Tigers Earn Stripes With Win Over No. 10 Homestead
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Powered by an inspired defensive effort and an offensive performance that featured both ball control and explosiveness, Jensen's Tigers beat Class 5A No. 10 Homestead 29-22 Friday night at Fisher Field.[[In-content Ad]]"Homestead is a great football program," said Jensen. "Teams like that don't quit. They played hard all the way through the fourth quarter. Our kids stepped up and pulled out a great win tonight, that's what good teams, good programs do. I'm very proud of these young men. They showed a lot of heart and a lot of team tonight."
The win improved Warsaw to 2-0 on the season, while the Spartans fell to 1-1.
Homestead, which looked like an offensive juggernaut when it scored 55 points against a talented and experienced Huntington North team in last week's season opener, managed just 17 yards of offense in the first half against the Tigers.
Warsaw held a 29-10 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Spartans made things interesting by scoring a pair of quick touchdowns, one on a 1-yard plunge by senior quarterback Logan Laughlin and the other a 17-yard pass from Laughlin to sophomore running back Brad Mills.
The extra-point attempt failed after both touchdowns, however, and the Spartans' hopes of sending the game into overtime were later dashed when Laughlin's pass to junior Collin Harruf fell incomplete as the final seconds ran off the clock.
Members of the WCHS student body and Tiger fans alike rushed out onto the field to celebrate, and Jensen couldn't help but smile when talking about the effort his team displayed.
"The kids came out ready to play," said Jensen. "They played together, and they played with a lot of intensity and a lot of heart. When you do the right things on and off the field, good things are going to happen."
There were plenty of bright spots for the Tigers Friday night, one of them being junior wide receiver Zack Linky.
Linky, who scored Warsaw's first touchdown of the season last Friday on a 36-yard pass from classmate Justin Clemens, caught two touchdown passes last night and also made a highlight-reel like catch in traffic to set up the Tigers' first score against Homestead.
Linky finished the game with four receptions for 105 yards, including touchdown catches of six and 55 yards. His 26-yard reception on second-and-4 from the Homestead 30-yard line highlighted a five-play drive that ended with Clemens barreling in from a yard out, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 1:29 remaining in the second quarter.
"Justin did a great job tonight, and Zack made some great catches," said Jensen. "As we get more comfortable with our offense, we're going to be able to do more things like that. We start the Northern Lakes Conference schedule next Friday, and we have to be able to do more than just run the ball."
Clemens finished the game 9 of 15 through the air for 167 yards. He tossed two touchdown passes and was intercepted once.
Clemens, an all-conference tight end last year, also rushed 17 times for 54 yards.
Junior Andy Conrad added 23 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown, while senior Cody Kindle finished with seven rushes for 32 yards.
Conrad's three-yard score gave Warsaw a 29-10 lead with 10:04 left in the game.
The Spartans responded by scoring two touchdowns in a span of just over three minutes.
While Homestead made things interesting, the night belonged to the host Tigers.
"A lot of heart and a lot of team," said Jensen when asked what was the key in his team's win. "We stepped up and got a lot better from Week 1 to Week 2. That's a good indication of where you're going as a team, what you do from Week 1 to Week 2, and these kids worked hard and got better. We played the first game of the season last week and made a lot of improvements. I'm very proud of these kids."
With victories over non-conference foes Columbia City and Homestead under their belts, the Tigers now turn their focus to Northern Lakes Conference play. Warsaw travels to U.S. 30 rival Plymouth Friday for the NLC opener.
"Plymouth is a great team," said Jensen. "Coach (John) Barron and I go back all the way to our college days at Butler, and to growing up in Mishawaka. The Barrons are a great football family and Plymouth obviously has a lot of tradition. We're going to have to come ready to play again."
They were certainly ready against a Homestead team that Jensen earlier in the week said looked like a team ready for the playoffs, not a team playing its second game of the season.
Mills led Homestead's rushing attack with 11 carries for 77 yards, while Collin Harruf caught eight passes for 135 yards.
Laughlin finished the game 15 of 24 for 213 yards two touchdowns and an interception.
With Friday's win, the Tigers ended a three-game losing streak to the Spartans, who hold a slim 6-5 lead in the all-time series.
Powered by an inspired defensive effort and an offensive performance that featured both ball control and explosiveness, Jensen's Tigers beat Class 5A No. 10 Homestead 29-22 Friday night at Fisher Field.[[In-content Ad]]"Homestead is a great football program," said Jensen. "Teams like that don't quit. They played hard all the way through the fourth quarter. Our kids stepped up and pulled out a great win tonight, that's what good teams, good programs do. I'm very proud of these young men. They showed a lot of heart and a lot of team tonight."
The win improved Warsaw to 2-0 on the season, while the Spartans fell to 1-1.
Homestead, which looked like an offensive juggernaut when it scored 55 points against a talented and experienced Huntington North team in last week's season opener, managed just 17 yards of offense in the first half against the Tigers.
Warsaw held a 29-10 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Spartans made things interesting by scoring a pair of quick touchdowns, one on a 1-yard plunge by senior quarterback Logan Laughlin and the other a 17-yard pass from Laughlin to sophomore running back Brad Mills.
The extra-point attempt failed after both touchdowns, however, and the Spartans' hopes of sending the game into overtime were later dashed when Laughlin's pass to junior Collin Harruf fell incomplete as the final seconds ran off the clock.
Members of the WCHS student body and Tiger fans alike rushed out onto the field to celebrate, and Jensen couldn't help but smile when talking about the effort his team displayed.
"The kids came out ready to play," said Jensen. "They played together, and they played with a lot of intensity and a lot of heart. When you do the right things on and off the field, good things are going to happen."
There were plenty of bright spots for the Tigers Friday night, one of them being junior wide receiver Zack Linky.
Linky, who scored Warsaw's first touchdown of the season last Friday on a 36-yard pass from classmate Justin Clemens, caught two touchdown passes last night and also made a highlight-reel like catch in traffic to set up the Tigers' first score against Homestead.
Linky finished the game with four receptions for 105 yards, including touchdown catches of six and 55 yards. His 26-yard reception on second-and-4 from the Homestead 30-yard line highlighted a five-play drive that ended with Clemens barreling in from a yard out, giving the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 1:29 remaining in the second quarter.
"Justin did a great job tonight, and Zack made some great catches," said Jensen. "As we get more comfortable with our offense, we're going to be able to do more things like that. We start the Northern Lakes Conference schedule next Friday, and we have to be able to do more than just run the ball."
Clemens finished the game 9 of 15 through the air for 167 yards. He tossed two touchdown passes and was intercepted once.
Clemens, an all-conference tight end last year, also rushed 17 times for 54 yards.
Junior Andy Conrad added 23 carries for 44 yards and a touchdown, while senior Cody Kindle finished with seven rushes for 32 yards.
Conrad's three-yard score gave Warsaw a 29-10 lead with 10:04 left in the game.
The Spartans responded by scoring two touchdowns in a span of just over three minutes.
While Homestead made things interesting, the night belonged to the host Tigers.
"A lot of heart and a lot of team," said Jensen when asked what was the key in his team's win. "We stepped up and got a lot better from Week 1 to Week 2. That's a good indication of where you're going as a team, what you do from Week 1 to Week 2, and these kids worked hard and got better. We played the first game of the season last week and made a lot of improvements. I'm very proud of these kids."
With victories over non-conference foes Columbia City and Homestead under their belts, the Tigers now turn their focus to Northern Lakes Conference play. Warsaw travels to U.S. 30 rival Plymouth Friday for the NLC opener.
"Plymouth is a great team," said Jensen. "Coach (John) Barron and I go back all the way to our college days at Butler, and to growing up in Mishawaka. The Barrons are a great football family and Plymouth obviously has a lot of tradition. We're going to have to come ready to play again."
They were certainly ready against a Homestead team that Jensen earlier in the week said looked like a team ready for the playoffs, not a team playing its second game of the season.
Mills led Homestead's rushing attack with 11 carries for 77 yards, while Collin Harruf caught eight passes for 135 yards.
Laughlin finished the game 15 of 24 for 213 yards two touchdowns and an interception.
With Friday's win, the Tigers ended a three-game losing streak to the Spartans, who hold a slim 6-5 lead in the all-time series.
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