Sam Stevens and his Plymouth High School teammates got Labor Day Weekend started Friday night by going to work at Fisher Field. Stevens and the Rockies ran over, through and around the host Warsaw Tigers, as Plymouth scored a 29-13 win in the Northern Lakes Conference football opener for both teams. Stevens, a 6-foot, 180-pound junior fullback, finished the game with 27 carries for 237 yards and a touchdown, as the Rockies piled up 440 yards on the ground a week after pounding out 444 rushing yards in a win over Rochester. "That says something about our offensive line, and that says something about our fullback, our quarterback and our offense," said Plymouth coach John Barron. "Everybody is unselfish. They trust each other, and they really believe in each other right now." Junior quarterback Ike Kastner added 16 carries for 130 yards, including a 67-yard gain and a 14-yard touchdown, while senior Cole Mann carried the ball seven times for 44 yards and two scores. "They're very physical," Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said of Plymouth. "They're well-coached, and they play hard every play. We knew what they wanted to do, we just couldn't stop it consistently." With the win, Plymouth improved to 2-1 overall, while Warsaw fell to 0-3. The Rockies have won eight of the last nine meetings with the Tigers and now own a 47-43-2 record in the series that started in 1924. "They've got the right mindset," Jensen said of Plymouth. "They have a championship mindset. It doesn't matter what year it is, how many seniors they have, they're in a sweet spot right now. John is a great coach and a great man." Barron and Jensen grew up together in Mishawaka, where Barron played for the Cavemen and Jensen played for the Penn Kingsmen. They were later roomates and teammates at Butler University. During the game Friday they put their friendship aside, and on a hot night, Plymouth's running game put the Tigers on ice. All 440 of Plymouth's offensive yards came on the ground, while Warsaw rushed for 160 yards and got 128 more through the air. Senior Zach Rooney was the brightest spot for the Tigers' offense, as he carried the ball 16 times for 118 yards and touchdown. Rooney missed part of the second quarter with an ankle injury, but returned in the second half and ran with a new passion. Rooney broke free for a 55-yard gain on the second play of the third quarter, and later scored on a 3-yard run with 9:08 remaining in the game. Warsaw's first touchdown of the game came via a 40-yard pass from sophomore Austin Head to senior Jordan Wray. The play cut Plymouth's advantage to 15-7 with 5:27 to play in the second quarter. "We did more things better, but we've got to be more consistent," Jensen said of his team. "We gave up too many big plays, and we didn't score down in the red zone." Trailing 22-7 in the third quarter Warsaw was in a 3rd-and-goal situation at Plymouth's 4-yard line. Back-to-back incompletions, however, left the Tigers without any points on the drive. Jensen said after the game he lost his kicker at halftime because of a migraine, and his backup kicker wasn't at the game. Plymouth capitalized by scoring on a 13-yard run by Mann six players later. The Rockies attempted just two passes on the loss, one of which was picked off by Warsaw junior Tanner Dickerhoff. The Tigers' defense also got sacks from seniors Lance Lybarger and Brandt Allen. Warsaw plays at Elkhart Memorial Friday, while Plymouth hosts Northridge.
