Early Lead Not Enough For Whitko
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Ryan Villanueva-
Senior halfback Chris Bumbaugh sat dejected in the hallway, reflecting on the prior events. A student manager said he had never heard a full locker room so quiet.
There wasn't much to say after the Wildcats held an 8-point lead only to allow 30 straight points from Rochester, as the Zebras went on to win 30-8 at Ryan Huff Memorial Field.
"Some things just didn't go our way and we had some break-downs," said Whitko head coach Wayne Swender. "I told them that sometimes things just don't go our way, and it's a part of life. When things aren't going your way, you just dig deeper and do your job and trust in your teammates that they will do their job."
Whitko started the opening drive from their own 10, marching all the way to the Zebra end zone as junior quarterback Alex Stoddard scored on a 5-yard keeper. It appeared even more promising after fullback Austin Mort ran it up the middle on the two-point conversion attempt, making it an 8-0 Wildcat lead.
It was quite a productive opening drive, with the Wildcats eating up eight minutes and 20 seconds in the first quarter of action. Whitko forced Rochester to punt later in the first quarter to keep it an 8-point lead.
That was when things made a downward turn.
Rochester got on the board after a 23-yard pass play from Jon O'Dell to Collyn Bennett to bring the Zebras within two with 7:43 remaning in the first half.
On the ensuing possession, Whitko orchestrated a 69-yard drive before Stoddard's pass was picked off by the Zebras' Ramsen Bet-Nimrod at their own 6-yard line. The Zebras completed the 94-yard drive with a 14-yard scoring run by senior halfback Zac Shultz to make it 13-8.
For Whitko, after halftime, when it rained--it poured.
Shultz found the endzone two additional times in the second half. He was held to under 100 yards rushing in consecutive weeks after running for 71 yards against Whitko and was limited to just 45 last week against Tippecanoe Valley. Despite the numbers, Shultz helped the Zebras control the clock.
"They made adjustments and we couldn't figure out what to do," Stoddard said. "That's all, basically."
"They have some weapons," Swender said. "They have one of the better backs in the conference. We knew what we were up against."
Throughout the course of the game, the Wildcats were visibly frustrated on the sidelines. Stoddard reached to all of his teammates, keeping their morale afloat.
"I'm just trying to keep my team," Stoddard said. "I don't like anybody down."
Bumbaugh led the Wildcats in rushing, carrying the ball 16 times for 60 yards. Stoddard completed 6 of his 10 passes for 91 yards, including the interception to Bet-Nimrod. Senior wideout Derek Snep hauled in four catches for 42 yards, leading all Wildcat receivers. Snep also recorded an interception against O'Dell early in the fourth quarter.
With the ninth and final week of the regular season approaching, Whitko will wrap things up at home on senior night when the Wildcats host Tippecanoe Valley. The Vikings secured at least a share of the TRC title after thrashing North Miami 55-13. Swender also realizes what they are going up against next week when the Vikings visit South Whitley.
"We are playing for pride," Swender said. "We can either drop our heads and pout, or we can get at it and just continue to keep working on getting better."
Whitko fell to 4-4 (4-2 TRC) on the season while Rochester improved to 5-3 (5-1 TRC).[[In-content Ad]]
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Senior halfback Chris Bumbaugh sat dejected in the hallway, reflecting on the prior events. A student manager said he had never heard a full locker room so quiet.
There wasn't much to say after the Wildcats held an 8-point lead only to allow 30 straight points from Rochester, as the Zebras went on to win 30-8 at Ryan Huff Memorial Field.
"Some things just didn't go our way and we had some break-downs," said Whitko head coach Wayne Swender. "I told them that sometimes things just don't go our way, and it's a part of life. When things aren't going your way, you just dig deeper and do your job and trust in your teammates that they will do their job."
Whitko started the opening drive from their own 10, marching all the way to the Zebra end zone as junior quarterback Alex Stoddard scored on a 5-yard keeper. It appeared even more promising after fullback Austin Mort ran it up the middle on the two-point conversion attempt, making it an 8-0 Wildcat lead.
It was quite a productive opening drive, with the Wildcats eating up eight minutes and 20 seconds in the first quarter of action. Whitko forced Rochester to punt later in the first quarter to keep it an 8-point lead.
That was when things made a downward turn.
Rochester got on the board after a 23-yard pass play from Jon O'Dell to Collyn Bennett to bring the Zebras within two with 7:43 remaning in the first half.
On the ensuing possession, Whitko orchestrated a 69-yard drive before Stoddard's pass was picked off by the Zebras' Ramsen Bet-Nimrod at their own 6-yard line. The Zebras completed the 94-yard drive with a 14-yard scoring run by senior halfback Zac Shultz to make it 13-8.
For Whitko, after halftime, when it rained--it poured.
Shultz found the endzone two additional times in the second half. He was held to under 100 yards rushing in consecutive weeks after running for 71 yards against Whitko and was limited to just 45 last week against Tippecanoe Valley. Despite the numbers, Shultz helped the Zebras control the clock.
"They made adjustments and we couldn't figure out what to do," Stoddard said. "That's all, basically."
"They have some weapons," Swender said. "They have one of the better backs in the conference. We knew what we were up against."
Throughout the course of the game, the Wildcats were visibly frustrated on the sidelines. Stoddard reached to all of his teammates, keeping their morale afloat.
"I'm just trying to keep my team," Stoddard said. "I don't like anybody down."
Bumbaugh led the Wildcats in rushing, carrying the ball 16 times for 60 yards. Stoddard completed 6 of his 10 passes for 91 yards, including the interception to Bet-Nimrod. Senior wideout Derek Snep hauled in four catches for 42 yards, leading all Wildcat receivers. Snep also recorded an interception against O'Dell early in the fourth quarter.
With the ninth and final week of the regular season approaching, Whitko will wrap things up at home on senior night when the Wildcats host Tippecanoe Valley. The Vikings secured at least a share of the TRC title after thrashing North Miami 55-13. Swender also realizes what they are going up against next week when the Vikings visit South Whitley.
"We are playing for pride," Swender said. "We can either drop our heads and pout, or we can get at it and just continue to keep working on getting better."
Whitko fell to 4-4 (4-2 TRC) on the season while Rochester improved to 5-3 (5-1 TRC).[[In-content Ad]]
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