Northrop Rains On Warsaw's Season
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
When the Warsaw Tigers stepped on the field for their first round two sectional game in school history, a light mist fell.
As the game progressed, the mist turned into rain as the Tigers watched their sectional hopes trickle down the drain.
As the rain ended and the fog set in, the scoreboard emitted an eerie glow with the score 17-10.
The Fort Wayne Northrop Bruins left Warsaw with a 17-10 victory over the Tigers, along with the chance to play next week.
After Warsaw went three and out on its first drive of the game, Northrop struck early and scored a touchdown on the first play of its first drive of the game.
John Murray ran 52 yards for the first Bruin score, and after the extra point sailed through the uprights, Northrop held a 7-0 lead.
Just four minutes later, Murray crossed the goal line again to put the Bruins up 14-0 over the Tigers.
Warsaw was down but not out.
Two minutes after Northrop's second touchdown, the Tigers scored a touchdown of their own on a 68-yard Greg Seiss pass to Ross Kesler, making the score 14-7 going into the second quarter.
With 5:55 left in the second quarter, Northrop's Pat Mendoza kicked a 28-yard field goal to put the Bruins up 17-7.
Warsaw recovered a Northrop fumble with just over one minute left in the half. On the first play of the drive, Warsaw fooled the Bruin defense as Jon Hill gained 20 yards on a reverse.
The Tigers gained nine yards on their next two plays to bring up third and one with only seconds left on the clock.
Brad Waggoner rushed on the field and nailed a 25-yard field goal to bring the Tigers within one touchdown of the Bruins.
At the half, the score stood at 17-10.
After a scoreless second half, Northrop left Fisher Field with a victory, and Warsaw was left to wonder what happened.
For starters, the Northrop defense successfully shut down Warsaw's rushing game, holding leading rusher Jose Esquivel below 50 total yards for the game. The Bruins held Esquivel to 27 yards in the first half and 22 yards in the second half for a total of just 49 yards overall.
In the end, Warsaw's defense eliminated the Northrop passing game but had a tough time controlling the run. Northrop's Murray finished the night with 230 rushing yards on 26 carries. Rodgers and Jones combined for 114 yards on 13 carries to help lead the Bruins to victory.
"I'm just proud of my kids," said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen. "We've had a good year.
"This was a tough game that epitomized our season."
Warsaw finishes the season 5-6 as Northrop (8-3) advances to the sectional final game next week when they will play Homestead for the sectional title. [[In-content Ad]]
When the Warsaw Tigers stepped on the field for their first round two sectional game in school history, a light mist fell.
As the game progressed, the mist turned into rain as the Tigers watched their sectional hopes trickle down the drain.
As the rain ended and the fog set in, the scoreboard emitted an eerie glow with the score 17-10.
The Fort Wayne Northrop Bruins left Warsaw with a 17-10 victory over the Tigers, along with the chance to play next week.
After Warsaw went three and out on its first drive of the game, Northrop struck early and scored a touchdown on the first play of its first drive of the game.
John Murray ran 52 yards for the first Bruin score, and after the extra point sailed through the uprights, Northrop held a 7-0 lead.
Just four minutes later, Murray crossed the goal line again to put the Bruins up 14-0 over the Tigers.
Warsaw was down but not out.
Two minutes after Northrop's second touchdown, the Tigers scored a touchdown of their own on a 68-yard Greg Seiss pass to Ross Kesler, making the score 14-7 going into the second quarter.
With 5:55 left in the second quarter, Northrop's Pat Mendoza kicked a 28-yard field goal to put the Bruins up 17-7.
Warsaw recovered a Northrop fumble with just over one minute left in the half. On the first play of the drive, Warsaw fooled the Bruin defense as Jon Hill gained 20 yards on a reverse.
The Tigers gained nine yards on their next two plays to bring up third and one with only seconds left on the clock.
Brad Waggoner rushed on the field and nailed a 25-yard field goal to bring the Tigers within one touchdown of the Bruins.
At the half, the score stood at 17-10.
After a scoreless second half, Northrop left Fisher Field with a victory, and Warsaw was left to wonder what happened.
For starters, the Northrop defense successfully shut down Warsaw's rushing game, holding leading rusher Jose Esquivel below 50 total yards for the game. The Bruins held Esquivel to 27 yards in the first half and 22 yards in the second half for a total of just 49 yards overall.
In the end, Warsaw's defense eliminated the Northrop passing game but had a tough time controlling the run. Northrop's Murray finished the night with 230 rushing yards on 26 carries. Rodgers and Jones combined for 114 yards on 13 carries to help lead the Bruins to victory.
"I'm just proud of my kids," said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen. "We've had a good year.
"This was a tough game that epitomized our season."
Warsaw finishes the season 5-6 as Northrop (8-3) advances to the sectional final game next week when they will play Homestead for the sectional title. [[In-content Ad]]