Tigers Beat Columbia City
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Linky, a junior, caught a 36-yard pass from classmate Clemens in the first quarter and Conrad Kindle and Clemens combined for 298 yards rushing as the Tigers opened the season with a 26-19 win over host Columbia City Friday at Max Gandy Athletic Field.[[In-content Ad]]Conrad's name will appear in the box score next to 26 carries for 150 yards and three touchdowns, but Kindle, Clemens and the offensive line deserve their props and then some.
"How about the offensive line, how about Cody Kindle and Justin Clemens," said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen, back for his second stint with the Tigers after a four-year hiatus. "We've been talking about team and leadership, and tonight we showed it. The defense was there for the offense, and then the offense was there for the defense. We won as a team."
The Tigers led 7-6 at halftime, and the game was later tied at 13-all after Columbia City sophomore quarterback Logan Rehrer tossed a 37-yard pass to Kory Bailey with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter.
While Rehrer threw for three touchdowns, the game - specifically the second half - belonged to the Tigers' running game.
Conrad tallied all three of his touchdowns in the second half, as he racked up 132 yards on 21 carries in the final 24 minutes of action.
Kindle rushed six times for 81 yards in the second half, including runs of 16, 17 and 40 yards, while Clemens pounded out 42 yards on seven carries in the second half, 31 of those yards coming on one play.
Warsaw's defense yielded 208 yards on the ground and 116 through the air, but it also stepped up when it had to, including denying the Eagles on a fourth-and-1 play from the 3-yard line in the second quarter.
Had Columbia City senior Kenny Steele barrelled his way in from three yards out, the game could have turned out differently, however, Warsaw's defense stuffed him for a 1-yard loss and forced a turnover-on-downs.
"The defense did a good job of bending but not breaking," said Jensen.
The Tigers have now won the past 11 season openers over Columbia City.
Warsaw leads the overall series 44-17-2 over its U.S. 30 rivals.
While there were no turnovers by either team in the game, it had its share of first-game miscues, a few penalties here and there, and both defenses allowed the opposition big offensive plays.
Jensen was pleased after the game, though, saying that Warsaw's miscues can be corrected.
"The good thing is the things we did wrong are fixable," said Jensen. "We can fix the things we did wrong. What you can't teach is heart, and there was a lot of heart tonight. I'm very proud of the kids."
After the Eagles knotted the score at 13-all, Conrad ran in from seven yards out with 11:53 to play in the game. Matt Franco's kick made it 20-13 in favor of the Tigers.
Little more than two minutes later, Rehrer hooked up with Adam Murphy on a 24-yard touchdown pass, but Justin Sims' extra-point attempt failed, and the hosts found themselves trailing 20-19 with 9:24 remaining.
Conrad scored the game's final touchdown on a three-yard run with 5:11 to play. This time, Warsaw's extra-point attempt went awry, as Franco's kick was blocked.
"I promise you our special teams will get better," said Jensen. "Our kicking game is going to be good, I promise you that."
Clemens finished the game 3 of 9 through the air for 42 yards, while Rehrer was 8 of 11 for 116 yards and three touchdowns.
Steele led the Eagles with 83 yards on 14 carries, while Tyler Brown racked up 65 yards on 16 carries. Logan Myer finished with 58 yards on nine carries.
Bailed led all Columbia City receivers with three catches for 57 yards.
The Eagles are in action Friday at Huntington North, while the Tigers host Homestead.
"It doesn't get any easier," said Jensen. "We're going to keep getting better. The kids stuck with it and pulled it out tonight, I'm very proud of them."
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Linky, a junior, caught a 36-yard pass from classmate Clemens in the first quarter and Conrad Kindle and Clemens combined for 298 yards rushing as the Tigers opened the season with a 26-19 win over host Columbia City Friday at Max Gandy Athletic Field.[[In-content Ad]]Conrad's name will appear in the box score next to 26 carries for 150 yards and three touchdowns, but Kindle, Clemens and the offensive line deserve their props and then some.
"How about the offensive line, how about Cody Kindle and Justin Clemens," said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen, back for his second stint with the Tigers after a four-year hiatus. "We've been talking about team and leadership, and tonight we showed it. The defense was there for the offense, and then the offense was there for the defense. We won as a team."
The Tigers led 7-6 at halftime, and the game was later tied at 13-all after Columbia City sophomore quarterback Logan Rehrer tossed a 37-yard pass to Kory Bailey with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter.
While Rehrer threw for three touchdowns, the game - specifically the second half - belonged to the Tigers' running game.
Conrad tallied all three of his touchdowns in the second half, as he racked up 132 yards on 21 carries in the final 24 minutes of action.
Kindle rushed six times for 81 yards in the second half, including runs of 16, 17 and 40 yards, while Clemens pounded out 42 yards on seven carries in the second half, 31 of those yards coming on one play.
Warsaw's defense yielded 208 yards on the ground and 116 through the air, but it also stepped up when it had to, including denying the Eagles on a fourth-and-1 play from the 3-yard line in the second quarter.
Had Columbia City senior Kenny Steele barrelled his way in from three yards out, the game could have turned out differently, however, Warsaw's defense stuffed him for a 1-yard loss and forced a turnover-on-downs.
"The defense did a good job of bending but not breaking," said Jensen.
The Tigers have now won the past 11 season openers over Columbia City.
Warsaw leads the overall series 44-17-2 over its U.S. 30 rivals.
While there were no turnovers by either team in the game, it had its share of first-game miscues, a few penalties here and there, and both defenses allowed the opposition big offensive plays.
Jensen was pleased after the game, though, saying that Warsaw's miscues can be corrected.
"The good thing is the things we did wrong are fixable," said Jensen. "We can fix the things we did wrong. What you can't teach is heart, and there was a lot of heart tonight. I'm very proud of the kids."
After the Eagles knotted the score at 13-all, Conrad ran in from seven yards out with 11:53 to play in the game. Matt Franco's kick made it 20-13 in favor of the Tigers.
Little more than two minutes later, Rehrer hooked up with Adam Murphy on a 24-yard touchdown pass, but Justin Sims' extra-point attempt failed, and the hosts found themselves trailing 20-19 with 9:24 remaining.
Conrad scored the game's final touchdown on a three-yard run with 5:11 to play. This time, Warsaw's extra-point attempt went awry, as Franco's kick was blocked.
"I promise you our special teams will get better," said Jensen. "Our kicking game is going to be good, I promise you that."
Clemens finished the game 3 of 9 through the air for 42 yards, while Rehrer was 8 of 11 for 116 yards and three touchdowns.
Steele led the Eagles with 83 yards on 14 carries, while Tyler Brown racked up 65 yards on 16 carries. Logan Myer finished with 58 yards on nine carries.
Bailed led all Columbia City receivers with three catches for 57 yards.
The Eagles are in action Friday at Huntington North, while the Tigers host Homestead.
"It doesn't get any easier," said Jensen. "We're going to keep getting better. The kids stuck with it and pulled it out tonight, I'm very proud of them."
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