Wawasee Too Much For Host Whitko
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SOUTH WHITLEY - Jordan who?
Senior Rob McKibben looked a little tentative as the starting running back for Wawasee racked up just four yards on his first two carries in Friday night's game against Whitko.
Then the 5-foot-10 senior found his stride and rushed for 136 yards in his next eight carries, scoring three times to lead the Warriors past the host Wildcats 31-17.
"Rob was so excited to be the starting running back," said Wawasee head coach Joe Rietveld. "He waited three years for this and running back is his favorite position. His legs weren't quite moving as fast as his eyes or head were, but when he had that long run it clicked."
The long run in question was a 20-yard burst up the middle of Whitko's defense on the first play of the Warriors' second possession.
Wawasee went to McKibben five times on that drive and he capped it off with a three-yard run at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter.
McKibben's night ended early after touchdown runs of 80 and 20 yards put the Warriors up by the comfortable margin of 25-0 at halftime.
McKibben's 80-yard gallop was a run straight through the heart of the Wildcat defense. As he picked up momentum and reached full speed, McKibben carried two Whitko defenders before shaking them and reaching pay dirt.
Junior quarterback Joe Leach, replacing Kory Lantz, threw his first varsity touchdown pass to tight end Lance Zimmerman from seven yards out to cap the first half scoring for Wawasee.
Leach struggled out of the gate but was composed and showed an ability to run Wawasee's complex, no-huddle offense, an offense that is rarely found in high school football.
The junior signal caller finished the evening 9 of 12 for 65 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Rietveld decided to take his skill position starters on offense out of the game for most of the second half.
That decision almost backfired as the Wildcats scored 17 straight points in the second half and drew to within two touchdowns. Whitko had the ball and was driving with eight minutes left in the game and a chance to draw within a touchdown before sophomore Gus Bouse fumbled after a 13-yard carry and Wawasee recovered.
Bouse, a 5-10 sophomore running back, used his speed to rush for 94 yards on just seven carries but fumbled twice.
Bouse, along with fellow sophomore fullback Matt Strandland, provided a spark for Whitko after the Wildcat offense stalled in the first half.
"We came out a little scared," said Whitko head coach Bryan Sprunger. "We played well in the second half but it wasn't how we wanted to start the season."
The Wildcats struggled to move the chains in the first half and managed just three first downs, with one coming after Wawasee was charged with a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on quarterback Casey Boggs.
Boggs showed he had a strong arm but wasn't in sync with his receivers and connected on just two passes for 10 yards and two interceptions.
Boggs' first interception came when Wawasee's Michael Conrad put a perfect read on the ball and stepped right in between the ball and the intended Whitko receiver.
Conrad rumbled from 38 yards out relatively unscathed to score and put his team up 31-0.
Senior kicker Mike Gunderson missed the extra point attempt. Gunderson went just 1 for 4 on point after tries in his first game.
Heading into the season, special teams was a concern for Wawasee, and with good reason.
While Gunderson failed to connect on kicks, the line had trouble blocking on kicks and allowed the Wildcat defense through on two punts, causing both to be nearly blocked. The average spot of where the kickoffs landed was around the 30-yard line and Wawasee was charged with offsides on one kickoff. Conrad and Zimmerman both tried their feet at punting with less than stellar results.
"We miss Ben Champoux," said Rietveld. "It's an area where you have a four-year starter and then you have brand new people in positions. We didn't protect well either, so it's an area we'll have to look at."
Whitko's Doru Aldea connected on a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter to put Whitko's first point on the board and kick start the Wildcats' near comeback.
"We've got a world of potential. It's just that these kids have to believe in themselves. They did that in the second half," said Sprunger.
The Wildcats, 0-1 on the season, travel to Leo and take on the Lions Friday at 7 p.m.
The Warriors, 1-0, open up their home schedule with a 7 p.m. showdown against DeKalb. The Barons and Wawasee clashed in last year's sectional final.
Rietveld says that while this team doesn't have the firepower of last year's squad, it is worth the price of admission.
"This is a fun, coachable group that's enjoyable to watch, said Rietveld. "Even with the NLC raising ticket prices, these guys are well worth the extra dollar to watch."
WAWASEE 31, WHITKO 17
Wawasee 12 13 6 0 - 31
Whitko 0 0 3 14 - 14
Wawa Whi
First downs 8 11
Rushing yards 32-190 48-210
Passing yards 65 16
Comp.-Att.-Int. 9-12-0 3-13-2
Total offense 255 226
Fumbles/lost 4/3 6/3
Punts/avg. 4-26.7 4-35.0
Penalties/yards 6-60 4-30
First Quarter
Waw -ÊRob McKibben 4 run (kick blocked) 6-0, 6:15
Waw -ÊMcKibben 80 run (run failed) 12-0, 2:48
Second Quarter
Waw -ÊMcKibben 20 run (Mike Gunderson kick) 8:33, 19-0
Waw -ÊJoe Leach 7 pass to Lance Zimmerman (kick failed) 4:13, 25-0
Third Quarter
Waw - Micahel Conrad 32 Interception return (kick failed) 31-0, 11:42
Whi -ÊDoru Aldea 35 field goal 31-3, 4:44
Fourth Quarter
Whi -ÊGus Bouse 45 run (Aldea kick) 31-10, 8:12
Whi -ÊMatt Strandland 10 run (Aldea kick) 31-17, 6:23
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Wawasee, Rob McKibben 10-146, Blake Thompson 10-59, Joe Leach 5-(-4), Rex Henry 2-(-7), Tom Schwartz 4-(-2), Evan Melching 1-(-2); Whitko, Gus Bouse 7-94, Matt Strandland 9-38, Tyler Elder 8-25, Kaleb Swender 6-18, Casey Boggs 7-17, Brendan Hart 1-17, Brad Smith 6-4, John Calhoun 1-1, James Smith 2-(-1), Trent Rowland 1-(-3)
Passing - Wawasee, Leach 9-12-65 1 TD, 0 INT; Whitko, Boggs 2-7-10 0 TD, 2 INT, Hart 1-6-6, 0 TD, 0 INT
Receiving - Wawasee, Austin Bender 4-32, McKibben 1-13, Lance Zimmerman 1-7, Nick Richardson 1-9, Heath Shock 1-4, Andrew Mock 1-0. [[In-content Ad]]
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SOUTH WHITLEY - Jordan who?
Senior Rob McKibben looked a little tentative as the starting running back for Wawasee racked up just four yards on his first two carries in Friday night's game against Whitko.
Then the 5-foot-10 senior found his stride and rushed for 136 yards in his next eight carries, scoring three times to lead the Warriors past the host Wildcats 31-17.
"Rob was so excited to be the starting running back," said Wawasee head coach Joe Rietveld. "He waited three years for this and running back is his favorite position. His legs weren't quite moving as fast as his eyes or head were, but when he had that long run it clicked."
The long run in question was a 20-yard burst up the middle of Whitko's defense on the first play of the Warriors' second possession.
Wawasee went to McKibben five times on that drive and he capped it off with a three-yard run at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter.
McKibben's night ended early after touchdown runs of 80 and 20 yards put the Warriors up by the comfortable margin of 25-0 at halftime.
McKibben's 80-yard gallop was a run straight through the heart of the Wildcat defense. As he picked up momentum and reached full speed, McKibben carried two Whitko defenders before shaking them and reaching pay dirt.
Junior quarterback Joe Leach, replacing Kory Lantz, threw his first varsity touchdown pass to tight end Lance Zimmerman from seven yards out to cap the first half scoring for Wawasee.
Leach struggled out of the gate but was composed and showed an ability to run Wawasee's complex, no-huddle offense, an offense that is rarely found in high school football.
The junior signal caller finished the evening 9 of 12 for 65 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Rietveld decided to take his skill position starters on offense out of the game for most of the second half.
That decision almost backfired as the Wildcats scored 17 straight points in the second half and drew to within two touchdowns. Whitko had the ball and was driving with eight minutes left in the game and a chance to draw within a touchdown before sophomore Gus Bouse fumbled after a 13-yard carry and Wawasee recovered.
Bouse, a 5-10 sophomore running back, used his speed to rush for 94 yards on just seven carries but fumbled twice.
Bouse, along with fellow sophomore fullback Matt Strandland, provided a spark for Whitko after the Wildcat offense stalled in the first half.
"We came out a little scared," said Whitko head coach Bryan Sprunger. "We played well in the second half but it wasn't how we wanted to start the season."
The Wildcats struggled to move the chains in the first half and managed just three first downs, with one coming after Wawasee was charged with a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on quarterback Casey Boggs.
Boggs showed he had a strong arm but wasn't in sync with his receivers and connected on just two passes for 10 yards and two interceptions.
Boggs' first interception came when Wawasee's Michael Conrad put a perfect read on the ball and stepped right in between the ball and the intended Whitko receiver.
Conrad rumbled from 38 yards out relatively unscathed to score and put his team up 31-0.
Senior kicker Mike Gunderson missed the extra point attempt. Gunderson went just 1 for 4 on point after tries in his first game.
Heading into the season, special teams was a concern for Wawasee, and with good reason.
While Gunderson failed to connect on kicks, the line had trouble blocking on kicks and allowed the Wildcat defense through on two punts, causing both to be nearly blocked. The average spot of where the kickoffs landed was around the 30-yard line and Wawasee was charged with offsides on one kickoff. Conrad and Zimmerman both tried their feet at punting with less than stellar results.
"We miss Ben Champoux," said Rietveld. "It's an area where you have a four-year starter and then you have brand new people in positions. We didn't protect well either, so it's an area we'll have to look at."
Whitko's Doru Aldea connected on a 35-yard field goal in the third quarter to put Whitko's first point on the board and kick start the Wildcats' near comeback.
"We've got a world of potential. It's just that these kids have to believe in themselves. They did that in the second half," said Sprunger.
The Wildcats, 0-1 on the season, travel to Leo and take on the Lions Friday at 7 p.m.
The Warriors, 1-0, open up their home schedule with a 7 p.m. showdown against DeKalb. The Barons and Wawasee clashed in last year's sectional final.
Rietveld says that while this team doesn't have the firepower of last year's squad, it is worth the price of admission.
"This is a fun, coachable group that's enjoyable to watch, said Rietveld. "Even with the NLC raising ticket prices, these guys are well worth the extra dollar to watch."
WAWASEE 31, WHITKO 17
Wawasee 12 13 6 0 - 31
Whitko 0 0 3 14 - 14
Wawa Whi
First downs 8 11
Rushing yards 32-190 48-210
Passing yards 65 16
Comp.-Att.-Int. 9-12-0 3-13-2
Total offense 255 226
Fumbles/lost 4/3 6/3
Punts/avg. 4-26.7 4-35.0
Penalties/yards 6-60 4-30
First Quarter
Waw -ÊRob McKibben 4 run (kick blocked) 6-0, 6:15
Waw -ÊMcKibben 80 run (run failed) 12-0, 2:48
Second Quarter
Waw -ÊMcKibben 20 run (Mike Gunderson kick) 8:33, 19-0
Waw -ÊJoe Leach 7 pass to Lance Zimmerman (kick failed) 4:13, 25-0
Third Quarter
Waw - Micahel Conrad 32 Interception return (kick failed) 31-0, 11:42
Whi -ÊDoru Aldea 35 field goal 31-3, 4:44
Fourth Quarter
Whi -ÊGus Bouse 45 run (Aldea kick) 31-10, 8:12
Whi -ÊMatt Strandland 10 run (Aldea kick) 31-17, 6:23
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Wawasee, Rob McKibben 10-146, Blake Thompson 10-59, Joe Leach 5-(-4), Rex Henry 2-(-7), Tom Schwartz 4-(-2), Evan Melching 1-(-2); Whitko, Gus Bouse 7-94, Matt Strandland 9-38, Tyler Elder 8-25, Kaleb Swender 6-18, Casey Boggs 7-17, Brendan Hart 1-17, Brad Smith 6-4, John Calhoun 1-1, James Smith 2-(-1), Trent Rowland 1-(-3)
Passing - Wawasee, Leach 9-12-65 1 TD, 0 INT; Whitko, Boggs 2-7-10 0 TD, 2 INT, Hart 1-6-6, 0 TD, 0 INT
Receiving - Wawasee, Austin Bender 4-32, McKibben 1-13, Lance Zimmerman 1-7, Nick Richardson 1-9, Heath Shock 1-4, Andrew Mock 1-0. [[In-content Ad]]