Wildcats Shut Out Squires
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Ryan Villanueva-
Junior quarterback Garrett Elder unofficially accounted for 300 yards on the ground as the Wildcats improved to 3-4 overall (2-3 TRC) in grand fashion with a 35-0 win over rival Manchester.
Despite the score, it wasn’t all perfect for the Wildcats, but Whitko head football coach Josh Mohr admired their toughness after making adjustments.
“We turned the ball over a couple times early, but they tightened up and they kept driving forward. I’m very proud of their resiliency,” said Mohr.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Wildcats are looking to carry some momentum with them going into the sectionals.
“It boosts our confidence a little bit going down the stretch,” said Mohr. “We’ve been close all year, and it’s a turnover here or there that makes the difference in several games.”
Elder proved to be too much too handle for the Squires, with four touchdowns along with his total offensive accumulation.
The dual-threat quarterback scored on runs of 24, 71, 35 and 6 yards in effort to keep the Squires from getting their first win of the season. Garrett Smiley also added a rushing touchdown in the winning effort for the ‘Cats.
“He’s got a different gear,” said Mohr. “He’s one of those kids at times that has that extra speed that’s a little bit faster, and he kind of showed it tonight.”
Manchester put up a very strong drive in the fourth quarter, driving from their own 20 to the Whitko red zone before sophomore halfback Josh Shepherd had the ball knocked free and turned over to the ‘Cats.
On the first play from scrimmage, Elder broke free for a 90 yard run before stepping out-of-bounds at the Squires 5 yard line voluntarily, in what would be for a great reason.
A special moment for the Wildcats was set as Jared Hartman, a special needs student who had been with the football program as manager since the 6th grade, had his dream come true.
With the cooperation of the Whitko football staff and Manchester head coach Greg Miller and his staff, Hartman got to carry the ball from 5 yards out to earn himself the touchdown of a lifetime.
“He’s a great kid and inspiration to all of us,” said Whitko head football coach Josh Mohr. “The seniors brought it up all on their own. I can’t give enough thanks to [Manchester] coach Greg Miller; we had this set up on Monday this week to give him that in the fourth quarter. I’m sure (Hartman) is ecstatic and if he could have played, he would. He’s always positive and never gets down. He just loves Whitko football and he’s very deserving.”
Miller could not be reached for comment following the game.
Next week, the Wildcats face the undefeated Northfield Norsemen, who were 27-7 victors over fellow TRC member Maconaquah. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Squires, still seeking their first win, will take on the Rochester Zebras, who won 17-10 over the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings on Friday night.
WHITKO 35, MANCHESTER 0
M 0 0 0 0 –– 0
W 7 13 7 8 — 35
M W
1st downs 10 20
Rushing yds 110 491
Passing yds 103 0
Comp-Att-Int 13-35-0 0-2-1
Total yds 213 491
Fumbles/lost 6/1 4/2
Penalties/yds 7/58 6/42
Punts/avg 6/31.3 1/13.0
First Quarter
W – Garrett Elder 10 run (Walker Hobbs kick) 7-0
Second Quarter
W – Garrett smiley 2 run (Hobbs kick) 14-0
W – Elder 71 run (kick failed) 20-0
Third Quarter
W – Elder 35 run (Hobbs kick) 27-0
Fourth Quarter
W – Elder 6 run (Brady Weeks run) 35-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Manchester: Josh Shepherd 9-111, Kane Gable 7-13, Clay Sellers 3-2, Bailey Ness 3-(-16); Whitko: Hunter Reed 27-113, Elder 19-300, Smiley 8-67, Gavin Powell 3-11
Passing — Manchester: Ness 13-35-103 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; Whitko: Elder 0-2-0 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Receiving — Manchester: Keelan Norwood 8-40, Hayes Stutsman 2-37, K. Gable 2-5, Jared Gable 1-12, Remington Trick 1-10, Shepherd 1-(-1)[[In-content Ad]]
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Junior quarterback Garrett Elder unofficially accounted for 300 yards on the ground as the Wildcats improved to 3-4 overall (2-3 TRC) in grand fashion with a 35-0 win over rival Manchester.
Despite the score, it wasn’t all perfect for the Wildcats, but Whitko head football coach Josh Mohr admired their toughness after making adjustments.
“We turned the ball over a couple times early, but they tightened up and they kept driving forward. I’m very proud of their resiliency,” said Mohr.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Wildcats are looking to carry some momentum with them going into the sectionals.
“It boosts our confidence a little bit going down the stretch,” said Mohr. “We’ve been close all year, and it’s a turnover here or there that makes the difference in several games.”
Elder proved to be too much too handle for the Squires, with four touchdowns along with his total offensive accumulation.
The dual-threat quarterback scored on runs of 24, 71, 35 and 6 yards in effort to keep the Squires from getting their first win of the season. Garrett Smiley also added a rushing touchdown in the winning effort for the ‘Cats.
“He’s got a different gear,” said Mohr. “He’s one of those kids at times that has that extra speed that’s a little bit faster, and he kind of showed it tonight.”
Manchester put up a very strong drive in the fourth quarter, driving from their own 20 to the Whitko red zone before sophomore halfback Josh Shepherd had the ball knocked free and turned over to the ‘Cats.
On the first play from scrimmage, Elder broke free for a 90 yard run before stepping out-of-bounds at the Squires 5 yard line voluntarily, in what would be for a great reason.
A special moment for the Wildcats was set as Jared Hartman, a special needs student who had been with the football program as manager since the 6th grade, had his dream come true.
With the cooperation of the Whitko football staff and Manchester head coach Greg Miller and his staff, Hartman got to carry the ball from 5 yards out to earn himself the touchdown of a lifetime.
“He’s a great kid and inspiration to all of us,” said Whitko head football coach Josh Mohr. “The seniors brought it up all on their own. I can’t give enough thanks to [Manchester] coach Greg Miller; we had this set up on Monday this week to give him that in the fourth quarter. I’m sure (Hartman) is ecstatic and if he could have played, he would. He’s always positive and never gets down. He just loves Whitko football and he’s very deserving.”
Miller could not be reached for comment following the game.
Next week, the Wildcats face the undefeated Northfield Norsemen, who were 27-7 victors over fellow TRC member Maconaquah. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Squires, still seeking their first win, will take on the Rochester Zebras, who won 17-10 over the Tippecanoe Valley Vikings on Friday night.
WHITKO 35, MANCHESTER 0
M 0 0 0 0 –– 0
W 7 13 7 8 — 35
M W
1st downs 10 20
Rushing yds 110 491
Passing yds 103 0
Comp-Att-Int 13-35-0 0-2-1
Total yds 213 491
Fumbles/lost 6/1 4/2
Penalties/yds 7/58 6/42
Punts/avg 6/31.3 1/13.0
First Quarter
W – Garrett Elder 10 run (Walker Hobbs kick) 7-0
Second Quarter
W – Garrett smiley 2 run (Hobbs kick) 14-0
W – Elder 71 run (kick failed) 20-0
Third Quarter
W – Elder 35 run (Hobbs kick) 27-0
Fourth Quarter
W – Elder 6 run (Brady Weeks run) 35-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Manchester: Josh Shepherd 9-111, Kane Gable 7-13, Clay Sellers 3-2, Bailey Ness 3-(-16); Whitko: Hunter Reed 27-113, Elder 19-300, Smiley 8-67, Gavin Powell 3-11
Passing — Manchester: Ness 13-35-103 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT; Whitko: Elder 0-2-0 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Receiving — Manchester: Keelan Norwood 8-40, Hayes Stutsman 2-37, K. Gable 2-5, Jared Gable 1-12, Remington Trick 1-10, Shepherd 1-(-1)[[In-content Ad]]
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