Whitko Wildcats Fall To Northfield
October 8, 2016 at 6:35 a.m.
By Ryan Villanueva-
The winner of the game would determine who would be vying for the conference championship next week. After a strong outing at Manchester a week ago, the Cats were looking to carry some of that momentum back home.
Northfield had other plans, however.
On Whitko’s Homecoming Night and Senior Night, the Norsemen played spoiler as they beat the hosts 34-12.
Northfield's ground game produced two 100-yard rushers in Jensen Frieden (16 car., 108 yards, 3 TD) and Jackson Beery (10 car., 126 yards) as the Norsemen outrushed Whitko 305-155.
“We played a tough group that came out, hit us hard, and played really well,” said Whitko coach Jeff Sprunger. “Offensively, we got manhandled. We did not move the ball very well. It was probably one of the worst offensive nights we have had all year. All the kids were playing hard, but we have got to get better.”
It didn’t even take the Norsemen two minutes to score the first points of the game. Frieden drew first blood on a 37-yard scamper, and then found the end zone again after several broken tackles en route to a 52-yard run, leading Northfield to a 13-0 lead after one quarter of play.
With their backs against the wall early, the Cats needed to turn the tables before they found themselves in a bigger hole before the break.
With a minute to go before halftime, on a 4th-and-goal at the 1, senior quarterback Colin Craig pitched the ball to Garrett Elder, who was met at the goal line by a number of Norsemen. Elder extended his arms and fell forward over the line to get the Cats on the board. Craig later sacked quarterback Layne Evans for a 7-yard loss with under 10 seconds to go in effort to gain some momentum back for the second half.
After deferring possession to the second half by winning the coin toss, the Cats looked to take some advantage with it – and did they ever.
On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Elder broke free for a 66-yard touchdown run to get within a point of the Norsemen.
The Cats were feeling it, and they were hungry for more. Senior defensive back Alex Morales recovered a Frieden fumble on the ensuing possession. However, the Cats were unable to capitalize.
Northfield dug deep into its playbook, as halfback Beery took a pitch from Evans and passed downfield to Ryan Driscoll, who bobbled the ball but managed to hang on for a one-handed grab. On the next play, Beery bursted for a 13-yard gain, which set up Frieden for a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Norsemen up 20-12.
The Norsemen later marched downfield after a Craig turnover, and capped the drive with a 2-yard scoring run by John Schuler that pushed the advantage to 27-12.
Fumbling hurt Whitko offensively, and it continued to show as Craig fumbled the ball back to Northfield on the first play of the final quarter. The Cats fumbled six times, though they only lost two.
While the Norsemen were very effective in the ground game, they also found their passing game late in the fourth quarter. Evans looked in the back corner of the end zone and found Cade Kennedy to connect on a 14-yard touchdown that put the game away.
Despite what the scoreboard showed, Whitko's defense was able to get into the backfield and force a few turnovers, which received praise from Sprunger.
“We saw a lot of things that we haven’t seen lately out of our guys,” said Sprunger. “A lot of downhill playing, a lot of attacking and getting into the backfield. We have got to look at the good things we are doing and grow upon that.”
Defensively, Craig led the defense in tackles with 16, including a sack and two tackles for a loss. Conner Sherwin had 11 tackles and two tackles for a loss.
Elder finished his night with 18 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns, as he was tabbed Whitko's player of the game in his final game at home. Hunter Reed was held in check as he rushed 11 times for 17 yards in the loss.
As a result of finishing second in the TRC North Division, the Cats will face the Peru Tigers on Friday. Peru is coming off of a 43-34 loss to North Miami. Northfield will face North Miami for the TRC Championship.
“They’re another strong run game team; another team that we are going to have to get our front five going against,” Sprunger said of Peru. “They’re going to try to drive it down our throats and we have to be ready to play physical football with them.”
NORTHFIELD 34, WHITKO 12
N 13 0 14 7 – 34
W 0 6 6 0 – 12
N W
1st downs 16 8
Rushing yds 305 155
Passing yds 86 23
Comp-Att-Int 3-6-0 3-9-0
Total yds 391 178
Fumbles/lost 6/2 5/1
Penalties/yds 2/15 1/5
Punts/avg. 2/50.0 4/37.3
First Quarter
N – Jensen Frieden 37 run (Kade Kennedy kick) 7-0
N – Frieden 52 run (kick failed) 13-0
Second Quarter
W – Elder 10 run (pass failed) 13-6
Third Quarter
W – Elder 66 run (run failed) 13-12
N – Frieden 1 run (Kennedy kick) 20-12
N – John Schuler 2 run (Kennedy kick) 27-12
Fourth Quarter
N – Kennedy 14 pass from Layne Evans (Kennedy kick) 34-12
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Northfield, Frieden 16-108, Schuler 11-64, Evans 11-19, Jackson Beery 10-126, Ryan Driscoll 3-4, Kyle Reed 1-(minus 16); Whitko, Elder 18-95, Hunter Reed 11-17, Colin Craig 10-34, Robby Owsley 1-9.
Passing – Northfield, Evans 2-5-47 yds. 1 TD, 0 Int., Jackson Beery 1-1-39 yds, 0 TD, 0 Int.; Whitko, Craig 3-9-23 yds, 0 TD, 0 Int.
Receiving – Northfield, Ryan Driscoll 2-72, Kennedy 1-14; Whitko, Zach Hewitt 1-12, Owsley 2-9, Reed 1-2.
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The winner of the game would determine who would be vying for the conference championship next week. After a strong outing at Manchester a week ago, the Cats were looking to carry some of that momentum back home.
Northfield had other plans, however.
On Whitko’s Homecoming Night and Senior Night, the Norsemen played spoiler as they beat the hosts 34-12.
Northfield's ground game produced two 100-yard rushers in Jensen Frieden (16 car., 108 yards, 3 TD) and Jackson Beery (10 car., 126 yards) as the Norsemen outrushed Whitko 305-155.
“We played a tough group that came out, hit us hard, and played really well,” said Whitko coach Jeff Sprunger. “Offensively, we got manhandled. We did not move the ball very well. It was probably one of the worst offensive nights we have had all year. All the kids were playing hard, but we have got to get better.”
It didn’t even take the Norsemen two minutes to score the first points of the game. Frieden drew first blood on a 37-yard scamper, and then found the end zone again after several broken tackles en route to a 52-yard run, leading Northfield to a 13-0 lead after one quarter of play.
With their backs against the wall early, the Cats needed to turn the tables before they found themselves in a bigger hole before the break.
With a minute to go before halftime, on a 4th-and-goal at the 1, senior quarterback Colin Craig pitched the ball to Garrett Elder, who was met at the goal line by a number of Norsemen. Elder extended his arms and fell forward over the line to get the Cats on the board. Craig later sacked quarterback Layne Evans for a 7-yard loss with under 10 seconds to go in effort to gain some momentum back for the second half.
After deferring possession to the second half by winning the coin toss, the Cats looked to take some advantage with it – and did they ever.
On the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Elder broke free for a 66-yard touchdown run to get within a point of the Norsemen.
The Cats were feeling it, and they were hungry for more. Senior defensive back Alex Morales recovered a Frieden fumble on the ensuing possession. However, the Cats were unable to capitalize.
Northfield dug deep into its playbook, as halfback Beery took a pitch from Evans and passed downfield to Ryan Driscoll, who bobbled the ball but managed to hang on for a one-handed grab. On the next play, Beery bursted for a 13-yard gain, which set up Frieden for a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Norsemen up 20-12.
The Norsemen later marched downfield after a Craig turnover, and capped the drive with a 2-yard scoring run by John Schuler that pushed the advantage to 27-12.
Fumbling hurt Whitko offensively, and it continued to show as Craig fumbled the ball back to Northfield on the first play of the final quarter. The Cats fumbled six times, though they only lost two.
While the Norsemen were very effective in the ground game, they also found their passing game late in the fourth quarter. Evans looked in the back corner of the end zone and found Cade Kennedy to connect on a 14-yard touchdown that put the game away.
Despite what the scoreboard showed, Whitko's defense was able to get into the backfield and force a few turnovers, which received praise from Sprunger.
“We saw a lot of things that we haven’t seen lately out of our guys,” said Sprunger. “A lot of downhill playing, a lot of attacking and getting into the backfield. We have got to look at the good things we are doing and grow upon that.”
Defensively, Craig led the defense in tackles with 16, including a sack and two tackles for a loss. Conner Sherwin had 11 tackles and two tackles for a loss.
Elder finished his night with 18 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns, as he was tabbed Whitko's player of the game in his final game at home. Hunter Reed was held in check as he rushed 11 times for 17 yards in the loss.
As a result of finishing second in the TRC North Division, the Cats will face the Peru Tigers on Friday. Peru is coming off of a 43-34 loss to North Miami. Northfield will face North Miami for the TRC Championship.
“They’re another strong run game team; another team that we are going to have to get our front five going against,” Sprunger said of Peru. “They’re going to try to drive it down our throats and we have to be ready to play physical football with them.”
NORTHFIELD 34, WHITKO 12
N 13 0 14 7 – 34
W 0 6 6 0 – 12
N W
1st downs 16 8
Rushing yds 305 155
Passing yds 86 23
Comp-Att-Int 3-6-0 3-9-0
Total yds 391 178
Fumbles/lost 6/2 5/1
Penalties/yds 2/15 1/5
Punts/avg. 2/50.0 4/37.3
First Quarter
N – Jensen Frieden 37 run (Kade Kennedy kick) 7-0
N – Frieden 52 run (kick failed) 13-0
Second Quarter
W – Elder 10 run (pass failed) 13-6
Third Quarter
W – Elder 66 run (run failed) 13-12
N – Frieden 1 run (Kennedy kick) 20-12
N – John Schuler 2 run (Kennedy kick) 27-12
Fourth Quarter
N – Kennedy 14 pass from Layne Evans (Kennedy kick) 34-12
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Northfield, Frieden 16-108, Schuler 11-64, Evans 11-19, Jackson Beery 10-126, Ryan Driscoll 3-4, Kyle Reed 1-(minus 16); Whitko, Elder 18-95, Hunter Reed 11-17, Colin Craig 10-34, Robby Owsley 1-9.
Passing – Northfield, Evans 2-5-47 yds. 1 TD, 0 Int., Jackson Beery 1-1-39 yds, 0 TD, 0 Int.; Whitko, Craig 3-9-23 yds, 0 TD, 0 Int.
Receiving – Northfield, Ryan Driscoll 2-72, Kennedy 1-14; Whitko, Zach Hewitt 1-12, Owsley 2-9, Reed 1-2.
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