Wawasee Rolls To 2nd Straight Shutout Win
August 29, 2020 at 4:27 a.m.
Wawasee Rolls To 2nd Straight Shutout Win
By Alaister McFarren-
Behind senior Jacob Meek’s fumble recovery and two interceptions, the Warrior defense was stifling as it forced 6 turnovers en route to its second straight shutout after blanking Lakeland 42-0 a week before.
Meek’s spearheading of the defense stood out to Wawasee head coach Jon Reutebuch.
“Meek is having a great senior year,” the coach said. “This is a program player who didn’t get the chance to start until his senior year, and he’s making the most of it,” the coach said.
On his team’s overall defense, Reutebuch noted that they were “stellar,” especially the play of his linebackers.
“We got Robert Schmucker back tonight, which was huge,” he said. “(Dominic) Blair has been great two games in a row.”
Reutebuch praised how his team has overcome adversity due to injury, particularly on the defensive line.
“We’re down to our fifth defensive end,” he said, “and the kid played a whale of a game. We’re looking forward to getting a few more guys back healthy. That’s scary, and that’s good news for us.”
On the offensive side of the ball, both teams struggled in the first quarter. Despite West Noble committing three turnovers on downs, the Warriors were only able to convert one first down, punting three times in the period.
“Offensively, we struggled tonight,” Reutebuch said. “We scored 31 points, but there’s a lot we need to improve on.” He added that his team didn’t run the ball very well; they garnered 84 yards on 35 attempts, good for only 2.5 per carry.
“We need to impose our will on the offensive line, and we haven’t done that yet,” he stated.
The offense woke up in the second quarter, however, when Wawasee rolled off a seven-play, 73-yard scoring drive capped off by a 30-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Parker Young to senior receiver Cameron Salazar. It was his first of three passing touchdowns by Young on the day, finishing 7-10 throwing with 164 yards. He also ran for a score.
“It’s (Young’s) second full season as a starting quarterback, and the way he has elevated his play is night and day,” said Reutebuch. “He is so confident out there. It’s slowing down for him. He’s seeing the right things, reading the right reads, seeing his keys; he’s running the show. He’s what we thought he could be: a leader and a difference maker.”
Following a fumbled punt by West Noble, the Warriors took over possession 24 yards from the endzone. After several plays resulting in a loss of yards and a penalty, junior kicker Caleb Clevenger kicked a 36-yard field goal to push the score to 10-0.
The defense promptly came up big again, forcing a West Noble fumble. Feeding off the defensive energy, the Wawasee offense drove the ball 57 yards; Young finished off the drive with a 17-yard run to put the ball at the one, and then pushed the ball over the line on a and quarterback sneak to make the score 17-0.
West Noble attempted one final drive with just over a minute to go, but an interception by Wawasee junior Lucas Ringler stopped any chance of the Chargers scoring before the half.
Wawasee came out in the third and put the game firmly away, scoring on a 41-yard pass from young to Meek and a 40-yard throw to Adam Beer.
The defense also kept up the pressure, forcing a fumble and picking off West Noble quarterback Kolby Knox three more times in the half to close the game out.
West Noble nearly put together a scoring drive to ruin Wawasee’s scoreless streak, but Meek made the final interception of the game with 2:30 to go in the fourth to seal the win.
Wawasee (2-0) will take on Northridge (1-0) next Friday at home in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams.
Wawasee 31, West Noble 0
W 0 17 14 0 – 31
WN 0 0 0 0 – 0
W – Parker Young 30 pass to Kameron Salazar (Caleb Clevenger kick)
W - Clevenger 36 field goal
W - Young 1 run (Clevenger kick)
W - Young 41 pass to Jacob Meek (Clevenger kick)
W - Young 40 pass to Adam Beer (Clevenger kick)
Behind senior Jacob Meek’s fumble recovery and two interceptions, the Warrior defense was stifling as it forced 6 turnovers en route to its second straight shutout after blanking Lakeland 42-0 a week before.
Meek’s spearheading of the defense stood out to Wawasee head coach Jon Reutebuch.
“Meek is having a great senior year,” the coach said. “This is a program player who didn’t get the chance to start until his senior year, and he’s making the most of it,” the coach said.
On his team’s overall defense, Reutebuch noted that they were “stellar,” especially the play of his linebackers.
“We got Robert Schmucker back tonight, which was huge,” he said. “(Dominic) Blair has been great two games in a row.”
Reutebuch praised how his team has overcome adversity due to injury, particularly on the defensive line.
“We’re down to our fifth defensive end,” he said, “and the kid played a whale of a game. We’re looking forward to getting a few more guys back healthy. That’s scary, and that’s good news for us.”
On the offensive side of the ball, both teams struggled in the first quarter. Despite West Noble committing three turnovers on downs, the Warriors were only able to convert one first down, punting three times in the period.
“Offensively, we struggled tonight,” Reutebuch said. “We scored 31 points, but there’s a lot we need to improve on.” He added that his team didn’t run the ball very well; they garnered 84 yards on 35 attempts, good for only 2.5 per carry.
“We need to impose our will on the offensive line, and we haven’t done that yet,” he stated.
The offense woke up in the second quarter, however, when Wawasee rolled off a seven-play, 73-yard scoring drive capped off by a 30-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Parker Young to senior receiver Cameron Salazar. It was his first of three passing touchdowns by Young on the day, finishing 7-10 throwing with 164 yards. He also ran for a score.
“It’s (Young’s) second full season as a starting quarterback, and the way he has elevated his play is night and day,” said Reutebuch. “He is so confident out there. It’s slowing down for him. He’s seeing the right things, reading the right reads, seeing his keys; he’s running the show. He’s what we thought he could be: a leader and a difference maker.”
Following a fumbled punt by West Noble, the Warriors took over possession 24 yards from the endzone. After several plays resulting in a loss of yards and a penalty, junior kicker Caleb Clevenger kicked a 36-yard field goal to push the score to 10-0.
The defense promptly came up big again, forcing a West Noble fumble. Feeding off the defensive energy, the Wawasee offense drove the ball 57 yards; Young finished off the drive with a 17-yard run to put the ball at the one, and then pushed the ball over the line on a and quarterback sneak to make the score 17-0.
West Noble attempted one final drive with just over a minute to go, but an interception by Wawasee junior Lucas Ringler stopped any chance of the Chargers scoring before the half.
Wawasee came out in the third and put the game firmly away, scoring on a 41-yard pass from young to Meek and a 40-yard throw to Adam Beer.
The defense also kept up the pressure, forcing a fumble and picking off West Noble quarterback Kolby Knox three more times in the half to close the game out.
West Noble nearly put together a scoring drive to ruin Wawasee’s scoreless streak, but Meek made the final interception of the game with 2:30 to go in the fourth to seal the win.
Wawasee (2-0) will take on Northridge (1-0) next Friday at home in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams.
Wawasee 31, West Noble 0
W 0 17 14 0 – 31
WN 0 0 0 0 – 0
W – Parker Young 30 pass to Kameron Salazar (Caleb Clevenger kick)
W - Clevenger 36 field goal
W - Young 1 run (Clevenger kick)
W - Young 41 pass to Jacob Meek (Clevenger kick)
W - Young 40 pass to Adam Beer (Clevenger kick)
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