Big Plays Ground Warsaw
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
GOSHEN - The big Northern Lakes Conference matchup between Goshen and Warsaw Friday at Foreman Field came down to big plays - the Redskins made them and the Tigers didn't.
Goshen got three big pass plays from quarterback Jamie Egli (not to mention 308 yards passing) as the Redskins took control of the NLC race with a 28-0 rout of the Tigers on Goshen's homecoming night.
Warsaw entered the game riding a four-game winning streak, while Goshen was on a five-game tear of its own. And both teams were 2-0 in the NLC at the start of the contest.
The shutout was third of the season for Goshen, and the second in as many games.
Egli threw scoring strikes of 80 yards to Kevin Miller and 70 yards to Mason Ogle, and his 69-yard toss to Ogle helped set up a third score, and the Tigers could not quite overcome the big tosses.
"Our kids were prepared, but they made the plays," Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said. "That is a sign of a great football team. Their kids stepped up and made big plays.
"We competed," he said. "We played good defense, and we moved the ball at times. The difference when it is crunch time, the championship level came up and made them. We are not to that level."
Egli completed 10 of 14 pass for his 308 yards. He entered the game with only 530 yards passing for the season.
"This is a kid I have been talking about all summer," Jensen said. "I watched him in camp. We knew they could throw the football. He is a great quarterback, and he has some great receivers. And their running game only makes them better. I don't think he played above himself. I think he played up to his ability level."
The Warsaw defense did the job #on Goshen's Mason Ogle. Entering the contest Ogle had accounted for over 800 yards on the ground, and earlier this season had become Goshen's career rushing leader.
But the Tigers held Ogle to a season-low 61 yards on 15 carries. Warsaw, however, got caught a few times with eight or nine players in the box and that seemed to cost them on the big plays.
"You have to play defense and keep them out of the end zone," Jensen said. "We played great run defense, but they made the plays offensively."
Where Ogle might have lacked in the rushing department, he more than made up catching the football.
Warsaw opened up the game by putting together its best drive of the game and moved the ball to the Redskins' 29-yard line where the Tigers' Evan Miller was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 play.
Three plays later, Egli hit a streaking Ogle across the middle about 30 yards downfield. The Goshen junior did the rest and ended up at the Warsaw six. Jeremy Gregory punched in from a yard out three plays later and Goshen led and Warsaw was stunned.
The big blow came in the second quarter when Goshen, leading still 7-0, was backed up to its own 20-yard line with 20 seconds left in the half. If Warsaw held, it would be down to the No. 3 team in Class 4A by only a single touchdown at halftime.
But Egli rolled to his left and hit Miller with a perfect pass 20 yards down field. The Tiger defender was late getting to the play, and Miller was off to the races and didn't stop until he was in the end zone, 80 yards later and a 13-0 Goshen lead.
Five plays into the third quarter, Egli found Ogle streaking behind the Tiger defense and hit him in stride for a 70-yard scoring strike and a 21-0 Redskin lead.
Three big plays, and the Redskins were in control.
Goshen's final score came early in the fourth quarter when Egli found Phil Mikel in the corner of the end zone on a fourth-and-5 play from the 12-yard line. Mikel made a circus catch, jumping over Warsaw's Sam Wihebrink to make the grab.
Egli, working behind a huge and talented offensive line, had plenty of time and threw for the three touchdowns.
"The years that they have played in the weight room, it showed," Jensen said. "Our kids showed improvement from our year of being in the weight room. The kids played with heart."
Lost in the story about the big plays from the Goshen offense was the work of the Goshen defense. Some might say that the defense was the weakness of the team coming into the season after losing six starters from last year's semi-state team. But the Redskins' D proved that not to be true.
Goshen held Warsaw to under 200 yards of total offense. The Redskins frustrated Warsaw quarterback Andy Plank into a 3-for-12 passing night, including misfiring on eight straight passes at one point.
The Tigers' leading ground gainer for the season, Jose Esquivel, didn't fare much better as he got only 10 yards on 7 carries before leaving the game with an injury.
The loss ended Warsaw's four-game winning streak as the Tigers suffered their first NLC loss of the season.
But except for three big plays, the Tigers have the knowledge that they were pretty much right in the game with one of the state's best in Class 4A.
"We didn't just come up here to be a part of this game," Jensen said. "We came up here to compete, and to fight and to play. They are the better team, no question."
Warsaw (4-2, 2-1) hosts Wawasee on Friday. [[In-content Ad]]
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GOSHEN - The big Northern Lakes Conference matchup between Goshen and Warsaw Friday at Foreman Field came down to big plays - the Redskins made them and the Tigers didn't.
Goshen got three big pass plays from quarterback Jamie Egli (not to mention 308 yards passing) as the Redskins took control of the NLC race with a 28-0 rout of the Tigers on Goshen's homecoming night.
Warsaw entered the game riding a four-game winning streak, while Goshen was on a five-game tear of its own. And both teams were 2-0 in the NLC at the start of the contest.
The shutout was third of the season for Goshen, and the second in as many games.
Egli threw scoring strikes of 80 yards to Kevin Miller and 70 yards to Mason Ogle, and his 69-yard toss to Ogle helped set up a third score, and the Tigers could not quite overcome the big tosses.
"Our kids were prepared, but they made the plays," Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said. "That is a sign of a great football team. Their kids stepped up and made big plays.
"We competed," he said. "We played good defense, and we moved the ball at times. The difference when it is crunch time, the championship level came up and made them. We are not to that level."
Egli completed 10 of 14 pass for his 308 yards. He entered the game with only 530 yards passing for the season.
"This is a kid I have been talking about all summer," Jensen said. "I watched him in camp. We knew they could throw the football. He is a great quarterback, and he has some great receivers. And their running game only makes them better. I don't think he played above himself. I think he played up to his ability level."
The Warsaw defense did the job #on Goshen's Mason Ogle. Entering the contest Ogle had accounted for over 800 yards on the ground, and earlier this season had become Goshen's career rushing leader.
But the Tigers held Ogle to a season-low 61 yards on 15 carries. Warsaw, however, got caught a few times with eight or nine players in the box and that seemed to cost them on the big plays.
"You have to play defense and keep them out of the end zone," Jensen said. "We played great run defense, but they made the plays offensively."
Where Ogle might have lacked in the rushing department, he more than made up catching the football.
Warsaw opened up the game by putting together its best drive of the game and moved the ball to the Redskins' 29-yard line where the Tigers' Evan Miller was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 play.
Three plays later, Egli hit a streaking Ogle across the middle about 30 yards downfield. The Goshen junior did the rest and ended up at the Warsaw six. Jeremy Gregory punched in from a yard out three plays later and Goshen led and Warsaw was stunned.
The big blow came in the second quarter when Goshen, leading still 7-0, was backed up to its own 20-yard line with 20 seconds left in the half. If Warsaw held, it would be down to the No. 3 team in Class 4A by only a single touchdown at halftime.
But Egli rolled to his left and hit Miller with a perfect pass 20 yards down field. The Tiger defender was late getting to the play, and Miller was off to the races and didn't stop until he was in the end zone, 80 yards later and a 13-0 Goshen lead.
Five plays into the third quarter, Egli found Ogle streaking behind the Tiger defense and hit him in stride for a 70-yard scoring strike and a 21-0 Redskin lead.
Three big plays, and the Redskins were in control.
Goshen's final score came early in the fourth quarter when Egli found Phil Mikel in the corner of the end zone on a fourth-and-5 play from the 12-yard line. Mikel made a circus catch, jumping over Warsaw's Sam Wihebrink to make the grab.
Egli, working behind a huge and talented offensive line, had plenty of time and threw for the three touchdowns.
"The years that they have played in the weight room, it showed," Jensen said. "Our kids showed improvement from our year of being in the weight room. The kids played with heart."
Lost in the story about the big plays from the Goshen offense was the work of the Goshen defense. Some might say that the defense was the weakness of the team coming into the season after losing six starters from last year's semi-state team. But the Redskins' D proved that not to be true.
Goshen held Warsaw to under 200 yards of total offense. The Redskins frustrated Warsaw quarterback Andy Plank into a 3-for-12 passing night, including misfiring on eight straight passes at one point.
The Tigers' leading ground gainer for the season, Jose Esquivel, didn't fare much better as he got only 10 yards on 7 carries before leaving the game with an injury.
The loss ended Warsaw's four-game winning streak as the Tigers suffered their first NLC loss of the season.
But except for three big plays, the Tigers have the knowledge that they were pretty much right in the game with one of the state's best in Class 4A.
"We didn't just come up here to be a part of this game," Jensen said. "We came up here to compete, and to fight and to play. They are the better team, no question."
Warsaw (4-2, 2-1) hosts Wawasee on Friday. [[In-content Ad]]