NORTH MANCHESTER — Both coming in at 1-0 in Three Rivers Conference play, the Whitko Wildcats and Manchester Squires squared off in what was to be a big-statement game Friday night in North Manchester. On a colder-than-usual September evening, the Wildcats had the bigger say. Whitko fullback Tanner Hughes carried the ball 28 times for 192 yards and three scores as the Wildcats ran over the host Squires 42-7. Quarterback and return man Garrett Elder gave the Wildcats the early spark they needed to get going. Elder took the opening kickoff 77 yards before being tackled at the Squires’ 12-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, tailback Trace Killian finished the short drive with a touchdown run – with only 22 seconds elapsed in the game. That was only the beginning of a long night for the home team. On the ensuing possession, Manchester tailback Jacob Casper fumbled the ball and Whitko’s Connor Zwick recovered. Manchester quarterback Lucas Schilling was pressured over the course of the game, as he was sacked four times and threw two interceptions. In all, Whitko’s defense and special teams forced six turnovers – four fumbles as well as Schilling’s two picks. One of those interceptions came from senior defensive back Zach Snep, who returned a fourth-quarter interception 60 yards for a touchdown to ultimately close the door on the Squires. “Snep’s effort and hustle from opening kickoff to the last minute, when he made that pick six from the outside linebacker and defensive end position ... it was an amazing play and an amazing reaction to get it that quick from the quarterback’s hands,” said Whitko head coach Josh Mohr. “Not only him, but the entire defense stepped up two weeks in a row, and I have to credit Coach [Brad] Clark and the rest of the coaching staff for making some adjustments after the first two weeks. They’ve really paid off.” Manchester’s only touchdown of the night came on an 18-yard pass from Lucas Schilling to Daniel Griese just before the end of the first half. Squires head coach Greg Miller was not available for comment. Next week, the Wildcats (2-2, 2-0 TRC) will look to maintain their unblemished TRC record as they host the Wabash Apaches. “We’re just going to keep raising the bar and keep pushing forward and getting better at what we do,” said Mohr. “We can’t have any mental breakdowns.” The Squires (2-2, 1-1 TRC) will try to rebound as they will visit the North Miami Warriors.
WHITKO 42, MANCHESTER 7 W 15 7 7 13 — 42 M 7 0 0 — 7
W M 1st downs 17 9 Rushing yds 374 17 Passing yds 8 125 Comp-Att-Int 1-4-1 13-26-2 Total yds 382 142 Fumbles/lost 3/2 4/3 Penalties/yds 10/77 7/60 Punts/avg 2/34.5 7/33.4
First Quarter W – Trace Killian 12 run (Tanner Hughes conversion run), 8-0. W – Hughes 9 run (Thomas Wyman kick), 15-0. Second Quarter W – Hughes 38 run (Wyman kick), 22-0. M – Lucas Schilling 18 pass Daniel Griese (Schilling kick), 22-7. Third Quarter W – Hughes 2 run (Wyman kick), 29-7. Fourth Quarter W – Killian 6 run (conversion failed), 35-7. W – Zach Snep 60 interception return (Wyman kick), 42-7.
