Wawasee Starts Season With 34-6 Win Over Whitko
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SOUTH WHITLEY -Ê"We were so close, but it's the simple things that we didn't do," said Whitko coach Bryan Sprunger after his team's 34-6 season-opening loss to Wawasee.
Sprunger's Wildcats held Wawasee scoreless early, but the Whitko squad was unable to stop the Warriors as the game progressed.
Wawasee moved the ball early, taking the pigskin all the way down to Whitko's 4-yard line on the first drive of the game. However, Whitko's defense stifled the Warriors and forced them to turn the ball over on downs deep in Wildcat territory.
"We started put pretty fast," said Wawasee coach Joe Rietveld. "But then we stumbled in the red zone early."
The Whitko squad took the ball on its own 6-yard line and opened the first offensive drive of the season with a 39-yard break-away run by Tyler Wilkinson.
The Wildcats moved the ball to the Warrior 28, but finished the drive by turning the ball over on downs.
An interception by Brandon Waterson at Wawasee's 48-yard line late in the first quarter gave Whitko a spark.
But the Wildcat glory was short-lived. On the first play of Whitko's drive, Wawasee recovered a fumble and went back to work on the offensive side of the ball.
Although there was no score in the first quarter, Wawasee changed that early in the second frame.
Continuing the drive started by the fumble recovery in the first quarter, Wawasee moved the ball down the field to the 9-yard line. Then Warrior quarterback Kory Lantz connected with Tom Brown for a 9-yard touchdown pass to put Wawasee up 6-0. Then Lantz took the ball across the line for the two-point conversion, making the score 8-0 in Wawasee's favor with 8:45 still showing on the second-quarter clock.
After a three-and-out series and a punt by Whitko, Wawasee went to work again.
This time, the Warriors moved the ball 80 yards in 12 plays. At the 1:53 mark, Lantz completed an 11-yard pass to Mike Kerby for another Warrior touchdown. The conversion run failed, but Wawasee held a 14-0 advantage.
But the Warriors were not finished. Just three plays into its offensive drive, Whitko fumbled the ball and once again Wawasee recovered.
On the next play, Lantz and Kerby hooked up once again for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Kerby kicked the PAT and Wawasee held a 21-0 lead with 45 ticks left in the first half.
"You can't turn over the football and expect to win games," said Sprunger. "We would create a turnover and then give it right back to them on a fumble. We tried to run the clock out at the end of the first half, but instead we fumbled and they scored. We just can't do those kinds of things."
The Warriors went up 27-0 when Kyle Spitler broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run at the 7:16 point in the third frame.
That's where the score remained until the 6:34 mark in the final quarter of play. Warrior Jordan Curry was playing defense when he recovered a fumble at the 26-yard line and returned it for another Warrior touchdown, putting Wawasee up 34-0.
"Our defense did a fantastice job tonight," said Rietveld. "I told several media outlets that I thought our defense would be carried by our offense early in the season. I had my fingers crossed that the guys would respond. They came out tonight and played agressively. I was very happy to see that."
Whitko backup quarterback Matt Thomas scored the lone Wildcat touchdown later in the fourth frame. Thomas broke free from the Wawasee defense for a 30-yard Wildcat score.
The extra point was good, but Whitko was flagged for having too many players on the field, and the Wildcats were forced to re-kick the PAT. However, a bad snap on the second kick thwarted Whitko's chance to put more points on the board.
"We started to hang our heads in the second quarter," said Sprunger. "I challenged them in the lockerroom at halftime, and they responded to that challenge in the second half. I think that was a big positive. They came back out and played better in the second half."
In all, Wawasee signal caller Lantz completed 12 of 24 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns. He threw one interception.
Spitler and Swain led the Wawasee running game, rushing for 63 and 64 yards, respectively.
Whitko accumulated just 37 yards through the air, but gained 172 on the ground. Wilkinson led the Wildcat charge with 75 yards on 13 carries.
The 1-0 Warriors open their home season against 0-1 Fairfield Friday, while 0-1 Whitko travels to 0-1 Columbia City.
WAWASEE 34, WHITKO 6
Wawasee 0 21 6 7 - 34
Whitko 0 0 0 6 - 6
Wa Wh
First downs 11 9
Rushing yards 32-178 39-172
Passing yards 134 37
Comp.-Att.-Int. 12-25-2 4-12-2
Total offense 312 209
Punts/ave. 3-37 2-49
Fumbles/lost 1-0 4-3
Penalties 3-30 3-15
Scoring
Second Quarter
Wa - Tom Brown 9 pass from Kory Lantz (Lantz run),8:45, 8-0 Wa
Wa - Mike Kerby 11 pass from Lantz (run failed), 1:53, 14-0 Wa
Wa - Kerby 19 pass from Lantz (Kerby kick), 0:45, 21-0 Wa
Third Quarter
Wa - Kyle Spitler 55 run (kick failed), 7:16, 27-0 Wa
Fourth Quarter
Wa - Jeremy Curry 26 fumble return (Kerby kick), 6:34, 34-0 Wa
Wh - Matt Thomas 30 run (pass failed), 3:49, 34-6 Wa
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Wawasee: Jordan Swain 13-64, Rob McKibben 3-18, Kory Lantz 9-37, Tom Brown 1-1, Kyle Spitler 2-63, Tim Brumbaugh 1- (-2), Heath Shock 3-(-3); Whitko: Brandon Waterson 6-9, Tyler Wilkinson 13-75, Noah Shepherd 7-10, Jeremy Coble 2-2, Jerry Bowers 1-0, Corey Spangle 2-9, Travis Pherigo 1-3, Matt Thomas 4-34, Brent Boardman 2-27, Jared Eberly 1-3
Passing - Wawasee: Lantz 12-24-134 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, Shock 0-1-0 yards 1 INT; Whitko: Shepherd 2-7-9 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT; Thomas 1-2-16 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; Nate Hart 1-2-6 yards, 0 INT, 0 TD
Receiving - Wawasee: Spitler 1-18, Kyle Vanlaningham 3-17; Kerby 4-41; Tom Brown 2-9, Swain 1-11, Ryan Kauchak 1-38; Whitko: Nate Anderson 2-9, Corey Spangle 2-22, Boardman 1-6 [[In-content Ad]]
SOUTH WHITLEY -Ê"We were so close, but it's the simple things that we didn't do," said Whitko coach Bryan Sprunger after his team's 34-6 season-opening loss to Wawasee.
Sprunger's Wildcats held Wawasee scoreless early, but the Whitko squad was unable to stop the Warriors as the game progressed.
Wawasee moved the ball early, taking the pigskin all the way down to Whitko's 4-yard line on the first drive of the game. However, Whitko's defense stifled the Warriors and forced them to turn the ball over on downs deep in Wildcat territory.
"We started put pretty fast," said Wawasee coach Joe Rietveld. "But then we stumbled in the red zone early."
The Whitko squad took the ball on its own 6-yard line and opened the first offensive drive of the season with a 39-yard break-away run by Tyler Wilkinson.
The Wildcats moved the ball to the Warrior 28, but finished the drive by turning the ball over on downs.
An interception by Brandon Waterson at Wawasee's 48-yard line late in the first quarter gave Whitko a spark.
But the Wildcat glory was short-lived. On the first play of Whitko's drive, Wawasee recovered a fumble and went back to work on the offensive side of the ball.
Although there was no score in the first quarter, Wawasee changed that early in the second frame.
Continuing the drive started by the fumble recovery in the first quarter, Wawasee moved the ball down the field to the 9-yard line. Then Warrior quarterback Kory Lantz connected with Tom Brown for a 9-yard touchdown pass to put Wawasee up 6-0. Then Lantz took the ball across the line for the two-point conversion, making the score 8-0 in Wawasee's favor with 8:45 still showing on the second-quarter clock.
After a three-and-out series and a punt by Whitko, Wawasee went to work again.
This time, the Warriors moved the ball 80 yards in 12 plays. At the 1:53 mark, Lantz completed an 11-yard pass to Mike Kerby for another Warrior touchdown. The conversion run failed, but Wawasee held a 14-0 advantage.
But the Warriors were not finished. Just three plays into its offensive drive, Whitko fumbled the ball and once again Wawasee recovered.
On the next play, Lantz and Kerby hooked up once again for a 19-yard touchdown pass. Kerby kicked the PAT and Wawasee held a 21-0 lead with 45 ticks left in the first half.
"You can't turn over the football and expect to win games," said Sprunger. "We would create a turnover and then give it right back to them on a fumble. We tried to run the clock out at the end of the first half, but instead we fumbled and they scored. We just can't do those kinds of things."
The Warriors went up 27-0 when Kyle Spitler broke free for a 55-yard touchdown run at the 7:16 point in the third frame.
That's where the score remained until the 6:34 mark in the final quarter of play. Warrior Jordan Curry was playing defense when he recovered a fumble at the 26-yard line and returned it for another Warrior touchdown, putting Wawasee up 34-0.
"Our defense did a fantastice job tonight," said Rietveld. "I told several media outlets that I thought our defense would be carried by our offense early in the season. I had my fingers crossed that the guys would respond. They came out tonight and played agressively. I was very happy to see that."
Whitko backup quarterback Matt Thomas scored the lone Wildcat touchdown later in the fourth frame. Thomas broke free from the Wawasee defense for a 30-yard Wildcat score.
The extra point was good, but Whitko was flagged for having too many players on the field, and the Wildcats were forced to re-kick the PAT. However, a bad snap on the second kick thwarted Whitko's chance to put more points on the board.
"We started to hang our heads in the second quarter," said Sprunger. "I challenged them in the lockerroom at halftime, and they responded to that challenge in the second half. I think that was a big positive. They came back out and played better in the second half."
In all, Wawasee signal caller Lantz completed 12 of 24 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns. He threw one interception.
Spitler and Swain led the Wawasee running game, rushing for 63 and 64 yards, respectively.
Whitko accumulated just 37 yards through the air, but gained 172 on the ground. Wilkinson led the Wildcat charge with 75 yards on 13 carries.
The 1-0 Warriors open their home season against 0-1 Fairfield Friday, while 0-1 Whitko travels to 0-1 Columbia City.
WAWASEE 34, WHITKO 6
Wawasee 0 21 6 7 - 34
Whitko 0 0 0 6 - 6
Wa Wh
First downs 11 9
Rushing yards 32-178 39-172
Passing yards 134 37
Comp.-Att.-Int. 12-25-2 4-12-2
Total offense 312 209
Punts/ave. 3-37 2-49
Fumbles/lost 1-0 4-3
Penalties 3-30 3-15
Scoring
Second Quarter
Wa - Tom Brown 9 pass from Kory Lantz (Lantz run),8:45, 8-0 Wa
Wa - Mike Kerby 11 pass from Lantz (run failed), 1:53, 14-0 Wa
Wa - Kerby 19 pass from Lantz (Kerby kick), 0:45, 21-0 Wa
Third Quarter
Wa - Kyle Spitler 55 run (kick failed), 7:16, 27-0 Wa
Fourth Quarter
Wa - Jeremy Curry 26 fumble return (Kerby kick), 6:34, 34-0 Wa
Wh - Matt Thomas 30 run (pass failed), 3:49, 34-6 Wa
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Wawasee: Jordan Swain 13-64, Rob McKibben 3-18, Kory Lantz 9-37, Tom Brown 1-1, Kyle Spitler 2-63, Tim Brumbaugh 1- (-2), Heath Shock 3-(-3); Whitko: Brandon Waterson 6-9, Tyler Wilkinson 13-75, Noah Shepherd 7-10, Jeremy Coble 2-2, Jerry Bowers 1-0, Corey Spangle 2-9, Travis Pherigo 1-3, Matt Thomas 4-34, Brent Boardman 2-27, Jared Eberly 1-3
Passing - Wawasee: Lantz 12-24-134 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, Shock 0-1-0 yards 1 INT; Whitko: Shepherd 2-7-9 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT; Thomas 1-2-16 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; Nate Hart 1-2-6 yards, 0 INT, 0 TD
Receiving - Wawasee: Spitler 1-18, Kyle Vanlaningham 3-17; Kerby 4-41; Tom Brown 2-9, Swain 1-11, Ryan Kauchak 1-38; Whitko: Nate Anderson 2-9, Corey Spangle 2-22, Boardman 1-6 [[In-content Ad]]