Tigers Drop NLC Opener
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Knowing what the Rockies were going to do and the Tigers stopping them were two different things, as Plymouth beat Warsaw 35-7 in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams.[[In-content Ad]]"They did exactly what we knew they were going to do," said Jensen, whose team fell to 2-1 overall. "They did exactly what we practiced for all week. Plymouth is a really good team. They're very physical and they took it to us."
Plymouth, which improved its overall season record to 3-0, racked up 406 yards of offense, including 281 yards on the ground, en route to the 28-point win.
Senior John Popi rushed 22 times for 134 yards and a touchdown for Plymouth, while classmate Austin Hodges carried 23 times for 131 yards and three scores. He also competed a 44-yard pass to junior Leniel Himes.
Houston Hodges, a sophomore, came up big for the Plymouth defense with two interceptions.
The Tigers, who handled the Rockies 40-13 last year at Fisher Field, came into Friday night's game on the heels of an impressive 29-22 upset of Homestead.
While Warsaw made visible strides from Week 1 to Week 2, the Tigers, according to Jensen, took a big step back against Plymouth.
"We took a big step back," said Jensen. "It is a long season though, and in a sence, we still control our own destiny. If we win the rest of our conference games, that forces Plymouth to win the rest of their games."
The Rockies ran 56 plays for 406 yards, an average of 7.3 yards per play, while the Tigers tallied a total of 249 yards on 46 plays, an average of 5.4 yards per play.
With both teams wanting to use a ball-control, clock-management type of offense, Jensen said he knew there would be a limited number of offensive opportunities.
The Tigers came out in the first quarter and were able to move the ball, as junior Andy Conrad rushed for eight yards on the first play of the game, followed by a 10-yard run by classmate Justin Clemens and another seven-yard scamper by Conrad.
That was just about as good as the Tigers' running game looked the entire game, as Conrad finished the game with 10 carries for a team-high 39 yards. Clemens carried five times for 22 yards.
In all, Warsaw rushed the ball 26 times for 126 yards.
As the game unfolded, Warsaw did open its passing game, which accounted for the Tigers only score, a 9-yard touchdown pass from Clemens to classmate Zack Linky.
Linky's touchdown catch, his fourth of the season, cut the Rockies' advantage to 14-7 with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter.
Plymouth came back and scored two plays later, however, as Himes caught an 81-yard touchdown toss from junior Gordy Holloway.
Austin Hodges added touchdown runs of 4 and 42 yards in the fourth quarter to account for the final score.
Clemens finished the game 10 of 20 through the air for 123 yards, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Tigers also lost one fumble and were whistled for five penalties for 45 yards.
In the first two games of the season, Warsaw was whistled for a total of just two penalties.
"The first two games we only had two penalties," said Jensen. "Both of those were on defense. Tonight, I don't even want to know how many we had. It wasn't just the penalties, it was also the plays they negated."
The Rockies were penalized twice for 16 yards.
Linky led all Warsaw receivers with four catches for 54 yards, while Luke Champion made two catches for 41 yards and Conrad had three catches for 22 yards.
Himes finished the game with two catches for 125 yards for Plymouth.
With Friday's win, the Rockies now hold a 45-42 advantage in the all-time series with Warsaw, which began in 1924. There have also been two ties.
Just as the two teams are quite familiar with each other, so are Jensen and Plymouth head coach John Barron.
Jensen grew up in Mishawaka and played for the Penn Kingsment, while Barron played for Mishawaka Marian.
The two were later teammates at Butler University.
"It's awesome," Jensen said when asked about coaching against someone he has known for years. "I knew John and his wife when they were just dating. We both grew up in Mishawaka. He's a great person and a great coach."
Warsaw will be in action at Fisher Field Friday with NLC foe Elkhart Memorial, while Plymouth will travel to Middlebury to battle conference rival Northridge.
Knowing what the Rockies were going to do and the Tigers stopping them were two different things, as Plymouth beat Warsaw 35-7 in the Northern Lakes Conference opener for both teams.[[In-content Ad]]"They did exactly what we knew they were going to do," said Jensen, whose team fell to 2-1 overall. "They did exactly what we practiced for all week. Plymouth is a really good team. They're very physical and they took it to us."
Plymouth, which improved its overall season record to 3-0, racked up 406 yards of offense, including 281 yards on the ground, en route to the 28-point win.
Senior John Popi rushed 22 times for 134 yards and a touchdown for Plymouth, while classmate Austin Hodges carried 23 times for 131 yards and three scores. He also competed a 44-yard pass to junior Leniel Himes.
Houston Hodges, a sophomore, came up big for the Plymouth defense with two interceptions.
The Tigers, who handled the Rockies 40-13 last year at Fisher Field, came into Friday night's game on the heels of an impressive 29-22 upset of Homestead.
While Warsaw made visible strides from Week 1 to Week 2, the Tigers, according to Jensen, took a big step back against Plymouth.
"We took a big step back," said Jensen. "It is a long season though, and in a sence, we still control our own destiny. If we win the rest of our conference games, that forces Plymouth to win the rest of their games."
The Rockies ran 56 plays for 406 yards, an average of 7.3 yards per play, while the Tigers tallied a total of 249 yards on 46 plays, an average of 5.4 yards per play.
With both teams wanting to use a ball-control, clock-management type of offense, Jensen said he knew there would be a limited number of offensive opportunities.
The Tigers came out in the first quarter and were able to move the ball, as junior Andy Conrad rushed for eight yards on the first play of the game, followed by a 10-yard run by classmate Justin Clemens and another seven-yard scamper by Conrad.
That was just about as good as the Tigers' running game looked the entire game, as Conrad finished the game with 10 carries for a team-high 39 yards. Clemens carried five times for 22 yards.
In all, Warsaw rushed the ball 26 times for 126 yards.
As the game unfolded, Warsaw did open its passing game, which accounted for the Tigers only score, a 9-yard touchdown pass from Clemens to classmate Zack Linky.
Linky's touchdown catch, his fourth of the season, cut the Rockies' advantage to 14-7 with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter.
Plymouth came back and scored two plays later, however, as Himes caught an 81-yard touchdown toss from junior Gordy Holloway.
Austin Hodges added touchdown runs of 4 and 42 yards in the fourth quarter to account for the final score.
Clemens finished the game 10 of 20 through the air for 123 yards, throwing one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Tigers also lost one fumble and were whistled for five penalties for 45 yards.
In the first two games of the season, Warsaw was whistled for a total of just two penalties.
"The first two games we only had two penalties," said Jensen. "Both of those were on defense. Tonight, I don't even want to know how many we had. It wasn't just the penalties, it was also the plays they negated."
The Rockies were penalized twice for 16 yards.
Linky led all Warsaw receivers with four catches for 54 yards, while Luke Champion made two catches for 41 yards and Conrad had three catches for 22 yards.
Himes finished the game with two catches for 125 yards for Plymouth.
With Friday's win, the Rockies now hold a 45-42 advantage in the all-time series with Warsaw, which began in 1924. There have also been two ties.
Just as the two teams are quite familiar with each other, so are Jensen and Plymouth head coach John Barron.
Jensen grew up in Mishawaka and played for the Penn Kingsment, while Barron played for Mishawaka Marian.
The two were later teammates at Butler University.
"It's awesome," Jensen said when asked about coaching against someone he has known for years. "I knew John and his wife when they were just dating. We both grew up in Mishawaka. He's a great person and a great coach."
Warsaw will be in action at Fisher Field Friday with NLC foe Elkhart Memorial, while Plymouth will travel to Middlebury to battle conference rival Northridge.
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