes throughout Curtis’s career who made their bones on the JV team as juniors, but the reps prepared them for these defining moments.
The 2020 Wild Hogs had quite a debut, paving the way for 499 rushing yards, a new program record. Seniors Jacob Hawn and Dalla Anders (another junior JV grinder), and juniors Noah Chew, Michael Ramirez, Trace Stookey put forth an effort worthy of making their graduated predecessors proud.
Huntington returned 16 starters from a team who was thrashed 52-13 in the 2019 opener by the boys from Lake City. They played with purpose.
“Congratulations to Huntington North high School, Coach Prescott and their kids because they played extremely hard the entire game. We did NOT always play extremely hard the entire game. We need to fix that. We gotta play harder. No disrespect to them at all. They’re gonna win some ballgames this year.” Curtis said about his scrappy, opportunistic opponents.
Curtis continued, “I will never get upset about a missed assignment unless it’s repeated. But I will get upset about effort at each snap, and it’s what we need to work on. We have some tough kids.”
The game was a back-and forth match from the start. The Tigers drew first blood on their first possession capped by Greene’s 22-yard scamper at the opening quarter’s 7:08 mark. Jaramillo added a two-point conversion run to make the score 8-0. Garrett Johnson answered with a 6-yard run for the hosts breaking numerous tackles. The Vikes converted a two-point run on a fake kick by Sam Elliott to tie the score with 4:52 left in the period.
The Tigers outscored their hosts 19-14 in the second quarter to take a 27-22 lead into the locker room. Greene’s second TD, a 70-yard sprint, was followed by Aden Dennis’s 57-yard run. Those big runs aside, the Tigers, known for their clock-running long double-digit play drives, used excellent clock management trailing 22-20 to move 37 yards in 6 plays within 51 seconds to retake the lead on Jaramillo’s 1-yard run to paydirt; his first of two TDs for the night. Colton Wampler chipped in with a second-quarter score at B-back while Jaramillo distracted the Huntington defense lining up on the wing for an entire touchdown drive. The senior B-back and place-kicker had 37 yards and kicked
The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter. The Tiger defense came out tough and focused on the opening possession with a drive-stopping tackle for loss by sophomore defensive lineman Kyle Schnackenburg, who was platooned in the front four to increase its intensity.
“He comes to practice every day and he has one speed, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Curtis said. “We’re gonna play kids who play hard.”
The Vikings didn’t convert their extra point after Aden Dennis’s second score, so Warsaw moved to the fourth quarter with a 34-28 lead. The aforementioned fourth quarter TD run by Greene was matched by Viking halfback Garrett Johnson’s second TD of the evening, leaving the score at 42-35 as the hosts could not stop the powerful Warsaw running game. The guests took possession with 4:36 remaining in the game and held on until the clock hit zero.
The Tigers will host Michigan City in their home opener Friday with a later kickoff, 7:30 p.m.
WARSAW 42, HUNTINGTON NORTH 35
W – 8 19 7 8 - 42
HN - 8 14 6 7 – 35
W – Aaron Greene 22 run (Juan Jaramillo run) 1Q - 7:08
HN – Garret Johnson 6 run (Sam Elliott run) 1Q – 4:52
W – Greene 70 run (kick failed) Q2 - 11:19
HN – Aden Dennis 57 run (Garrett Sloan kick) Q2 – 10:04
W – Colton Wampler 5 run (run failed) Q2 5:44
HN – Jackson Holzinger blocked punt return (Sloan kick) Q2 - 3:57
W – Jaramillo 3 run (Wampler kick) Q2 –0:11.7
W – Jaramillo 1 run (Wampler kick) Q3 – 7:31
HN – Dennis 2 run (kick failed) Q3 – 4:27
W – Greene 54 run (Zollinger run) Q4 – 7:10
HN –Johnson 1 run (Slone kick) Q4 – 4:36
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