If last week's 27-0 win over Tippecanoe Valley was a small step for the Warsaw football program, then Friday's 31-14 victory over Plymouth was a giant leap.

The Tigers held off the Rockies and pulled away at the end to exact revenge on Plymouth for a 50-0 shellacking last year.

"We didn't play it up a lot, but it was mentioned," Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said of last year's game. "It was on the board in the coaches' office - 'remember 50-0'. That has got to be a factor. But I don't believe in revenge. I believe in strapping it up and getting after it. That is one of the negatives from the past that has been holding us back, and it is time to break free from that."

With the victory, the Tigers raised their record to 2-1 on the season, matching their win total of last year. It marks the first time that a Warsaw football team has been above .500 since the first game of the 1995 season and the first time they have been 2-1 since 1994.

The 31 points is the highest point total for Warsaw since a 35-31 loss to Wawasee in the 1994 season. Warsaw hasn't scored over 30 points and won since a 36-12 victory over South Bend St. Joe in 1992. Warsaw has only scored 30 or more points in a game four times since 1990.

"There are a lot of excuses why something like this couldn't happen," Jensen said. "They just refused to listen."

The make-or-break time for the Tigers came early in the fourth quarter after the Plymouth quarterback Nick Chaney faked a handoff up the middle, sprinted around the right side and ran virtually untouched after a move to shake Warsaw's James Taylor into the end zone to make it only 17-14 in favor of Warsaw.

Except a field goal by Sam Wihebrink in the third quarter, the Tigers had done nothing in the second half and were feeling the heat. What Warsaw needed was a long drive to run some time off the clock, but the Rockies were beginning to stuff the Warsaw running game and since Warsaw had only one real running threat, Jose Esquivel, it didn't look good for the Tigers.

Enter Derrick Duncan.

Duncan, one of Warsaw's many walking wounded, was playing only defense for Warsaw while sporting a bad hamstring. Usually Warsaw's starting fullback, his running gives the Tigers a tough two-pronged ground game. But without him in the lineup, Plymouth could key on Esquivel.

Duncan came in at fullback and led the Tigers down field with 43 yards on eight carries. The 13-play drive resulted in a nine-yard scoring strike from Andy Plank to Esquivel to give Warsaw a 24-14 lead. More importantly, it ate up over six minutes off the clock.

"We got to the fourth quarter, and we knew the inside running game was there, but we couldn't get it going because the kids (Evan Miller and Matt Ryan) who we had to play didn't have enough reps," Jensen said. "Duncan said put me in, and I will run. And he did."

It was the Rockies who then panicked.

Two straight Plymouth drives ended in interceptions by Joe Sittler and Ryan Sands respectively. The latter of the two led to a 7-yard scoring run by Ryan that put the nail in the coffin.

"The thing I am the most proud of is the kids who battled through injuries to play," Jensen said. "Yesterday, I didn't know who I would have. They dug deep and got it done."

Warsaw opened the game up with a well-orchestrated 15-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up 6:45 of the first quarter and ended with a 4-yard scoring run by Plank to make it 7-0. On the play, Plank ran into the end zone untouched after a big block from wide receiver Rob Boley as he flattened a Rockie defender just before the end zone.

"It was nice to have that drive," Jensen said. "That is huge for us. That is something for us to build on."

Plymouth cut the lead to 7-6 in the second quarter when Chaney dashed in from two yards out. Chaney's attempt at a two-point conversion came up short.

The Tigers padded their lead 14-6 just before halftime when Plank hooked up with Pat Riley for a touchdown for the second time this season, this time a 36-yard pass that just eluded the Plymouth defender at the 10.

Wihebrink's 23-yard field goal midway through the third quarter made it 17-6.

The Tiger offense chewed up yards and controlled the clock all game. At times, the Rockie defense gave Warsaw fits, especially because Warsaw was basically working with one running back. But Warsaw got the yards when it needed, a sure sign of a maturing team.

Esquivel ran for 95 yards, his second straight game over 90 yards. But it took 28 carries. Plank completed 10 of 19 for 131 yards and no interceptions.

"His (Plank's) poise and control of the offense has been great," Jensen said. "We didn't throw it as much tonight, but we felt we had some other things tonight. Our linemen sucked it up and played well.

"It shows what a good job our kids did because there was only one running back to rush," he said. "We couldn't afford the turnovers. The kids made the adjustments. We can draw it up, but they have to go out in the heat of the moment and do it. They are getting better at that."

Warsaw's defense also enjoyed its second straight successful game, despite giving up the two scores. The Tigers held Plymouth, who beat LaVille 53-0 last week, under 200 yards of total offense and came up with the two big interceptions at the end of the game.

Warsaw (2-1, 1-0 NLC) hosts 3A No. 4 South Bend St. Joseph Friday for homecoming.

"You don't rest on your laurels," Jensen said. "I don't care what program you have, you keep going." [[In-content Ad]]