Tigers Fall Short In Fisher Field Finale
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
When Concord's Bob Cira knelt down behind his offensive line as time expired in the Minutemen's 31-19 win over Warsaw at George Fisher Field, he became the potential answer to a trivia question - "What was the last play at Fisher Field?"
That's a question sure to be posed in the future by Tiger football fanatics.
Barring a deep playoff run, Warsaw's next varsity home football game will take place on the campus of Warsaw Community High School in the team's 2005 campaign.
A quarterback kneel down, not quite the ending befitting a place that has seen hundreds of Friday night battles since 1962. However, the host Tigers did all they could to provide a Hollywood ending.
After spotting Concord a 31-0 halftime lead, a comeback victory wasn't in the script
Friday, among other things, was also Warsaw's senior night as the Tiger faithful honored 24 seniors, including wide receiver Antonio Castillo and running back Thomas Balestri.
Castillo fired the opening salvo in Warsaw's near comeback, when the 6-foot-tall flanker hauled in a Mark Sudhoff pass. He broke some Minutemen ankles en route to an 89-yard touchdown reception with 5:00 left in the third quarter to make the score 31-7 after a Nathaniel Fitzsimmons kick. The touchdown pass was the first of Sudhoff's career.
Castillo's score marked the first time in nearly 12 quarters, 143 minutes to be exact, that Warsaw's offense lit up a scoreboard.
Just four minutes later, Sudhoff found Castillo again, this time from 20 yards out, to make the score 31-13 in favor of Concord.
Sudhoff passed for his third touchdown of the night when the 6-foot-2-inch signal caller found an open Chas Simpson in the flat and watched as Simpson spun past Minutemen defenders for his first varsity touchdown reception from 17 yards out.
It was too little too late against a Minutemen squad hungry for a share of the Northern Lakes Conference title. With the win, Concord shares the NLC crown with Northwood and Wawasee.
The right arm of sophomore quarterback Bob Cira led Concord early. Cira was 5 of 10 for 192 yards and three touchdowns in the first 24 minutes of action. Cira's first pass of the game was a 54-yard strike down the middle of the field to wideout Mike Meade three and a half minutes into the contest that stunned a melancholy Warsaw crowd.
The Minutemen continued its shock treatment of the Warsaw faithful when the Cira -Meade ticket punched another score in from 82 yards out with :34 seconds left in the first quarter.
Those big plays, said Warsaw head coach Troy Akers, were too much for his Tigers.
"They made some really big plays on offense. Coming into the game we felt we could defend anyone in our conference but that's hard to do when you let receivers get past the coverage," said Akers.
The Tiger defense shut Cira down in the second half, allowing him just one completion for four yards.
The same could not be said for Concord running back Will Thompson.
Thompson gave the Warsaw defense fits all night before finishing with 175 yards on 29 tough carries.
Scott Matthews was the thunder to Thompson's lighting, going for 42 yards on nine carries, many of which came in the second half.
After the stands cleared and players made their way to the locker rooms at Lakeview Middle School, Coach Akers sat with a small circle including his wife Tracey, principal Dr. Jennifer Brumfield and defensive coordinator Will Shepherd feeling like one slipped away.
"In my heart of hearts, and no offense to Concord because they're a great team, I felt we were going to win this final game at Fisher Field," said Akers.
Despite 168 yards receiving from Castillo and 227 yards passing to go with three touchdown from Sudhoff, the Tigers could never get any continuity on offense.
Balestri was held to 60 yards on 13 carries, a 4.6 yards-per-carry average. After two 15-yard carries in the first quarter, Balestri was held in check by Concord's defense, led by defensive tackle Louis Vesta, who accounted for several deflected Sudhoff passes and many of Concord's tackles for loss.
Fitting that as Warsaw closed a chapter with the final home game for players like Balestri and Castillo at a field that will be retired from varsity action, the Tigers saw a new chapter begin with performances by the likes of Sudhoff, Simpson and sophomore Tommy Reinholt who provided a spark on defense for Warsaw in the second half.
There are still pages left in the book that is this season and the Tigers' next challenge comes in the form of Huntington North. Warsaw takes on the host Vikings at 7 p.m. Friday.
Last year, Warsaw's season was ended with a 20-18 loss to the Vikings. This year, Akers hopes the Tigers that came out in the second half against Concord show up against Huntington North.
"The real proof will be in the practices we have Monday thru Thursday and we'll see what team shows up against Huntington North," said Akers.
With the loss the Tigers finish the regular 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the NLC. It's Warsaw's first losing regular season since 1998 when Concord last beat the Tigers, 31-17 at Fisher Field. [[In-content Ad]]
When Concord's Bob Cira knelt down behind his offensive line as time expired in the Minutemen's 31-19 win over Warsaw at George Fisher Field, he became the potential answer to a trivia question - "What was the last play at Fisher Field?"
That's a question sure to be posed in the future by Tiger football fanatics.
Barring a deep playoff run, Warsaw's next varsity home football game will take place on the campus of Warsaw Community High School in the team's 2005 campaign.
A quarterback kneel down, not quite the ending befitting a place that has seen hundreds of Friday night battles since 1962. However, the host Tigers did all they could to provide a Hollywood ending.
After spotting Concord a 31-0 halftime lead, a comeback victory wasn't in the script
Friday, among other things, was also Warsaw's senior night as the Tiger faithful honored 24 seniors, including wide receiver Antonio Castillo and running back Thomas Balestri.
Castillo fired the opening salvo in Warsaw's near comeback, when the 6-foot-tall flanker hauled in a Mark Sudhoff pass. He broke some Minutemen ankles en route to an 89-yard touchdown reception with 5:00 left in the third quarter to make the score 31-7 after a Nathaniel Fitzsimmons kick. The touchdown pass was the first of Sudhoff's career.
Castillo's score marked the first time in nearly 12 quarters, 143 minutes to be exact, that Warsaw's offense lit up a scoreboard.
Just four minutes later, Sudhoff found Castillo again, this time from 20 yards out, to make the score 31-13 in favor of Concord.
Sudhoff passed for his third touchdown of the night when the 6-foot-2-inch signal caller found an open Chas Simpson in the flat and watched as Simpson spun past Minutemen defenders for his first varsity touchdown reception from 17 yards out.
It was too little too late against a Minutemen squad hungry for a share of the Northern Lakes Conference title. With the win, Concord shares the NLC crown with Northwood and Wawasee.
The right arm of sophomore quarterback Bob Cira led Concord early. Cira was 5 of 10 for 192 yards and three touchdowns in the first 24 minutes of action. Cira's first pass of the game was a 54-yard strike down the middle of the field to wideout Mike Meade three and a half minutes into the contest that stunned a melancholy Warsaw crowd.
The Minutemen continued its shock treatment of the Warsaw faithful when the Cira -Meade ticket punched another score in from 82 yards out with :34 seconds left in the first quarter.
Those big plays, said Warsaw head coach Troy Akers, were too much for his Tigers.
"They made some really big plays on offense. Coming into the game we felt we could defend anyone in our conference but that's hard to do when you let receivers get past the coverage," said Akers.
The Tiger defense shut Cira down in the second half, allowing him just one completion for four yards.
The same could not be said for Concord running back Will Thompson.
Thompson gave the Warsaw defense fits all night before finishing with 175 yards on 29 tough carries.
Scott Matthews was the thunder to Thompson's lighting, going for 42 yards on nine carries, many of which came in the second half.
After the stands cleared and players made their way to the locker rooms at Lakeview Middle School, Coach Akers sat with a small circle including his wife Tracey, principal Dr. Jennifer Brumfield and defensive coordinator Will Shepherd feeling like one slipped away.
"In my heart of hearts, and no offense to Concord because they're a great team, I felt we were going to win this final game at Fisher Field," said Akers.
Despite 168 yards receiving from Castillo and 227 yards passing to go with three touchdown from Sudhoff, the Tigers could never get any continuity on offense.
Balestri was held to 60 yards on 13 carries, a 4.6 yards-per-carry average. After two 15-yard carries in the first quarter, Balestri was held in check by Concord's defense, led by defensive tackle Louis Vesta, who accounted for several deflected Sudhoff passes and many of Concord's tackles for loss.
Fitting that as Warsaw closed a chapter with the final home game for players like Balestri and Castillo at a field that will be retired from varsity action, the Tigers saw a new chapter begin with performances by the likes of Sudhoff, Simpson and sophomore Tommy Reinholt who provided a spark on defense for Warsaw in the second half.
There are still pages left in the book that is this season and the Tigers' next challenge comes in the form of Huntington North. Warsaw takes on the host Vikings at 7 p.m. Friday.
Last year, Warsaw's season was ended with a 20-18 loss to the Vikings. This year, Akers hopes the Tigers that came out in the second half against Concord show up against Huntington North.
"The real proof will be in the practices we have Monday thru Thursday and we'll see what team shows up against Huntington North," said Akers.
With the loss the Tigers finish the regular 4-5 overall and 2-5 in the NLC. It's Warsaw's first losing regular season since 1998 when Concord last beat the Tigers, 31-17 at Fisher Field. [[In-content Ad]]