Warsaw Falls To Elkhart Memorial
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
In the end, they were a storm the host Tigers couldn't weather, as the Crimson Chargers beat Warsaw 20-7 in Northern Lakes Conference action at Fisher Field.[[In-content Ad]]"We have a lot of skilled players," said first-year Memorial coach Kevin Downey, who left South Bend St. Joe to take over for retired hall of famer Phil Teegarden. "That doesn't happen without the mules up front blocking. It takes everyone working together, and it makes this a fun offense."
It wasn't fun for Warsaw's defense, though the Tigers were very much in the game through three quarters, only trailing 13-7 until the 5-foot-7, 168-pound Buford scored on a 52-yard run that put the game away.
Hansborough, a 5-3, 135-pound speedster, carried the ball 26 times for a game-high 186 yards and scored a six-yard touchdown that gave Memorial a 13-0 lead with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Hansborough set up the touchdown himself, out-running Warsaw's defense for 44 yards on the previous play.
Buford finished the game with 92 yards rushing on seven carries.
He scored the first points of the game when he scampered in from 32 yards out on the Crimson Chargers' first possession of the game.
Elkhart Memorial, which racked up 305 of its 355 total yards on the ground, improved to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the NLC, while Warsaw fell to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
The Tigers rushed for 168 yards and produced 262 total yards of offense.
"Hats off to Coach Downey," said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen. "He's a first-year coach at Memorial, and he's got those kids playing hard, and it looks like they're having fun."
With losses to Columbia City, Homestead, Plymouth and Elkhart Memorial, the Tigers have been outscored 141-40 this season and are 0-4 for the first time since 1988.
Despite averaging just 10 points per game, Warsaw went toe-to-toe with conference foes Plymouth and Elkhart Memorial for more than three quarters the past two games, only to give up big plays in the fourth quarter.
Against the Crimson Chargers Friday night, Warsaw was trailing 13-7 but had the ball with under four minutes remaining in the game.
A touchdown and extra-point would have given the Tigers a one-point lead, and possibly their first win of the season.
Instead, the drive ended when an Elkhart Memorial defender picked off an errant pass by Warsaw quarterback Jeremy Coppes, who completed just 8 of 21 attempts for 94 yards and threw four interceptions.
"We've got to learn to do the little things," said Jensen. "We've got to work on our attention to detail. We're an OK football team, we shouldn't be an 0-4 football team. We've got to overcome our mental mistakes. We don't deserve this, the school doesn't deserve this and the community doesn't deserve this. We're going to get better."
Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, Warsaw's Scott Smyth lined up for a 34-yard field goal, a kick that was blocked by the Crimson Chargers.
Åfter forcing Elkhart Memorial to punt, the Tigers were driving, but closed out the first half by throwing an interception.
"We put two or three nice drives together, but we've got to finish them," said Jensen. "We've got to make plays when we have to make them. We've got to understand that the little things matter most."
The Tigers' lone scoring drive came in the third quarter, as junior Brock Anson capped off a 14-play, 66-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown run.
Anson finished the game with eight carries for 48 yards, while senior Tyler Adams led the way with 17 carries for 65 yards and Coppes added 59 yards on 13 carries.
Junior Jordan Wray led Warsaw's receiving corps with three catches for 38 yards, while Matt Abbitt caught three passes for 21 yards.
The Tigers travel to NLC foe Northridge Friday, while the Crimson Chargers travel to Plymouth to face the two-time defending conference champion Rockies.
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In the end, they were a storm the host Tigers couldn't weather, as the Crimson Chargers beat Warsaw 20-7 in Northern Lakes Conference action at Fisher Field.[[In-content Ad]]"We have a lot of skilled players," said first-year Memorial coach Kevin Downey, who left South Bend St. Joe to take over for retired hall of famer Phil Teegarden. "That doesn't happen without the mules up front blocking. It takes everyone working together, and it makes this a fun offense."
It wasn't fun for Warsaw's defense, though the Tigers were very much in the game through three quarters, only trailing 13-7 until the 5-foot-7, 168-pound Buford scored on a 52-yard run that put the game away.
Hansborough, a 5-3, 135-pound speedster, carried the ball 26 times for a game-high 186 yards and scored a six-yard touchdown that gave Memorial a 13-0 lead with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Hansborough set up the touchdown himself, out-running Warsaw's defense for 44 yards on the previous play.
Buford finished the game with 92 yards rushing on seven carries.
He scored the first points of the game when he scampered in from 32 yards out on the Crimson Chargers' first possession of the game.
Elkhart Memorial, which racked up 305 of its 355 total yards on the ground, improved to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the NLC, while Warsaw fell to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
The Tigers rushed for 168 yards and produced 262 total yards of offense.
"Hats off to Coach Downey," said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen. "He's a first-year coach at Memorial, and he's got those kids playing hard, and it looks like they're having fun."
With losses to Columbia City, Homestead, Plymouth and Elkhart Memorial, the Tigers have been outscored 141-40 this season and are 0-4 for the first time since 1988.
Despite averaging just 10 points per game, Warsaw went toe-to-toe with conference foes Plymouth and Elkhart Memorial for more than three quarters the past two games, only to give up big plays in the fourth quarter.
Against the Crimson Chargers Friday night, Warsaw was trailing 13-7 but had the ball with under four minutes remaining in the game.
A touchdown and extra-point would have given the Tigers a one-point lead, and possibly their first win of the season.
Instead, the drive ended when an Elkhart Memorial defender picked off an errant pass by Warsaw quarterback Jeremy Coppes, who completed just 8 of 21 attempts for 94 yards and threw four interceptions.
"We've got to learn to do the little things," said Jensen. "We've got to work on our attention to detail. We're an OK football team, we shouldn't be an 0-4 football team. We've got to overcome our mental mistakes. We don't deserve this, the school doesn't deserve this and the community doesn't deserve this. We're going to get better."
Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, Warsaw's Scott Smyth lined up for a 34-yard field goal, a kick that was blocked by the Crimson Chargers.
Åfter forcing Elkhart Memorial to punt, the Tigers were driving, but closed out the first half by throwing an interception.
"We put two or three nice drives together, but we've got to finish them," said Jensen. "We've got to make plays when we have to make them. We've got to understand that the little things matter most."
The Tigers' lone scoring drive came in the third quarter, as junior Brock Anson capped off a 14-play, 66-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown run.
Anson finished the game with eight carries for 48 yards, while senior Tyler Adams led the way with 17 carries for 65 yards and Coppes added 59 yards on 13 carries.
Junior Jordan Wray led Warsaw's receiving corps with three catches for 38 yards, while Matt Abbitt caught three passes for 21 yards.
The Tigers travel to NLC foe Northridge Friday, while the Crimson Chargers travel to Plymouth to face the two-time defending conference champion Rockies.
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