SOUTH WHITLEY – The commute from Cambridge City to Whitko High School covers 91 miles, multiple roads and takes two and a half hours. For the visiting Golden Eagles, their hosts made the trip seem even longer. Whitko junior quarterback Garrett Elder posted four scores in a little over two quarters of action as the Wildcats romped to a 49-6 victory in the season opener at Ryan Huff Memorial Stadium. Elder led the ground attack for the Wildcats with eight carries for 170 yards. Whitko head coach Josh Mohr was pleased with his team’s effort, while also crediting Cambridge City for having to deal with being shorthanded. “Cambridge City played a really good game, I know they were hampered by a couple key injuries,” said Mohr. “But our kids, we wanted to come out and execute and do what we do and be fundamentally sound. I think we did a really, really good job of that.” The Wildcats got things going by recovering an onside kick, and two plays later, Elder followed with a 31-yard run to gash the Golden Eagles defense. Fellow junior Dylan Stump capped the opening drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, along with recording the two-point conversion to draw first blood. Before the end of the opening quarter, the Wildcats would score two more times, as they scored on their first three drives. Elder scored three times before halftime, and Gavin Powell added a touchdown run of his own to spot 36 points on the Golden Eagles. City had one bright spot in the first half, a 70-yard completion from junior quarterback Nick Cupp to senior wide receiver Ben Bertsch. The Golden Eagles were able to get as close as the Wildcat 17-yard line, but were unable to get on the board after turning the ball over on downs. The Wildcat defense continued to shine. Junior Cole Cmar recorded an interception and sophomore Hunter Reed notched a fumble recovery in the team’s effort Friday night. Senior Chase Bradley also recorded a sack for the ‘Cats. City did show signs of life in the second half. Bertsch broke loose for a 34-yard run before finally getting on the board the following drive in the fourth quarter on a 17 yard-run. By night’s end, Whitko saw at least nine different players carry the ball. Junior Dillon Alma scored the last touchdown of the game with a few minutes remaining to put on the exclamation point. “It’s always nice to get some of the younger guys some experience on a Friday night,” said Mohr. “There’s nothing like the atmosphere and it’s a different speed and all that. But everybody did their job tonight and I’m pleased with their effort.” Next week, the Wildcats pay a visit to county rival, Columbia City. The Eagles suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Warsaw Tigers 27-3, but Mohr believes they’ll regroup and prepare themselves and be ready for the county rivalry next weekend. “It’s a county rivalry, it’s always a very spirited, hard-hitting type of game,” said Mohr. “I know Coach (Brett) Fox is going to have his guys ready to play. We’ve got to work on some very simple things. There’s some little things we need to smooth out and we need to have a good week of practice, be focused and be ready for that game.”
WHITKO 49, CAMBRIDGE CITY 6 CC 0 0 0 6 — 6 Whi 20 16 6 7 — 49
