SOUTH WHITLEY – With falling temperatures and a steady breeze, it seemed like a typical autumn evening for football at Ryan Huff Memorial Field. Friday night was different, however, as the Whitko Wildcats hosted the Peru Tigers in the Three Rivers Conference championship. For the Wildcats, the defense held up its end of the bargain for three quarters, but things were different in the final quarter of play. The visiting Tigers scored three times in the final eight and a half minutes, as they earned their first TRC championship with a 19-7 win over the Wildcats. Peru, along with Maconaquah, is a first-year member of the conference. Defense was key in this game, as the teams were scoreless for nearly 40 minutes of action. Peru came in to the game averaging over 30 points per game. Despite the loss, Whitko head coach Josh Mohr was upbeat about the effort of his team. “I’m proud of our effort and how we matched with their physicality,” said Mohr. “I cannot fault the effort we gave. There were assignment mistakes here and there on a couple of plays, but that’s going to happen in every game.” On Peru’s opening possession, the Tigers knifed their way through the Wildcat defense and made their way to the red zone. The Cats, however, forced the Tigers to turn the ball over on downs. Whitko was not as successful as its counterparts early on, going three-and-out on its first and second drives of the game. The Cats did get in the Tigers’ red zone early in the second quarter, but had their potential scoring drive stalled as they turned the ball over on downs. Before halftime, Whitko’s defense flashed signs of greatness as junior linebacker Dylan Stump blocked a field goal attempt by Peru’s Chase Ogle after the Tigers started a drive from their own 2-yard line. The stalemate continued through the entire third quarter, and the Tigers again started a drive at their own 2-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Robert Cunningham broke the tie with a 32-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-2 play. Peru scored again four minutes later as senior halfback Brady Miller ran in from 10 yards out. Whitko would not walk away quietly. After a great kick return from Robby Owsley, quarterback Garrett Elder broke free on the first play for a 56-yard touchdown run that brought the Cats back in the game. Whitko just couldn’t slow the Tigers’ wishbone offense, which tacked on a 16-yard scoring run that clinched Peru’s first TRC championship. “In a game like this, defense was what’s going to win the game,” said Mohr. Mohr also noted that playing for a conference championship provided a playoff atmosphere for his team. But he wanted to remind them that every game is a single-elimination game beginning next week. “I told the guys that every Friday night we have to come out with intensity and focus, because now it is win or go home,” said Mohr. Whitko begins sectional play Friday when it hosts the winless Prairie Heights Panthers. Peru will travel to Yorktown for its opening round of sectional play.
PERU 19, WHITKO 7 P 0 0 0 19 — 19 W 0 0 0 7 — 7
P W 1st downs 17 12 Rushing yds 296 229 Passing yds 48 12 Comp-Att-Int 1/5/0 1/95/0 Total yds 344 241 Fumbles/lost 1/1 0/0 Penalties/yds 4/27 1/5 Punts/avg. 4/28.5 6/29.2 Fourth Quarter P – Robert Cunningham 32 run (Chase Ogle kick) 7-0 P – Jordan Rader 10 run (kick failed) 13-0 W – Garrett Elder 56 run (Walker Hobbs kick) 13-7 P – Rader 16 run (kick blocked) 19-7
