GOSHEN — During an emotional week for the Warsaw football program, the players had their best game of the year Friday at Goshen. Defeating the Goshen Redskins (0-6, 0-4 Northern Lakes Conference) 34-12, the Warsaw Tigers improved to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference, dominating from the get-go. The game capped off a week in which the Tigers saw their coach Phil Jensen go through tragedy, following the sudden death of his 47-year-old brother Gil Sunday. Following the victory, Jensen opted to spend the moment with his family, turning the duty of speaking with the media over to defensive coordinator Kris Hueber. And while Jensen may have missed some time with the team this week, his message was heard loud and clear. “Talking with him this week, the biggest thing was he just wanted us, and the guys, to execute out here and play as hard as they could,” Hueber said. “There’s been times when we’ve felt we didn’t go as hard as we could or maybe had regrets where something wasn’t all left on the field. When we have such precious few opportunities, we really want to go after those and make the best of them.” And the Tigers did that. After the defense opened the game by stopping the Redskins on a 4th-and-1 from the Tigers’ 40, senior Tristan McClone took over as Warsaw scored on all six of its first-half possessions. Running through huge holes, McClone amassed 254 yards on just 13 carries, running for touchdowns of 27, 50 and 15 yards in the process. “It was fun,” McClone said. “It was nice for the offensive line to click.” After running for 217 yards in the opening week, McClone’s numbers have dipped a bit, averaging 96.3 yards per game in the four games leading into Friday. “I had a better mentality coming into this week’s game,” he said. “I realized I hadn’t been performing up to par, but this was a good game to get back on track.” Running for 254 yards in just two quarters, McClone didn’t get a chance to break the school record of 322, as he set out the second half. But there was a reason he wasn’t too upset. “It’s not like it matters, because I already have the record,” he said, referring to last year’s performance at Northridge, a game in which he sat out the fourth quarter. McClone may have been the one racking up the stats, but Hueber was pleased with the guys up front helping the running back get to the second level without being touched. “Our offensive line, I was really happy with them,” Hueber said. “It was the first time they’ve really pinned their ears back and gone. There’s been times when they’ve been hesitant.” Even with the No. 1 players out in the second half, the Tigers still ran for 111 yards on 31 carries, showcasing the line’s ability to create holes. Along with McClone’s production, senior Jason Taylor had 33 yards and a score, senior Tanner Balazs ran for 37, followed by sophomore Ross Armey’s 24, junior Jakub Wood’s 22 and sophomore Tyler Packard’s 19. In all, Warsaw rushed for 377 yards on 51 carries, and didn’t even attempt a pass in the second half, opting instead to run the clock and get out of Goshen with the win. “There was more focus,” Hueber said. “It was a little more purpose-driven. We’ve always played hard, but maybe had some lapses here-and-there. We really tried to get back to the basics. We talked about being the best we could be.” McClone reiterated Hueber’s message, saying the team did play with a greater focus as their coach dealt with a tragedy that went far beyond the football field. “We talked about seizing opportunities and not taking anything for granted,” McClone said. “That was really brought up this week with coach’s brother’s passing. It was really an eye-opening thing. Not just for me, but for the entire team.” Up next for the Tigers is their annual rivalry game with the Wawasee Warriors, a team that improved to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the NLC following Friday night’s 52-35 home win over Plymouth. “We’ll be in the film room first thing in the morning, getting that together,” Hueber said of the upcoming Wawasee game. “We haven’t looked at them too much, because we’re taking it one week at a time, but that’s definitely a big game for us. For me having played in it, it means a whole lot to me. I’ll get that message relayed to the kids too.” Per Jensen’s tradition, his Tigers aren’t allowed to don the ‘W’ on their helmets without defeating the Wawasee Warriors. And since Warsaw is currently on a three-game skid against Wawasee, the Tigers haven’t had the ‘W’ on their helmets since Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. If the Tigers are still ‘W’-less by this time next week, there’s at least one Warsaw running back that will not be pleased. “I’ll be very upset if we don’t get those ‘W’s,” McClone said.
WARSAW 34, GOSHEN 12 W 17 17 0 0 — 34 G 0 6 0 6 — 12
W G 1st downs 15 12 Rushing yds 377 61 Passing yds 40 173 Comp-Att-Int 3-7-0 13-26-0 Total yds 417 234 Fumbles/lost 4/2 2/1 Penalties/yds 3/25 1/10 Punts/avg 2/32.5 6/38.2
First Quarter W – Tristan McClone 27 run (Caleb Klusman kick) 7:48, 7-0 W – McClone 50 run (Klusman kick) 5:01, 14-0 W – Klusman 34 FG 1:44, 17-0 Second Quarter W – Klusman 22 FG 9:40, 20-0 W – Jason Taylor 8 run (Klusman kick) 5:43, 27-0 G – Derek DeMeyer 11 pass to Brady Bechtel (conversion failed) 2:14, 27-6 W – McClone 15 run (Klusman kick) 1:11, 34-6 Fourth Quarter G – DeMeyer 5 run (conversion failed) 8:41, 34-12
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing — Warsaw, McClone 13-254, Tanner Balazs 8-37, Taylor 7-33, Ross Armey 8-24, Jakub Wood 3-22, Tyler Packard 7-19, Zeke Brown 1-1, Jake Mangas 1-(-1), Austin Head 3-(-12); Goshen, John Trenshaw 14-60, Jamie Graves 2-4, Cameron Kline 1-0, Bechtel 1-(-1), DeMeyer 13-(-2). Passing — Warsaw, Head 3-7, 40 yds; Goshen, DeMeyer 13-26, 173 yds, TD. Receiving — Warsaw, Balazs 2-25, McClone 1-15; Goshen, Bechtel 3-82, Sam Byler 3-39, Kline 4-37, Jon Stutsman 1-8, Graves 1-8, Trenshaw 1-(-1).
