Esquivel Charges Warsaw
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
What a weapon Jose Esquivel is.
When Warsaw found itself down 10-7 to upstart Tippecanoe Valley at halftime Friday, the Tigers turned to their No. 1 weapon. And he responded.
Esquivel scored three times in the third quarter to lead Warsaw to a come-from-behind 31-17 win over the Vikings at Fisher Field.
Esquivel scored on runs of 78, 47 and 7 yards and had 126 of his career-high 217 yards rushing in the third. Most of his scoring runs came from Esquivel running up the middle, bouncing outside and leaving the Viking defense in his dust down the sideline.
"That is an advantage to having our line and our offense," Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said. "We send him in up there, and he is not afraid to run and get the hard yards. And if he can find that crease, and he has a way of finding it, it is off to the races."
Esquivel finished with four touchdowns after scoring from 54 yards out in the first period. He has five touchdowns this year, and four of those are from 47 or more yards away.
"He is a fine athlete," Tippecanoe Valley coach Scott Bibler said. "We gave up some big plays, but for the most part, our defense played well."
Esquivel accounted for 217 of Warsaw's 330 total yards of offense.
After Esquivel's final touchdown gave Warsaw a 31-10 lead in the third, Valley rebounded with Eric Prater's second scoring run of the game from seven yards out in the fourth quarter. Valley had a chance to cut further into the lead, but Prater fumbled at the Warsaw 14, and the Tigers ran out the clock.
Valley also put the pinch on Esquivel, who had 216 yards after his last long run, but got only one more yard on eight more carries.
"We got them on their heels with a couple of big runs in the third quarter, but they regrouped and played that fourth quarter tough," Jensen said.
Depth made a big difference. While Valley had several players going both ways and even had to play with some junior varsity players in the second half to give some offensive linemen rest from going both ways, the Tigers had the luxury of a platoon system with a player going both offense and defense only rarely.
"We felt like if we could stay closer in the second half, we could take control," Jensen said. "We do have a size and speed advantage, and we are playing kids only one way. It made a difference in the second half."
Valley opened the scoring in the first quarter when Prater ran in from 16 yards out to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead. It was shortlived as Esquivel ran to paydirt only three plays later to tie the score at 7-7.
Derek Eby's 22-yard field was the only scoring of the second quarter and gave Valley a 10-7 margin at halftime. Warsaw accumulated only 16 yards in total offense in the second, while Valley moved the ball, but had two big turnovers to stall the offense.
"We did some nice things tonight, but we have a long way to go," Bibler said. "I knew they were a good football team, but I thought we had a chance to win the thing. In my heart, I don't feel the score 31-17 indicates the closeness of the game. We have to put this behind us and go back to work. Warsaw has a good team. We got beat by a good team. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a learning experience. I think our kids will respond well."
Esquivel scored twice in the third quarter on runs of 78 and 47 yards, but the big blow came when Ryan Sands sacked Valley quarterback Brandon Eaton in the end zone for a rare safety and a 23-10 Warsaw lead.
"They brought the house, and we just didn't do a good job of blocking," Bibler said. We just broke down on a couple of things. We did some silly things in the third quarter."
The win has provided Warsaw with its first 2-0 record since 1994. That team would go to 3-1 before losing its final five games of the season.
"We have a long way to go," Jensen said. "We have to get better in executing those little things. Don't get me wrong, 2-0 is great, but our conference, week in and week out, is going to be a bear. If we don't continue to improve, 2-7 is not out of the realm of possibility."
Warsaw is at Plymouth Friday, while Valley hosts Manchester. [[In-content Ad]]
What a weapon Jose Esquivel is.
When Warsaw found itself down 10-7 to upstart Tippecanoe Valley at halftime Friday, the Tigers turned to their No. 1 weapon. And he responded.
Esquivel scored three times in the third quarter to lead Warsaw to a come-from-behind 31-17 win over the Vikings at Fisher Field.
Esquivel scored on runs of 78, 47 and 7 yards and had 126 of his career-high 217 yards rushing in the third. Most of his scoring runs came from Esquivel running up the middle, bouncing outside and leaving the Viking defense in his dust down the sideline.
"That is an advantage to having our line and our offense," Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said. "We send him in up there, and he is not afraid to run and get the hard yards. And if he can find that crease, and he has a way of finding it, it is off to the races."
Esquivel finished with four touchdowns after scoring from 54 yards out in the first period. He has five touchdowns this year, and four of those are from 47 or more yards away.
"He is a fine athlete," Tippecanoe Valley coach Scott Bibler said. "We gave up some big plays, but for the most part, our defense played well."
Esquivel accounted for 217 of Warsaw's 330 total yards of offense.
After Esquivel's final touchdown gave Warsaw a 31-10 lead in the third, Valley rebounded with Eric Prater's second scoring run of the game from seven yards out in the fourth quarter. Valley had a chance to cut further into the lead, but Prater fumbled at the Warsaw 14, and the Tigers ran out the clock.
Valley also put the pinch on Esquivel, who had 216 yards after his last long run, but got only one more yard on eight more carries.
"We got them on their heels with a couple of big runs in the third quarter, but they regrouped and played that fourth quarter tough," Jensen said.
Depth made a big difference. While Valley had several players going both ways and even had to play with some junior varsity players in the second half to give some offensive linemen rest from going both ways, the Tigers had the luxury of a platoon system with a player going both offense and defense only rarely.
"We felt like if we could stay closer in the second half, we could take control," Jensen said. "We do have a size and speed advantage, and we are playing kids only one way. It made a difference in the second half."
Valley opened the scoring in the first quarter when Prater ran in from 16 yards out to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead. It was shortlived as Esquivel ran to paydirt only three plays later to tie the score at 7-7.
Derek Eby's 22-yard field was the only scoring of the second quarter and gave Valley a 10-7 margin at halftime. Warsaw accumulated only 16 yards in total offense in the second, while Valley moved the ball, but had two big turnovers to stall the offense.
"We did some nice things tonight, but we have a long way to go," Bibler said. "I knew they were a good football team, but I thought we had a chance to win the thing. In my heart, I don't feel the score 31-17 indicates the closeness of the game. We have to put this behind us and go back to work. Warsaw has a good team. We got beat by a good team. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a learning experience. I think our kids will respond well."
Esquivel scored twice in the third quarter on runs of 78 and 47 yards, but the big blow came when Ryan Sands sacked Valley quarterback Brandon Eaton in the end zone for a rare safety and a 23-10 Warsaw lead.
"They brought the house, and we just didn't do a good job of blocking," Bibler said. We just broke down on a couple of things. We did some silly things in the third quarter."
The win has provided Warsaw with its first 2-0 record since 1994. That team would go to 3-1 before losing its final five games of the season.
"We have a long way to go," Jensen said. "We have to get better in executing those little things. Don't get me wrong, 2-0 is great, but our conference, week in and week out, is going to be a bear. If we don't continue to improve, 2-7 is not out of the realm of possibility."
Warsaw is at Plymouth Friday, while Valley hosts Manchester. [[In-content Ad]]