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NORTH MANCHESTER -ÊGoing into Friday night's game against Rochester, the Manchester Squires were considered the underdogs.
"Our kids were determined to outplay them," said Manchester coach Al Bailey. "It was homecoming night, and the seniors wanted to play."
And play they did. The Manchester Squires shocked just about everyone but themselves by picking up a 38-21 homecoming win over the Rochester Zebras.
Manchester came out with something to prove. After taking the ball to their own 27-yard line on the opening kickoff, the Squires scored on the first play of the drive. Sophomore quarterback Joe Egner, in his first varsity start, hooked up with Farron Gaerte on a 73-yard pass play to put the Manchester squad up 6-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, Rochester fumbled the ball, and Manchester recovered on its own 47-yard line. However, the Squires were unable to capitalize and returned the ball to the Zebras on a fumble just six plays later.
At the end of the first quarter, Manchester still held a 6-0 lead, but that changed on the first play of the second frame.
With a third-and-goal situation, Rochester quarterback Reid Surface connected with Josh Lett for a 4-yard touchdown pass. After Paul Soderlund split the uprights, the Zebras held a 7-6 advantage.
With just 6:43 left in the second quarter, Rochester struck gold again. Shane Cameron ran 12 yards to score the second Zebra touchdown of the night. Again, the kick was good, and after holding Manchester scoreless through the remainder of the quarter, Rochester took a 14-6 lead into the halftime break.
The Squires returned from the halftime break with a vengeance. Manchester's defense forced Rochester to go three-and-out. The Squires blocked the punt, and senior Josh Staton pounced on the ball in the endzone to score another Manchester touchdown. After the two-point conversion failed, Rochester clung to a 14-12 lead.
"Josh Staton has been injured, but he went out an played some defense for us," said Bailey. "It's homecoming and the seniors always want to play. I am surprised at how well he did."
With 5:03 left in the third quarter, Manchester's offense struck again. Dustin Burke caught a pass from Egner and scored a 61-yard touchdown to restore the Squire lead, 18-14.
But the Squires were not finished.
Just two minutes later, Paul Sommer capped off a 36-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give Manchester a 24-14 advantage.
At the 1:11 mark, Rochester struck again as Ty Horn broke through the Manchester line for a 50-yard touchdown run. Another Soderlund kick put the Zebras within three, 24-21.
Early in the fourth quarter, Rochester had the ball on its own 23-yard line, but Squire senior Dustin Westafer stopped the Zebra drive by intercepting a pass and taking it to the 5-yard line.
Two plays later, the Squires added to their lead when Egner connected with Farron Gaerte for a 6-yard touchdown pass. This time, Egner connected with Jennen Gaerte for the two-point conversion, and the Squires held a 32-21 lead.
Not satisfied with that score, Farron Gaerte intercepted a Zebra pass and ran it back 85 yards with 6:25 left in the game to make the score 38-21.
The Squires held Rochester scoreless for the remainder of the game and improved to 2-2 in the Three Rivers Conference and 4-2 overall. The loss makes Rochester 2-2 in TRC play and 4-2 overall.
Egner finished the night 11-of-25 passing for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Farron Gaerte caught three passes for 88 yards and scored three touchdowns. Westafer ended the game with an interception and nine carries for 26 yards.
In all, Manchester's defense held Rochester to just 165 yards of total offense and forced Surface to throw two interceptions.
The Squires hope home is sweet again next week as they host Southwood in another TRC matchup. Rochester hopes to stop its two-game losing skid when it faces off against Tippecanoe Valley in Akron.
MANCHESTER 38, ROCHESTER 21
Rochester 0 14 7 0 - 21
Manchester 6 0 18 14 - 38
M R
First downs 8 9
Rushing yards 23-27 37-133
Passing yards 210 32
Comp.-Att.-Int. 11-25-0 4-14-2
Total offense 237 165
Penalties/yards 8-55 3-30
First Quarter
M - Farron Gaerte 73 pass from Joe Egner (pass failed), 11:41, 6-0 M
Second Quarter
R - Josh Lett 4 pass from Reid Surface (Paul Soderlund kick), 11:55, 7-6 R
R - Shane Cameron 12 run (Soderlund kick), 6:43, 14-6 R
Third Quarter
M -ÊJosh Staton recoves blocked punt in endzone (pass failed), 10:18, 14-12 R
M - Dustin Burke 61 pass from Egner (pass failed), 5:03, 18-14 M
M -ÊPaul Sommer 1 run (run failed), 24-14 M
R -ÊTy Horn 50 run (Soderlund kick), 1:11, 24-21 M
Fourth Quarter
M - F. Gaerte 6 pass from Egner (Jennen Gaerte pass from Egner), 8:09, 32-21 M
M - F. Gaerte 85 interception return (pass failed), 6:25, 38-21 M
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Manchester: Dustin Westafer 9-26, Austin Greer 6-9. Paul Sommer 5-14, Joe Egner 3-(-22); Rochester: Shane Cameron 15-39, Jeff Byers 15-64, Reid Surface 2-7, Tyler Frounfelter 3-20, Ty Horn 1-3, Damic Beck 1-0
Passing - Manchester: Egner 11-25-210 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT; Rochester: Surface 4-14-32 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT, Matty Miller 0-1-0, 0 TD, 0 INT
Receiving - Manchester: F. Gaerte 3-88, J. Gaerte 2-24, Neil Westendorf 4-34, Dustin Burke 2-64; Rochester: Josh Lett 3-23, Wes Geller 1-9
Goshen Ends Warsaw NLC Win Streak
By Dale Hubler, Times-Union Sports Writer
It's easy, seventh-year Warsaw football coach Phil Jensen said Friday night, to say you're learning something when you're winning.
The challenge is to bounce back when facing a setback.
Certainly Warsaw was dealt a setback under the lights Friday night at Fisher Field, as Northern Lakes Conference rival Goshen upended the Tigers 15-10, ending their 17-game NLC win streak.
The Tigers' last conference defeat came to NorthWood in 1999.
"It's a been a long time since we've been on this end of it," Jensen said as his players walked off the field in the distance, tears and a stunned look in their eyes. "We'll see what we're made of."
The loss drops Warsaw to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the NLC, while Goshen remains undefeated at 6-0 and 4-0.
Two heavyweights battling for first place in the conference, Warsaw and Goshen traded blows right up to the end.
Trailing 13-10, Warsaw started a drive at its own 20 with 3:36 remaining, but an illegal motion penalty moved the Tigers back five yards. On the second play of the drive senior quarterback Ryan DeGeeter, who earlier in the game found the going a little easier, was stacked up at the line of scrimmage. After an incomplete pass, DeGeeter attempted a punt but the ball sailed over his head and out of the end zone, giving Goshen two points for a safety and accounting for the final score.
Earlier in the week, Jensen said special teams would go a long way in deciding the winner. Friday night his words rang true, as the Tigers gave a up a safety on a high snap and botched a field goal attempt because of a high snap.
"We made some mistakes and they were able to capitalize on them," Jensen said. "I said all along they were well coached. They're a solid football team. We made some mistakes and they were good enough to capitalize, give credit to Goshen."
While the Tigers appeared to struggle offensively in the second half, they did anything but in the early going.
Known as a ball-control team that chews up yardage and time off the clock, Goshen got a taste of its own medicine in the first half.
The Tigers had possession of the ball for all but 1:15 of the first quarter, methodically moving the ball down field and eventually scoring on a 32-yard Jeremy Sharp field goal with 10:36 left in the first half to take a 3-0 lead.
After another strong defensive stand, DeGeeter scrambled 21 yards and then found Thomas Balestri open one play later for a 19-yard touchdown pass, capping off a two-play drive that took just 39 seconds off the clock and gave Warsaw a 10-0 lead.
Twice during the first half DeGeeter tucked the ball away and ran for 20-plus yard gains.
"When Ryan got out and couldn't find anyone open he did a good job of scrambling," Jensen said. "In the second half Goshen took that away."
After starting out like he'd hit the century mark in the first half, Goshen's stingy defense came to life and found its way in the backfield, as DeGeeter finished the game with 16 carries for 52 yards. Five times the 6-foot-5, 210 pounder was stopped behind the line of scrimmage.
The rest of Warsaw's runners combined for 14 carries and 24 yards.
Through the air DeGeeter completed 9 of 21 passes for 116 yards.
A team that outrushed its opponents 1,110 to 219 through the first five games, Goshen as well found the yards hard to come by on the ground. The Redskins finished the game with 60 yards on 40 carries. Tailback Jay Parker led the way with 46 yards on 21 carries, while quarterback Thom Bernheisel was caught six times behind the line of scrimmage and finished with -13 yards on 12 carries.
Bernheisel's biggest gain came with 8:11 left on the third-quarter clock as he called his own number and scampered 16 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. After Ashe Abebe's kick the Redskins led 13-10.
Parker scored Goshen's first touchdown on a five-yard scamper with 1:51 left in the opening half. Warsaw's defense blocked the kick to keep the Redskins down 10-6 at that point.
Winners of the past three conference championships, Warsaw will look to turn things around next Friday at NLC foe Wawasee, followed by a trip to NorthWood and home game with Concord. Goshen puts its unblemished mark on the line next week with Northridge, followed by games with Plymouth and Wawasee.
"We're gonna do what we've been doing, and that's take care of the Warsaw Tigers," Jensen said. "They've got three games left and so do we. We're gonna get ready for a good Wawasee team."
GOSHEN 15, WARSAW 10
Goshen (6-0, 4-0) 0 6 7 2 - 15
Warsaw (4-2, 3-1) 0 10 0 0 - 10
W G
First downs 16 13
Rushing yards 76 60
Passing yards 116 117
Comp.-Att.-Int. 9-22-0 8-15-0
Total offense 192 177
Fumbles/lost 1/1 0/0
Punts/avg. 4-38 6-34
Penalties/yards 5-36 7-64
Second Quarter
W - Jeremy Sharp 32 field goal 10:36, 3-0
W - Thomas Balestri 19 catch from Ryan DeGeeter (Sharp kick) 8:21, 10-0
G - Jay Parker 5 run (kick blocked) 1:51, 10-6
Third Quarter
G - Thom Bernheisel 16 run (Ashe Abebe kick) 8:11, 13-10
Fourth Quarter
G - Safety 3:07, 15-10
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Warsaw, Ryan DeGeeter 16-52, Ben Kreinbrink 11-12, Ryan Hamilton 2-10, Thomas Balestri 1-2; Goshen, Parker 21-46, Bernheisel 12-(-) 13, Terry Leisure 2-16, Trent Truex 2-8, Dan Laughlin 2-2, Chucky Yoder 1-1
Passing - Warsaw, DeGeeter 9-21-116, 0 INT, 1 TD, Sharp 0-1-0; Goshen, Bernheisel 8-15-117, 0 INT
Receiving - Warsaw, Mike Thallemer 4-57, Balestri 2-23, Adam Suchecki 2-19, Nate Miller 1-17; Goshen, David Koronkowiecz 2-38, Gregg Zentz 2-18, Keith Mackowiak 2-16, Matt Lewallen 1-26, Truex 1-19
Plymouth Slips Past Wawasee 17-14
By Mike Madison, Times-Union Sports Correspondent
PLYMOUTH -ÊLast week was big for Wawasee football as the Warriors celebrated a win over Northwood and learned coach Joe Rietveld was named the Indianapolis Colts High School Coach of the Week.
Although Warrior football hasn't had much to celebrate in recent years, the Warriors found themselves going to Plymouth Friday night with a 4-1 record and a top 20 ranking in the most recent 4A poll.
Like Wawasee, Plymouth had a big win last week, dusting off Elkhart Memorial 38-30. Both teams stood with a 2-1 record in the conference and both knew after the Warsaw - Goshen match-up on this same night that the winner of this game would stand in a tie for second in the NLC with championship hopes still alive.
That second-place honor went to the Rockies as they slipped away with a 17-14 win in a game that was certainly a tale of two halves.
It was all Rockies in the first half as the host team scored on their first two possessions, taking a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Wawasee didn't have an answer for the Plymouth option as the Rockies exploded for 187 yards rushing in the first quarter alone. The stalwart in that attack was their quarterback, Ryan Clinton, who had 11 first-half carries for 122 yards.
Whatever adjustments Wawasee coach Rietveld made at halftime and whatever he told his players, seemed to work as the second half belonged to Wawasee.
The Warriors took the opening kickoff and marched 60 yards in five plays for a touchdown. It was fourth-and-three when sophomore running back Jordan Swain carried the ball 38 yards for the score. The Warriors failed to execute on the PAT but they were within eight points, 14-6.
The Rockies returned the kickoff to the 50-yard line and the Warrior defense forced a fourth-down-and short situation. However, the Warriors were caught off guard by a fake punt that Plymouth took for 20 yards.
Three plays later the Rockies faced a fourth down and converted a 27-yard field goal to make their lead 17-6.
Wawasee came right back and moved the ball into the endzone in four plays to cut Plymouth's advantage to 17-12.
That Warrior drive began at the 44-yard line with a 16-yard pass from Kory Lantz to James Stucky. After a run from Swain and a short pass to Drew Evans, Lantz again found Evans, this time for 32 yards and a touchdown.
The Warriors held Plymouth on the next possession, but a long punt from the Rockies forced the Warriors to take over at their own 1-yard line.
Wawasee marched down field behind Lantz's passing and Swain's legs. The Warriors moved the ball 92 yards and had a first-and-goal at the 7 when Plymouth's defense held the Warriors on the next three plays.
When Lantz's pass to Drew Evans fell incomplete on fourth-and-goal, it was up to the Plymouth offense to run out the last 1:39 of the game and secure the win.
With 12 seconds remaining and facing a fourth down, Clinton ran out the clock as he backtracked to the end zone allowing a safety and the final score of 17-14.
"Our kids really played hard," said Rietveld. "We adjusted well at halftime but just didn't get it done in the end."
The Warriors' record now stands at 4-2 and 2-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference.
The Warriors face Warsaw, Elkhart Memorial, and Goshen in their last three games.
PLYMOUTH 17, WAWASEE 14
W P
Total offense 291 306
Rushing 26-136 50-234
Comp-Att.-INT 13-26-1 6-10-0
Passing yards 155 72
Wawasee leaders
Jordan Swain - 17 carries for 81 yards and 1 TD
Kory Lantz - 11 carries for 55 yds;
(passing) 13 for 26- 155 yards, 1 INT
Wildcats Remain Undefeated In TRC Action
Times-Union Staff Report
WABASH - Aided by a 27-point first quarter and superb special teams play, Whitko drilled host Three Rivers Conference opponent Northfield 40-0 Friday night.
The visiting Wildcats fielded seven kickoffs in the contest, getting an average of 48.4 yards per return. Alan Robbins took Whitko's final kickoff return of the evening 95 yards for a touchdown, as the Wildcats improved to 4-2 overall and remained undefeated in the TRC at 4-0. Northfield fell to 1-5 and 0-4.
So good was Whitko's starting field position, the Wildcat's only netted 243 yards of offense in the 40-point blowout.
Whitko's defense held hapless Northfield to 12 yards through the air and to 106 on the ground.
The Wildcats, the only undefeated team in the TRC, host North Miami Friday.
WHITKO 40, NORTHFIELD 0
Whitko 27 7 6 0 - 15
Northfield 0 0 0 0 - 0
W NF
First downs 8 8
Rushing yards 162 106
Passing yards 81 12
Comp.-Att.-Int. 3-9-0 1-4-0
Total offense 243 118
Fumbles/lost 1/1 4/2
Punts/avg. 1-47 5-33
Penalties/yards 2-15 1-15
SCORING
First Quarter
W - Brandon Waterson 8 run (kick blocked) 9:15, 6-0
W - Brett Lukens 37 fumble return (Damon Shepherd kick) 7:41, 13-0
W - Alan Robbins 1 run (Shepherd kick) 4:16, 20-0
W - Brad Walpole 49 pass to Alan Robbins (Shepherd kick) 1:12, 27-0
Second Quarter
Jeremy Coble 1 run (Shepherd kick) 10:09, 34-0
Third Quarter
W - Robbins 95 kickoff return (kick blocked) 11:38, 40-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing - Whitko, Brent Boardman 4-21, Tyler Wilkinson 3-38, Coble 3-37, Corey Spangle 3-18, Robbins 3-11, Waterson 2-18, Jarad Eberly 2-19, Dane Bause 1-2
Passing - Whitko, Walpole 3-6-81, 0 INT, 1 TD; John Carroll 0-2-0, Matt Thomas 0-1-0
Receiving - Whitko, Robbins 1-49, Lukens 1-16, Kurt Swender 1-16
Vikings Fall To .500 With Loss At Oak Hill
Times-Union Staff Report
CONVERSE - Giving up two big pass plays, Tippecanoe Valley fell 14-9 at Three Rivers Conference foe Oak Hill Friday.
Kirk Winger caught touchdown passes of 37 and 28 from quarterback Nick Millspaugh, as Oak Hill won despite just six first downs to Valley's 16. The Vikings also outgained the Eagles in rushing yards 217-135.
The loss drops Valley to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the TRC, while Oak Hill improves to 3-3 and 2-2.
The visiting Vikings got their points from Matt Eby on a 33-yard field and from Jon Rice on a 1-yard touchdown pluge.
Valley hosts backyard rival Rochester next Friday in the battle for the bell.
OAK HILL 14,
TIPPECANOE VALLEY 9
T. Valley 0 3 6 0 - 9
Oak Hill 0 14 0 0 - 14
TV OH
First downs 16 6
Rushing yards 217 135
Passing yards 58 99
Comp.-Att.-Int. 5-16-1 5-11-1
Total offense 275 234
Fumbles/lost 1/1 0/0
Punts/avg. 3-27 4-32
Penalties/yards 2-15 1-15
Second Quarter
TV - Matt Eby 33 field goal 3-0
OH - Kirk Winger 28 pass from Nick Millspaugh (kick good) 7-3
OH - Winger 37 pass from Millspaugh (kick good) 14-3
Third Quarter
TV - Jon Rice 1 run (conversion failed) 14-9
Cougars Run Wild On Triton
Times-Union Staff Report
BOURBON - Rushing for 306 yards, while holding Triton to just 25 on the ground, New Prairie ran away from the host Trojans 45-0 Friday night.
In total offense, New Prairie gained 403 yards to Triton's 71. The Cougars tallied 21 first downs to Triton's three. New Prairie went the entire contest without punting, while Triton was forced to punt seven times.
The loss drops Triton to 1-5 overall and 0-4 in the Northern State Conference, while New Prairie improves to 3-3 and 2-2.
The Trojans travel to LaVille next Friday to play the Lancers, a team Triton beat 17-14 a year ago for its only NSC win in four years.
NEW PRAIRIE 45, TRITON 0
New Prairie 21 7 10 7 - 45
Triton 0 0 0 0 - 0
NP T
First downs 21 3
Rushing yards 306 25
Passing yards 97 46
Comp.-Att.-Int. 4-5-0 2-12-0
Total offense 403 71
Fumbles/lost 4/4 4/4
Punts/avg. 0-0 7-27
Penalties/yards 6-35 9-68
First Quarter
NP - Brett Martin 1 run (kick failed) 6-0
NP - Martin 16 run (Jim Schwingendorf conversion run) 14-0
NP - Adam Golden 20 pass from Jacob Koziel (Kownacki kick) 21-0
Second Quarter
NP - Jason Williamson 14 pass from Koziel (Kownacki kick) 28-0
Third Quarter
NP - Koziel 4 run (Kownacki kick) 35-0
NP - Katlyn Reyes 33 field goal 38-0
Fourth Quarter
Jacob Finkey 2 run (Garrett Curless kick) 45-0
