Phil Jensen said he’s proud of what his Warsaw football players did in the offseason. The veteran coach would like to see that hard work translate into wins, starting with Friday’s 7 p.m. season opener at Columbia City. “I’m proud of the kids’ effort and the work they put in during the summer,” said Jensen, who is in the fifth year of his second stint with the Tigers. “I know what the kids did in the offseason, now what are we gonna do with it? What are we gonna do on Friday nights? They worked hard. I hope it pays off.” Warsaw finished the season 4-6 overall and 4-3 in the Northern Lakes Conference last year. The Tigers are in search of their first winning season since 2009, when they were 7-5 and advanced to the sectional championship game. The majority of the Tigers’ varsity game experience is on the defensive side of the ball, as they return seven of 11 starters. “With the experience we have on defense, that’s a great place to start,” said Jensen. “I’m hoping we can get back to what we like to do – an aggressive, hard-nosed defense, and a ball-control offense.” Among the starters back on defense are seniors Tanner Dickerhoff, Josh Hueber, Shay Hepler, Justin Miller, Forde Ness and Zach Shepler, and junior Gabe Furnivall. “We’ve got some experience on defense, especially with our linebackers and secondary,” said Jensen. “Hopefully that’s a strength.” Offensively, Jensen said junior Austin Head and sophomore Jake Mangas are vying for the starting quarterback position. Head threw for nearly 550 yards and tossed five touchdowns last year as a sophomore, while playing in the Tigers’ ball-control, run-oriented offense. “I like what I’ve seen out of both of them,” said Jensen. “Austin head got some varsity playing time last year, and Jake Mangas has had a really good summer. It’s always good to have some competition.” Joining Head or Mangas in the backfield, taking handoffs and carrying the ball, could be juniors Tristan McClone, Seth Fouts and Jason Taylor. Senior Taylor Cone is the leading receiver back from a year ago. Cone caught 13 passes for nearly 300 yards and scored two touchdowns. Among those in the trenches blocking for Warsaw’s backfield will be seniors Jorge Carillo and Cameron Shepherd, and junior Stuart Wagner. Warsaw’s roster lists Shepherd at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, while Carillo is 6-0 and 255 pounds and Wagner is 5-11 and 230 pounds. “They’re all good size,” Jensen said of his experienced trio of linemen. “It’s good to have that size again. Our kids are bigger, faster and stronger than they were. I hope our offensive line is a strength.” Following Friday’s game at Columbia City, the Tigers will host Homestead on Aug. 24 and open Northern Lakes Conference play at Plymouth on Aug. 31. “There are no off-weeks,” said Jensen. “Columbia City continues to get better and better, Homestead is Homestead, and then we’re in the NLC every week. We have to come ready to play from Friday night to the end of the season.” Warsaw’s first win will be the 100th of Jensen’s career. Jensen carries an overall record of 99-68 heading into his 17th season as a head coach, which includes a mark of 70-56 entering his 13th season with the Tigers. Prior to Warsaw, Jensen coached four seasons at Churubusco. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of good kids, and a lot of assitant coaches who have worked hard over the years,” said Jensen when asked about the upcoming milestone. “It would be a collection of groups. We had some really good kids when I was at Churubusco, and we’ve had some really good kids here at Warsaw. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by really good people.”
