On The Gridiron
October 26, 2017 at 3:50 p.m.
By Staff Report-
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Warsaw
Coaches: Mark Peterson (Chesterton), Phil Jensen (Warsaw)
Records: Chesterton 4-5, Warsaw 5-4
Last Game: Chesterton 14, Merrillville 7; Concord 26, Warsaw 20
Last Meeting: Chesterton 13, Warsaw 0 (Oct. 20, 1995, sectional)
Matchup: After playing in Class 6A Sectional 3 for a number of years, the Warsaw Tigers have moved to Sectional 2 and will host the Chesterton Trojans Friday in a sectional semifinal at Fisher Field. It is just the second meeting on the gridiron between the two schools. Chesterton won a sectional opener 13-0 on Oct. 20, 1995 at Fisher Field in Bob Montel's only year as head coach of the Tigers. Warsaw enters tournament play having won three of their last four games, including a thrilling come-from-behind 31-28 win over NorthWood, last year's 4A state runner-up, in Week 8. The Tigers fell 26-20 at state-ranked Concord in the regular season finale two weeks ago. All 6A teams had a bye week last week. In the past three games, Warsaw senior quarterback Tristan Larsh has had a hand in 10 of the Tigers' 12 touchdowns. He's thrown five TDs and rushed for five more in that span. Comparatively speaking, Larsh ran for three scores and passed for two in the first six games of the season. To date, Larsh has completed 64 of 121 pass attempts for 719 yards with seven scores and four interceptions, all the while rushing for 708 yards and eight TDs on 143 carries. Junior Bryce Garner, who has filled in at running back during senior Will McGarvey's foot injury, has carried the ball 96 times for 341 yards and two scores. Senior Zach Riley leads Warsaw in receiving with 34 catches for 445 yards and five TDs. Junior Eli Owen is second on the team in both receptions and yards with 13 for 124. Defensively, senior linebacker Lane McClone leads Warsaw in tackles with 65.5, which includes 6.5 tackles for loss. Senior defensive back Kendal Miller has made 40 tackles, as well as nine pass breakups. Junior lineman Jaxon Wagoner is tops in sacks with four, including three in a win at Goshen. A win over Chesterton would advance the Tigers to next week's sectional finals against either No. 4 Penn or No. 5 Valparaiso. A win Friday would also make Jensen the winningest Warsaw football coach in history. Jensen, who has a record of 132-96 in 22 years overall, is 103-84 with the Tigers. He is tied with George Fisher, who was 103-95-15 while coaching the Tigers from 1926-51. Chesterton enters Friday's postseason battle having won two of their last three games after a four-game losing streak. The Trojans won their regular season finale 14-7 over Duneland Athletic Conference foe Merrillville, who is coached by former Warsaw standout athlete Brad Seiss. In that win, Chesterton trailed 7-0 but tied the game on a 40-yard TD run by senior Louie Razo, then won on a seven-yard run by junior Cory Boren. Razo finished that game with 14 carries for 71 yards, while senior quarterback Andrew Zimmerman completed 8 of 11 passes for 107 yards. Senior linebacker Brett Roeske had a key interception for the Trojans, making his return from a knee injury that sidelined him for three games.
Jensen: "There's pros and cons to the bye week. Obviously for us it gives us a chance to get healthier. The disadvantage is game week falls on our fall break, which forces us into a completely different schedule. It all depends on how the players choose to respond. Tristan (Larsh) and Zach (Riley) are better. Will (McGarvey) and Trevor (York) are doing some things at practice. Both will be a game-time decision. Chesterton is very good on defense and has great special teams play. Offensively, they are an option team. The quarterback is the key. Drawing them at home was the best draw we could have asked for, but once again it comes down to how we respond come game time. Ball security will be the key to the game."
WINAMAC AT TRITON (CLASS 1A, SECT. 41)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bourbon
Coaches: Craig Barr (Winamac); Ron Brown (Triton)
Records: Winamac 4-6; Triton 7-3
Last Game: Winamac 28, South Central 20; Triton 42, Caston 13
Last Meeting Triton 36, Winamac 19 (Oct. 13)
Matchup: In the regular-season and Hoosier North Athletic Conference finale, Triton got off to an early 15-point lead against Winamac. When the Warriors closed to within three in the third quarter, the Trojans scored the last 14 points to secure the victory. Winamac senior running back Ethan Rogers has 1,143 yards rushing in just seven games played this season. He ran for 234 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown in the game 13 days ago. Kyle Chumley and quarterback Jeb Smith also had rushing touchdowns in that game, Chumley's score came on a 30-yard run. Chumley, Smith, Harley Pugh, Austin Brandt and Gabe Townsend are each in tripe-digits in rushing this year, and the five have combined for almost as many yards on the ground as Rogers. The Warriors throw the ball a little bit, about 11 times a game on average, but the Warriors' passing yardage is a 10th of its rushing output, and they have one passing touchdown on the year. Over the last half of the season, Triton has struck a greater offensive balance, running for almost as many yards as it gains passing. The shuttle pass was particularly effective against Caston. Triton coach Ron Brown has said all season the Trojan offense is simply taking what the opposing defense is giving. Triton seems to have solved its turnover woes, not losing the ball at all in the sectional-opening win over Caston. Delano Shumpert scored after catching a shuttle pass, working to his right, then cutting back over the middle to score. James "Bo" Snyder has passed for 1,663 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Max Slusser leads the Trojans with 740 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, and Ethan Berry has 302 yards and seven TDs so far, including a 59-yard touchdown run from punt formation last week. Shumpert leads Triton with 36 receptions for 679 yards and 11 touchdowns, with Tye Orsund catching 21 passes for 515 hyards and a pair of TDs. Drew Stichter has four receiving touchdowns. Orsund also lead Triton with 40 solo tackles. Most of Caston's 154 yards rushing Friday night came against Triton's second team, on a long drive in the fourth quarter. After giving up a first-drive touchdown on a relatively short field last week, Triton's defense buckled down and allowed only four first downs until giving way to the junior varsity at the start of the fourth quarter. Brown said that he'd rather not have to play rematches against HNAC opponents in the sectional, but even so the routine doesn't change much in terms of game preparation. At this point it's the same for everyone. The only non-conference team in the sectional, South Central, was eliminated last week.
Brown: "When you're playing 1A football, you want to get a good look (at what the opponents are expected to do) throughout the week, then whichever team can adjust to what happens in the game quicker normally comes out on top, or has a significant advantage. I'd prefer to play teams that we haven't played before. They know what we're going to do and we know what they're going to do, and there's no surprises. But it is what it is. Luckily for us, we're a very balanced team and it's hard to prepare for us. Primarily, Winamac is going to give the ball to No. 32 (Rogers) and if I were them I would't change anything at this stage, either. If we can't stop him, they're going to run wild, and if we can, they're still going to be in the game."
E-Editions
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday in Warsaw
Coaches: Mark Peterson (Chesterton), Phil Jensen (Warsaw)
Records: Chesterton 4-5, Warsaw 5-4
Last Game: Chesterton 14, Merrillville 7; Concord 26, Warsaw 20
Last Meeting: Chesterton 13, Warsaw 0 (Oct. 20, 1995, sectional)
Matchup: After playing in Class 6A Sectional 3 for a number of years, the Warsaw Tigers have moved to Sectional 2 and will host the Chesterton Trojans Friday in a sectional semifinal at Fisher Field. It is just the second meeting on the gridiron between the two schools. Chesterton won a sectional opener 13-0 on Oct. 20, 1995 at Fisher Field in Bob Montel's only year as head coach of the Tigers. Warsaw enters tournament play having won three of their last four games, including a thrilling come-from-behind 31-28 win over NorthWood, last year's 4A state runner-up, in Week 8. The Tigers fell 26-20 at state-ranked Concord in the regular season finale two weeks ago. All 6A teams had a bye week last week. In the past three games, Warsaw senior quarterback Tristan Larsh has had a hand in 10 of the Tigers' 12 touchdowns. He's thrown five TDs and rushed for five more in that span. Comparatively speaking, Larsh ran for three scores and passed for two in the first six games of the season. To date, Larsh has completed 64 of 121 pass attempts for 719 yards with seven scores and four interceptions, all the while rushing for 708 yards and eight TDs on 143 carries. Junior Bryce Garner, who has filled in at running back during senior Will McGarvey's foot injury, has carried the ball 96 times for 341 yards and two scores. Senior Zach Riley leads Warsaw in receiving with 34 catches for 445 yards and five TDs. Junior Eli Owen is second on the team in both receptions and yards with 13 for 124. Defensively, senior linebacker Lane McClone leads Warsaw in tackles with 65.5, which includes 6.5 tackles for loss. Senior defensive back Kendal Miller has made 40 tackles, as well as nine pass breakups. Junior lineman Jaxon Wagoner is tops in sacks with four, including three in a win at Goshen. A win over Chesterton would advance the Tigers to next week's sectional finals against either No. 4 Penn or No. 5 Valparaiso. A win Friday would also make Jensen the winningest Warsaw football coach in history. Jensen, who has a record of 132-96 in 22 years overall, is 103-84 with the Tigers. He is tied with George Fisher, who was 103-95-15 while coaching the Tigers from 1926-51. Chesterton enters Friday's postseason battle having won two of their last three games after a four-game losing streak. The Trojans won their regular season finale 14-7 over Duneland Athletic Conference foe Merrillville, who is coached by former Warsaw standout athlete Brad Seiss. In that win, Chesterton trailed 7-0 but tied the game on a 40-yard TD run by senior Louie Razo, then won on a seven-yard run by junior Cory Boren. Razo finished that game with 14 carries for 71 yards, while senior quarterback Andrew Zimmerman completed 8 of 11 passes for 107 yards. Senior linebacker Brett Roeske had a key interception for the Trojans, making his return from a knee injury that sidelined him for three games.
Jensen: "There's pros and cons to the bye week. Obviously for us it gives us a chance to get healthier. The disadvantage is game week falls on our fall break, which forces us into a completely different schedule. It all depends on how the players choose to respond. Tristan (Larsh) and Zach (Riley) are better. Will (McGarvey) and Trevor (York) are doing some things at practice. Both will be a game-time decision. Chesterton is very good on defense and has great special teams play. Offensively, they are an option team. The quarterback is the key. Drawing them at home was the best draw we could have asked for, but once again it comes down to how we respond come game time. Ball security will be the key to the game."
WINAMAC AT TRITON (CLASS 1A, SECT. 41)
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday in Bourbon
Coaches: Craig Barr (Winamac); Ron Brown (Triton)
Records: Winamac 4-6; Triton 7-3
Last Game: Winamac 28, South Central 20; Triton 42, Caston 13
Last Meeting Triton 36, Winamac 19 (Oct. 13)
Matchup: In the regular-season and Hoosier North Athletic Conference finale, Triton got off to an early 15-point lead against Winamac. When the Warriors closed to within three in the third quarter, the Trojans scored the last 14 points to secure the victory. Winamac senior running back Ethan Rogers has 1,143 yards rushing in just seven games played this season. He ran for 234 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown in the game 13 days ago. Kyle Chumley and quarterback Jeb Smith also had rushing touchdowns in that game, Chumley's score came on a 30-yard run. Chumley, Smith, Harley Pugh, Austin Brandt and Gabe Townsend are each in tripe-digits in rushing this year, and the five have combined for almost as many yards on the ground as Rogers. The Warriors throw the ball a little bit, about 11 times a game on average, but the Warriors' passing yardage is a 10th of its rushing output, and they have one passing touchdown on the year. Over the last half of the season, Triton has struck a greater offensive balance, running for almost as many yards as it gains passing. The shuttle pass was particularly effective against Caston. Triton coach Ron Brown has said all season the Trojan offense is simply taking what the opposing defense is giving. Triton seems to have solved its turnover woes, not losing the ball at all in the sectional-opening win over Caston. Delano Shumpert scored after catching a shuttle pass, working to his right, then cutting back over the middle to score. James "Bo" Snyder has passed for 1,663 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Max Slusser leads the Trojans with 740 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns, and Ethan Berry has 302 yards and seven TDs so far, including a 59-yard touchdown run from punt formation last week. Shumpert leads Triton with 36 receptions for 679 yards and 11 touchdowns, with Tye Orsund catching 21 passes for 515 hyards and a pair of TDs. Drew Stichter has four receiving touchdowns. Orsund also lead Triton with 40 solo tackles. Most of Caston's 154 yards rushing Friday night came against Triton's second team, on a long drive in the fourth quarter. After giving up a first-drive touchdown on a relatively short field last week, Triton's defense buckled down and allowed only four first downs until giving way to the junior varsity at the start of the fourth quarter. Brown said that he'd rather not have to play rematches against HNAC opponents in the sectional, but even so the routine doesn't change much in terms of game preparation. At this point it's the same for everyone. The only non-conference team in the sectional, South Central, was eliminated last week.
Brown: "When you're playing 1A football, you want to get a good look (at what the opponents are expected to do) throughout the week, then whichever team can adjust to what happens in the game quicker normally comes out on top, or has a significant advantage. I'd prefer to play teams that we haven't played before. They know what we're going to do and we know what they're going to do, and there's no surprises. But it is what it is. Luckily for us, we're a very balanced team and it's hard to prepare for us. Primarily, Winamac is going to give the ball to No. 32 (Rogers) and if I were them I would't change anything at this stage, either. If we can't stop him, they're going to run wild, and if we can, they're still going to be in the game."
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