Warsaw Unified Flag Football Notches 36-30 Win
September 22, 2021 at 11:54 p.m.
By Chip Davenport-
Unified Flag Football is an IHSAA-sanctioned sport pairing special needs athletes with student partners to form a five-player flag football side. At least one special needs athlete must handle the football on each offensive play.
The football season includes a postseason drive all the way to a state championship beginning with a sectional round October 2, a regional round October 9, and a state semifinal and final October 16.
Each team featured a special needs athlete at quarterback: Adam Slabach for the Tigers, and Danny Peters for the RedHawks.
The Tigers honored athlete Ben Slabach, and partners Anna Gustafson and Alicia Johnson in a pregame Senior Night celebration.
The younger Slabach, a junior, honored his elder sibling throwing three touchdown passes (two to partner Drew Heckaman, and one to partner Jaxson Gould), and snaring a TD reception in the evening’s action.
Heckaman also ran for another touchdown, making it a hat trick for the night, and junior athlete Deacon Howard sprinted down the sideline for a scoring run.
Junior athlete Mason Anderson contributed to the rushing game while sophomore athlete Andon Zehring contributed to Warsaw’s short-pass attack.
Goshen drew first blood on partner Clay Kalb’s touchdown run followed by Gould’s TD reception from Slabach knotted the score at six apiece. Redhawk partner Caden Hodge scored the first of his three TDs for the evening on a pass from athlete Danny Peters to push the visitors ahead 12-6.
Heckaman’s two first half TD receptions from Slabach resulted in 12 unanswered Tiger points, and Warsaw led 18-12 at halftime.
The two squads exchanged touchdowns before Goshen tied the game at 24 on a Hodge TD run. The seesaw battle continued with Howard’s TD run for the Tigers followed by Goshen athlete Colt Kalb’s game-tying scoring dash.
Slabach’s TD reception clinched the win for Warsaw and capped the evening’s scoring.
Warsaw continues its Unified Flag Football regular season traveling to Wawasee Monday, and to Tippecanoe Valley Wednesday before beginning their sectional tournament Saturday October 2 in a seven-team field at the Tiger Athletic Complex. Warsaw opens against Homestead in the postseason at 10:00 a.m. Manchester and Valley will also compete in the October 2 sectional.
Unified Flag Football is an IHSAA-sanctioned sport pairing special needs athletes with student partners to form a five-player flag football side. At least one special needs athlete must handle the football on each offensive play.
The football season includes a postseason drive all the way to a state championship beginning with a sectional round October 2, a regional round October 9, and a state semifinal and final October 16.
Each team featured a special needs athlete at quarterback: Adam Slabach for the Tigers, and Danny Peters for the RedHawks.
The Tigers honored athlete Ben Slabach, and partners Anna Gustafson and Alicia Johnson in a pregame Senior Night celebration.
The younger Slabach, a junior, honored his elder sibling throwing three touchdown passes (two to partner Drew Heckaman, and one to partner Jaxson Gould), and snaring a TD reception in the evening’s action.
Heckaman also ran for another touchdown, making it a hat trick for the night, and junior athlete Deacon Howard sprinted down the sideline for a scoring run.
Junior athlete Mason Anderson contributed to the rushing game while sophomore athlete Andon Zehring contributed to Warsaw’s short-pass attack.
Goshen drew first blood on partner Clay Kalb’s touchdown run followed by Gould’s TD reception from Slabach knotted the score at six apiece. Redhawk partner Caden Hodge scored the first of his three TDs for the evening on a pass from athlete Danny Peters to push the visitors ahead 12-6.
Heckaman’s two first half TD receptions from Slabach resulted in 12 unanswered Tiger points, and Warsaw led 18-12 at halftime.
The two squads exchanged touchdowns before Goshen tied the game at 24 on a Hodge TD run. The seesaw battle continued with Howard’s TD run for the Tigers followed by Goshen athlete Colt Kalb’s game-tying scoring dash.
Slabach’s TD reception clinched the win for Warsaw and capped the evening’s scoring.
Warsaw continues its Unified Flag Football regular season traveling to Wawasee Monday, and to Tippecanoe Valley Wednesday before beginning their sectional tournament Saturday October 2 in a seven-team field at the Tiger Athletic Complex. Warsaw opens against Homestead in the postseason at 10:00 a.m. Manchester and Valley will also compete in the October 2 sectional.
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