Sectional Final Features Talented RBs
Warsaw's McClone, Carroll's dynamic duo lead strong ground games
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Anthony [email protected]
When the Warsaw Tigers (7-3) travel to Carroll High School for the 7 p.m. title game, they will be led by senior running back Tristan McClone and his 1,418 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
Not to be outdone, the Carroll Chargers (8-2) will showcase Purdue-commit Drue Tranquill, who’s run for 1,321 yards and 20 touchdowns, and when he’s out, his younger brother, junior Justin Tranquill, and his 1,329 rushing yards and 19 scores will enter.
The rushing totals of the Tranquills are impressive, but are made even more so when looking at the number of rushing attempts.
Drue has run the ball just 98 times, meaning he’s averaging 13.5 yards per carry and Justin has 145 attempts, going for 9.2 yards per carry.
Combined, the two have run the ball 243 times, which is 21 fewer times than McClone’s 264.
“The Tranquill brothers are going to be the best athletes we’ve faced,” Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said. “They’re both Division I football players. Legitimate Division I football players. A lot people, a lot of kids, a lot of parents think their kid is, or that they are, a Division I kid. These guys are. They’re big, they’re strong, they’re physical, they’re fast and they have a lot of good football players around them.”
The elder Tranquill, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound running back/outside linebacker, committed to Purdue University earlier this season, but that decision has been clouded as he’s been taking visits to Notre Dame as well.
Like his older brother, Justin, at 6-foot and 190 pounds, is also drawing a lot of Division I interest, giving the Chargers a very strong one-two punch.
“Their football skills are very good,” Carroll coach Doug Dinan said about the Tranquills. “They’re good-sized, they’re physical guys, as well. They both play on both sides of the ball. Drue plays outside linebacker, and is a very physical player on the defensive side and Justin’s a corner. Neither one has seen very much action to their side, to be honest.”
From his linebacking position, Drue has 57 tackles, one interception and seven pass deflections, while Justin has two picks and 11 tackles from his defensive back spot.
“With the Tranquill boys, they put one on the strong side and the other on the weak side,” Jensen said. “So, there may not be any big plays. We’re looking for four yards a crack. If we can do that, that will result in some first downs and keeping the clock moving. Hopefully we can do that.”
Averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 142 per game, McClone will be the key to whether or not Warsaw is successful.
As both coaches said in phone interviews this week, tempo will be the deciding factor in the game.
“They want to touch the ball as many times as they can,” Jensen said of the Chargers. “A part of our game plan is to keep our defense on the sideline. If we can get first downs and move the chains, keep the clock running and limit their amount of touches, that will work to our advantage.”
Dinan is well aware of what Warsaw wants to do, but wants his team to force the Tigers into playing the Chargers’ game.
“Tempo is going to be very important,” Dinan said. “It’s perspective. Our perspective is we do want to play uptempo. We do want to play fast. We want to no-huddle, then, if possible, we want to score very quickly. Defensively, we want to make stops and get the offense back on the field. That’s our philosophy.
“In terms of Warsaw, having watched them play, they want to control the ball,” he added. “Their offense is going to be their best defense. They want to keep the opponent off the field. They’re going to take care of the football, they’re going to play fundamental, smash mouth, downfield. (McClone) is a very good player and they want to control the clock that way.”
Along with featuring a strong run game, the Chargers have also shown they can be effective with the pass.
Senior quarterback Chandler Boggs, at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, has completed 70 of 130 pass attempts for 1,245 yards and 17 touchdowns, but has thrown eight picks.
While Boggs has been solid under center, Carroll has run the ball on 74 percent of its offensive plays this season, averaging 348 rushing yards per game and 8.6 per carry.
Similarly, Warsaw would much rather run the ball too, as 80 percent of its plays have been runs, accounting for 205 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry.
“We’re very similar in personality, in that we both like to run the football first,” Dinan said. “We’re going to play action and throw if we have to. And we both play sound defense.”
The style may be similar, but the offensive outputs have not been.
Playing in the Northeast Hoosier Conference, Carroll has averaged 50 points per game this year, while Warsaw has averaged 21 while playing in the Northern Lakes Conference.
The two teams have both played Goshen, Columbia City and East Noble, with each going 2-1 in those matchups.
Against Goshen, Carroll won 55-0 in Week 1, while Warsaw won 34-12 in Week 6, but led 34-6 at halftime and rested starters in the second half.
Against Columbia City, both teams had success, as Warsaw won 33-14 in its season opener and Carroll defeated the Eagles 56-0 three weeks ago.
A blemish on both teams record was a trip to Class 4A No. 9 East Noble, which defeated Warsaw 49-14 in the second week of the season, then downed Carroll 27-7 three weeks later.
Carroll’s loss to East Noble occurred one week after it fell 41-35 at home to Class 4A No. 8 New Haven, which went on to win the NHC.
According to Dinan, the cause of those losses was playing against good teams, as well as shooting themselves in the foot.
Against New Haven, Carroll committed two turnovers and allowed a punt return touchdown, then turned the ball over a whopping seven times against East Noble.
Since then, Carroll’s gone 5-0, outscoring opponents 290-55, an average score of 58-11.
While the Chargers’ toughest opponents were behind them by that time, they did beat Homestead – a team that defeated East Noble this year – twice in those five games by a combined score of 100-41.
“Since that point, we’ve been solid – taking care of the football,” Dinan said of recovering from the back-to-back losses. “We’ve been run-dominant. Our quarterback has made good decisions, taking care of the football. Defensively, we’ve been very solid too.”
Looking at the numbers, it’s easy to see Warsaw as underdogs in the championship game, but Jensen doesn’t want his guys to see it that way.
“You have to believe you can win,” he said. “If you don’t believe you can win, you’re not going to practice like you can win and you’re not going to play with the intensity you need to. You have to battle.”
Although his team may be the favorite to win, Dinan also doesn’t want his guys to underestimate the Tigers.
“First of all, they’re a very well-coached football team,” he said. “Coach Jensen is a very good football coach. He’s been around, he’s seen everything. They are a very good football team and they have a very good running back.”
Jensen is in his 18th season of coaching, 14th at Warsaw, but during that span he probably hasn’t seen too many other one-two punches like the one he’s going to see Friday night.
“They put those young men in a position to be successful,” Jensen said about Carroll’s scheme with the Tranquills. “They’re not trying to trick you. They just do what they do and they do it well. You have a line that blocks, receivers that block. When you have a couple kids that can go the distance, if you give them just a little space, it makes them real dangerous.
“They’re very well-coached and as their scores indicate, they can rack up a lot of points in a hurry,” he added. “We have to limit their big plays.”
And if the Warsaw defense can limit the big plays, while McClone and the rest of the Tigers’ offense can control the clock, an upset could be brewing.
Because of that, Dinan wants his team to come out fast and score quick.
“If you can control the tempo of the game, then you’re at a huge advantage,” he said.
Carroll won a sectional championship last year and is looking for the program’s fourth overall title.
The Tigers have played in three sectional championship games and are looking for their first win.[[In-content Ad]]
When the Warsaw Tigers (7-3) travel to Carroll High School for the 7 p.m. title game, they will be led by senior running back Tristan McClone and his 1,418 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
Not to be outdone, the Carroll Chargers (8-2) will showcase Purdue-commit Drue Tranquill, who’s run for 1,321 yards and 20 touchdowns, and when he’s out, his younger brother, junior Justin Tranquill, and his 1,329 rushing yards and 19 scores will enter.
The rushing totals of the Tranquills are impressive, but are made even more so when looking at the number of rushing attempts.
Drue has run the ball just 98 times, meaning he’s averaging 13.5 yards per carry and Justin has 145 attempts, going for 9.2 yards per carry.
Combined, the two have run the ball 243 times, which is 21 fewer times than McClone’s 264.
“The Tranquill brothers are going to be the best athletes we’ve faced,” Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said. “They’re both Division I football players. Legitimate Division I football players. A lot people, a lot of kids, a lot of parents think their kid is, or that they are, a Division I kid. These guys are. They’re big, they’re strong, they’re physical, they’re fast and they have a lot of good football players around them.”
The elder Tranquill, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound running back/outside linebacker, committed to Purdue University earlier this season, but that decision has been clouded as he’s been taking visits to Notre Dame as well.
Like his older brother, Justin, at 6-foot and 190 pounds, is also drawing a lot of Division I interest, giving the Chargers a very strong one-two punch.
“Their football skills are very good,” Carroll coach Doug Dinan said about the Tranquills. “They’re good-sized, they’re physical guys, as well. They both play on both sides of the ball. Drue plays outside linebacker, and is a very physical player on the defensive side and Justin’s a corner. Neither one has seen very much action to their side, to be honest.”
From his linebacking position, Drue has 57 tackles, one interception and seven pass deflections, while Justin has two picks and 11 tackles from his defensive back spot.
“With the Tranquill boys, they put one on the strong side and the other on the weak side,” Jensen said. “So, there may not be any big plays. We’re looking for four yards a crack. If we can do that, that will result in some first downs and keeping the clock moving. Hopefully we can do that.”
Averaging 5.4 yards per carry and 142 per game, McClone will be the key to whether or not Warsaw is successful.
As both coaches said in phone interviews this week, tempo will be the deciding factor in the game.
“They want to touch the ball as many times as they can,” Jensen said of the Chargers. “A part of our game plan is to keep our defense on the sideline. If we can get first downs and move the chains, keep the clock running and limit their amount of touches, that will work to our advantage.”
Dinan is well aware of what Warsaw wants to do, but wants his team to force the Tigers into playing the Chargers’ game.
“Tempo is going to be very important,” Dinan said. “It’s perspective. Our perspective is we do want to play uptempo. We do want to play fast. We want to no-huddle, then, if possible, we want to score very quickly. Defensively, we want to make stops and get the offense back on the field. That’s our philosophy.
“In terms of Warsaw, having watched them play, they want to control the ball,” he added. “Their offense is going to be their best defense. They want to keep the opponent off the field. They’re going to take care of the football, they’re going to play fundamental, smash mouth, downfield. (McClone) is a very good player and they want to control the clock that way.”
Along with featuring a strong run game, the Chargers have also shown they can be effective with the pass.
Senior quarterback Chandler Boggs, at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, has completed 70 of 130 pass attempts for 1,245 yards and 17 touchdowns, but has thrown eight picks.
While Boggs has been solid under center, Carroll has run the ball on 74 percent of its offensive plays this season, averaging 348 rushing yards per game and 8.6 per carry.
Similarly, Warsaw would much rather run the ball too, as 80 percent of its plays have been runs, accounting for 205 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry.
“We’re very similar in personality, in that we both like to run the football first,” Dinan said. “We’re going to play action and throw if we have to. And we both play sound defense.”
The style may be similar, but the offensive outputs have not been.
Playing in the Northeast Hoosier Conference, Carroll has averaged 50 points per game this year, while Warsaw has averaged 21 while playing in the Northern Lakes Conference.
The two teams have both played Goshen, Columbia City and East Noble, with each going 2-1 in those matchups.
Against Goshen, Carroll won 55-0 in Week 1, while Warsaw won 34-12 in Week 6, but led 34-6 at halftime and rested starters in the second half.
Against Columbia City, both teams had success, as Warsaw won 33-14 in its season opener and Carroll defeated the Eagles 56-0 three weeks ago.
A blemish on both teams record was a trip to Class 4A No. 9 East Noble, which defeated Warsaw 49-14 in the second week of the season, then downed Carroll 27-7 three weeks later.
Carroll’s loss to East Noble occurred one week after it fell 41-35 at home to Class 4A No. 8 New Haven, which went on to win the NHC.
According to Dinan, the cause of those losses was playing against good teams, as well as shooting themselves in the foot.
Against New Haven, Carroll committed two turnovers and allowed a punt return touchdown, then turned the ball over a whopping seven times against East Noble.
Since then, Carroll’s gone 5-0, outscoring opponents 290-55, an average score of 58-11.
While the Chargers’ toughest opponents were behind them by that time, they did beat Homestead – a team that defeated East Noble this year – twice in those five games by a combined score of 100-41.
“Since that point, we’ve been solid – taking care of the football,” Dinan said of recovering from the back-to-back losses. “We’ve been run-dominant. Our quarterback has made good decisions, taking care of the football. Defensively, we’ve been very solid too.”
Looking at the numbers, it’s easy to see Warsaw as underdogs in the championship game, but Jensen doesn’t want his guys to see it that way.
“You have to believe you can win,” he said. “If you don’t believe you can win, you’re not going to practice like you can win and you’re not going to play with the intensity you need to. You have to battle.”
Although his team may be the favorite to win, Dinan also doesn’t want his guys to underestimate the Tigers.
“First of all, they’re a very well-coached football team,” he said. “Coach Jensen is a very good football coach. He’s been around, he’s seen everything. They are a very good football team and they have a very good running back.”
Jensen is in his 18th season of coaching, 14th at Warsaw, but during that span he probably hasn’t seen too many other one-two punches like the one he’s going to see Friday night.
“They put those young men in a position to be successful,” Jensen said about Carroll’s scheme with the Tranquills. “They’re not trying to trick you. They just do what they do and they do it well. You have a line that blocks, receivers that block. When you have a couple kids that can go the distance, if you give them just a little space, it makes them real dangerous.
“They’re very well-coached and as their scores indicate, they can rack up a lot of points in a hurry,” he added. “We have to limit their big plays.”
And if the Warsaw defense can limit the big plays, while McClone and the rest of the Tigers’ offense can control the clock, an upset could be brewing.
Because of that, Dinan wants his team to come out fast and score quick.
“If you can control the tempo of the game, then you’re at a huge advantage,” he said.
Carroll won a sectional championship last year and is looking for the program’s fourth overall title.
The Tigers have played in three sectional championship games and are looking for their first win.[[In-content Ad]]
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