Tiger Win NLC Thriller
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
ELKHART - What looked like an easy interception late in the fourth quarter, Warsaw corner back J.W. Maierle said it felt more like a beach ball slipping through his hands rather than a football.
And when he had a chance to put his hands on the ball on offense in the final minute Friday with his team trailing host Northern Lakes Conference opponent Elkhart Memorial 21-17, the 6-foot-3 senior had hands like fly paper, reeling in a 24-yard pass from classmate Mark Sudhoff that gave the Tigers first-and-goal at the 5 with nine seconds left.
Sudhoff, after spiking the ball on first down to stop the clock, carried the ball and scored on second-and-goal, going airborn for the winning touchdown with 3.4 seconds remaining in the Tigers' 24-21 win at Charger Field in Elkhart.
With Warsaw leading 17-14, Maierle had a chance to ice the game with what looked like an easy interception, but the ball slipped through his hands and fell to the turf.
One play later, on third-and-10 with 1:09 to play in regulation, Elkhart Memorial quarterback Derek Bryant threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Chris Kemp, whom Maierle was defending.
Matt Homan's extra-point kick split the uprights, and with a 21-17 lead, the host Crimson Chargers began to celebrate on the sidelines as if the game was over.
But while Maierle said the would-be interception felt like a beach ball slipping through his hands rather than a football, it was the size of the Tigers' heart that was immeasurable.
Starting on on their own 38-yard line, the Tigers moved the ball 16 yards on first down with a pass from Sudhoff to junior Chas Simpson.
After an incompletion, Maierle made a six-yard reception at the 40. After another incomplete pass set up a fourth-and-four situation, junior Blaine Allen made his first catch of the season, a 12-yard reception from Sudhoff that gave the Tigers first down at Memorial's 28.
And after Simpson caught a Sudhoff pass on the next play and lost a yard, Maierle reeled in a pass from Sudhoff that took the Tigers to the 5-yard line and set up the winning score.
"The ball down there (on defense) seemed like it was as big as a beach ball," said Maierle. "It was wobbly and just slipped right through my hands. I should have had it. When we got the ball back, the offensive line did a great job of opening things up. I've told Mark in practice to throw it and I'll go up and get it."
Maierle certainly did, and seconds later when Sudhoff sacrificed his already-battered body and went airborn for the game-winning touchdown, Memorial's players on the sideline went from being on cloud nine to bending over in defeat.
"There's no quitters on this team," said Maierle. "We could be down 99-0 with fourth down and one second to go, and we're still not going to quit. That's just the way this team is. There's no quitters on this team. We're going to play hard until it's over."
Friday's thrilling win marked the third time in four games this season the Tigers have come back from a 14-point deficit to pull out a victory.
"We seem to be able to execute our two-minute offense," said second-year Warsaw coach Troy Akers. "We had a drive against Columbia City. We had another one right before halftime the next week against Homestead. Last week we had our opportunities. I'm just thankful the kids woke up and competed. Wins in the NLC are hard to come by, and I'm extremely excited we were able to get this one."
Friday's win improved the Tigers to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the NLC, while Memorial fell to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the NLC.
The Crimson Chargers started the game as if they were going to be able to drive the ball all night on Warsaw's defense.
Memorial, after forcing the Tigers to punt on their first possession, ran the ball down Warsaw's throat and scored with 3:39 remaining in the open quarter when Chauncey Kery scampered in from nine yards out.
Memorial made it 14-0 with four seconds gone in the second stanza when Kery scored from one yard out.
The Tigers' offense then came to life, putting 17 points on the board in the second quarter, the first of which came when Sudhoff connected with Simpson for a 52-yard touchdown pass with 10:07 left in the first half.
With 5:14 remaining in the second, Jake Rogers kicked a 38-yard field goal, and with 1:14 to play in the first half Tommy Reinholt scored on a one-yard carry. Rogers' kick gave Warsaw a 17-14 lead, an advantage the Tigers didn't give up until Kemp's 25-yard touchdown reception late in the fourth.
Sudhoff finished the game 14 of 22 through the air for 220 yards and a touchdown. He didn't throw an interception. Simpson caught six passes for 108 yards, while Tyler Hamman rushed the ball 15 times for 61 yards.
For Memorial, Bryant completed 14 of 27 passes for 144 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception, a pass that was picked off by Simpson late in the second quarter.
Kery rushed the ball 21 times for 81 yards, while Bryant had six rushes for 23 yards.
"This is really huge," Maierle said of the come-from-behind win. "There's a huge difference between 2-2 and 3-1."
The Tigers, whose only loss on the season came at the hands of Plymouth in double overtime last week, host NLC foe Northridge Friday at 7 p.m.
Warsaw has defeated Northridge in the past 13 meetings and holds a 14-4 lead in the overall series.
WARSAW 24, MEMORIAL 21
Warsaw 0 17 0 7 - 24
Memorial 7 7 0 7 - 21
W M
First downs 15 16
Rushing yards 33-94 36-126
Passing yards 220 144
Comp.-Att.-Int. 14-22-0 14-27-1
Total offense 314 270
Fumbles/lost 1-0 2-2
Punts/avg. 5-32.6 4-39.0
Penalties/yards 3-26 3-15
First Quarter
M -ÊChauncey Kery 9 run (Matt Homan kick) 7-0, 3:39
Second Quarter
M -ÊKery 1 run (Homan kick) 14-0, 11:56
W - Mark Sudhoff 52 pass to Chas Simpson (Jake Rogers kick) 14-7, 10:07
W - Rogers 38 field goal 14-10, 5:14
W - Tommy Reinholt 1 run (Rogers kick) 17-14, 1:14
Fourth Quarter
M -ÊDerek Bryan 25 pass to Chris Kemp (Homan kick) 21-17, 1:04
W - Sudhoff 5 run (Rogers kick) 24-21, :3.4
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Warsaw, Tyler Hamman 15-61, Sudhoff 11-5, Dale Wood 4-23, Reinholt 3-5; Memorial, Kery 21-81, Bryan 6-23, Dominick Tuggle 6-12, Homan 3-10
Passing - Warsaw, Sudhoff 14-22-220, 1 TD, 0 INT; Memorial, Bryant 14-27-144, 1 TD, 1 INT
Receiving - Warsaw, Simpson 6-108, J.W. Maierle 3-38, Hamman 1-26, Mitch Reinholt 1-14, Jordan Fuller 1-13, Blaine Allen 1-12, Wood 1-9; Memorial, Simeon Jackson 4-43, Kemp 3-42, Sean Sears 3-30, Deshone Harris 2-19, Greg Duvall 1-, Brent House 1-4 [[In-content Ad]]
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ELKHART - What looked like an easy interception late in the fourth quarter, Warsaw corner back J.W. Maierle said it felt more like a beach ball slipping through his hands rather than a football.
And when he had a chance to put his hands on the ball on offense in the final minute Friday with his team trailing host Northern Lakes Conference opponent Elkhart Memorial 21-17, the 6-foot-3 senior had hands like fly paper, reeling in a 24-yard pass from classmate Mark Sudhoff that gave the Tigers first-and-goal at the 5 with nine seconds left.
Sudhoff, after spiking the ball on first down to stop the clock, carried the ball and scored on second-and-goal, going airborn for the winning touchdown with 3.4 seconds remaining in the Tigers' 24-21 win at Charger Field in Elkhart.
With Warsaw leading 17-14, Maierle had a chance to ice the game with what looked like an easy interception, but the ball slipped through his hands and fell to the turf.
One play later, on third-and-10 with 1:09 to play in regulation, Elkhart Memorial quarterback Derek Bryant threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Chris Kemp, whom Maierle was defending.
Matt Homan's extra-point kick split the uprights, and with a 21-17 lead, the host Crimson Chargers began to celebrate on the sidelines as if the game was over.
But while Maierle said the would-be interception felt like a beach ball slipping through his hands rather than a football, it was the size of the Tigers' heart that was immeasurable.
Starting on on their own 38-yard line, the Tigers moved the ball 16 yards on first down with a pass from Sudhoff to junior Chas Simpson.
After an incompletion, Maierle made a six-yard reception at the 40. After another incomplete pass set up a fourth-and-four situation, junior Blaine Allen made his first catch of the season, a 12-yard reception from Sudhoff that gave the Tigers first down at Memorial's 28.
And after Simpson caught a Sudhoff pass on the next play and lost a yard, Maierle reeled in a pass from Sudhoff that took the Tigers to the 5-yard line and set up the winning score.
"The ball down there (on defense) seemed like it was as big as a beach ball," said Maierle. "It was wobbly and just slipped right through my hands. I should have had it. When we got the ball back, the offensive line did a great job of opening things up. I've told Mark in practice to throw it and I'll go up and get it."
Maierle certainly did, and seconds later when Sudhoff sacrificed his already-battered body and went airborn for the game-winning touchdown, Memorial's players on the sideline went from being on cloud nine to bending over in defeat.
"There's no quitters on this team," said Maierle. "We could be down 99-0 with fourth down and one second to go, and we're still not going to quit. That's just the way this team is. There's no quitters on this team. We're going to play hard until it's over."
Friday's thrilling win marked the third time in four games this season the Tigers have come back from a 14-point deficit to pull out a victory.
"We seem to be able to execute our two-minute offense," said second-year Warsaw coach Troy Akers. "We had a drive against Columbia City. We had another one right before halftime the next week against Homestead. Last week we had our opportunities. I'm just thankful the kids woke up and competed. Wins in the NLC are hard to come by, and I'm extremely excited we were able to get this one."
Friday's win improved the Tigers to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the NLC, while Memorial fell to 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the NLC.
The Crimson Chargers started the game as if they were going to be able to drive the ball all night on Warsaw's defense.
Memorial, after forcing the Tigers to punt on their first possession, ran the ball down Warsaw's throat and scored with 3:39 remaining in the open quarter when Chauncey Kery scampered in from nine yards out.
Memorial made it 14-0 with four seconds gone in the second stanza when Kery scored from one yard out.
The Tigers' offense then came to life, putting 17 points on the board in the second quarter, the first of which came when Sudhoff connected with Simpson for a 52-yard touchdown pass with 10:07 left in the first half.
With 5:14 remaining in the second, Jake Rogers kicked a 38-yard field goal, and with 1:14 to play in the first half Tommy Reinholt scored on a one-yard carry. Rogers' kick gave Warsaw a 17-14 lead, an advantage the Tigers didn't give up until Kemp's 25-yard touchdown reception late in the fourth.
Sudhoff finished the game 14 of 22 through the air for 220 yards and a touchdown. He didn't throw an interception. Simpson caught six passes for 108 yards, while Tyler Hamman rushed the ball 15 times for 61 yards.
For Memorial, Bryant completed 14 of 27 passes for 144 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception, a pass that was picked off by Simpson late in the second quarter.
Kery rushed the ball 21 times for 81 yards, while Bryant had six rushes for 23 yards.
"This is really huge," Maierle said of the come-from-behind win. "There's a huge difference between 2-2 and 3-1."
The Tigers, whose only loss on the season came at the hands of Plymouth in double overtime last week, host NLC foe Northridge Friday at 7 p.m.
Warsaw has defeated Northridge in the past 13 meetings and holds a 14-4 lead in the overall series.
WARSAW 24, MEMORIAL 21
Warsaw 0 17 0 7 - 24
Memorial 7 7 0 7 - 21
W M
First downs 15 16
Rushing yards 33-94 36-126
Passing yards 220 144
Comp.-Att.-Int. 14-22-0 14-27-1
Total offense 314 270
Fumbles/lost 1-0 2-2
Punts/avg. 5-32.6 4-39.0
Penalties/yards 3-26 3-15
First Quarter
M -ÊChauncey Kery 9 run (Matt Homan kick) 7-0, 3:39
Second Quarter
M -ÊKery 1 run (Homan kick) 14-0, 11:56
W - Mark Sudhoff 52 pass to Chas Simpson (Jake Rogers kick) 14-7, 10:07
W - Rogers 38 field goal 14-10, 5:14
W - Tommy Reinholt 1 run (Rogers kick) 17-14, 1:14
Fourth Quarter
M -ÊDerek Bryan 25 pass to Chris Kemp (Homan kick) 21-17, 1:04
W - Sudhoff 5 run (Rogers kick) 24-21, :3.4
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Warsaw, Tyler Hamman 15-61, Sudhoff 11-5, Dale Wood 4-23, Reinholt 3-5; Memorial, Kery 21-81, Bryan 6-23, Dominick Tuggle 6-12, Homan 3-10
Passing - Warsaw, Sudhoff 14-22-220, 1 TD, 0 INT; Memorial, Bryant 14-27-144, 1 TD, 1 INT
Receiving - Warsaw, Simpson 6-108, J.W. Maierle 3-38, Hamman 1-26, Mitch Reinholt 1-14, Jordan Fuller 1-13, Blaine Allen 1-12, Wood 1-9; Memorial, Simeon Jackson 4-43, Kemp 3-42, Sean Sears 3-30, Deshone Harris 2-19, Greg Duvall 1-, Brent House 1-4 [[In-content Ad]]