Out of the running for a Northern Lakes Conference championship, Warsaw's varsity football team is now focused on making a run in the state tournament.
The Tigers kept their late-season momentum going Friday night with a thrilling 7-6 victory visiting NLC foe NorthWood on a wet, sloppy Fisher Field."After the Northridge game, we talked, and we turned our attention to getting ready for the sectional," said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen, whose team has won three games in a row since losing 19-7 to Northridge on homecoming night. "It was all about regrouping and getting the kids ready for the playoffs. These kids have fought through adversity and injuries. I'm proud of them and very excited for them."
The win improved the Tigers to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the NLC, while NorthWood fell to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
The Panthers' three losses this season have come by a combined nine points, and Friday's setback to the Tigers took them out of the conference championship race.
Warsaw's win over NorthWood and Northridge's 24-23 victory at Concord allowed Plymouth to win the NLC championship outright Friday. The Rockies improved to 8-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play with a 50-2 thrashing of Goshen.
To come out on top of NorthWood, Warsaw played well defensively, didn't turn the ball over and got big plays in the running game from seniors Justin Clemens and Andy Conrad.
"He's a leader," Jensen said of Clemens, Warsaw's 6-foot-3, 220-pound quarterback who finished the game with 16 carries for 77 yards and the game's only touchdown. "He's a great athlete. Most of all, he's got a big heart, a real big heart."
With his team facing a third-and-17 situation in the third quarter, Clemens tucked the ball away and ran, and while he appeared to be bottled up in the backfield, the multi-sport standout broke free for a 30-yard gain.
His effort gave the Tigers a first-and-goal situation on NorthWood's 5-yard line.
On the next play, Clemens finished off the drive with what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.
Matt Franco's extra-point kick gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 6:19 remaining in the third quarter.
"That was a big play," Clemens said of his 30-yard run. "It seemed like I was caught in the backfield, and then it just opened up and I took off."
The Panthers scored on their next possession, a possession that bridged the third and fourth quarters.
The drive started on NorthWood's 24-yard line, and the Panthers got on the board when sophomore running back Coy Brown raced in from 19 yards out with 11:39 remaining in the game.
Sophomore Connor Beckwith's extra-point kick failed, leaving the Tigers with a slim 7-6 advantage.
NorthWood attempted an onside kick but couldn't recover the ball, and Warsaw started with great field position at the 46-yard line.
The Tigers' drive ended with a missed 26-yard field, and the Panthers had 6:34 on the clock and 80 yards of real estate in front of them as they were trying to stay in the race for a conference championship.
NorthWood moved the ball with a healthy dose of Christian Diemer runs, but the Panthers fumbled the ball away for the second time, ultimately allowing Warsaw to run the clock out.
En route to the 7-6 win, Warsaw's defense recovered two fumbles and came up with big stops when it had to.
"Our defense carried us all night," said Clemens. "Our defense played great all night. We knew NorthWood's linemen were going to be bigger, but our defense really came up big. Every game Coach Jensen has talked about getting the train back on the tracks. The last three games we've proved we're headed in the right direction."
Conrad finished the game with 18 carries for 70 yards, while Clemens also completed three passes for 33 yards.
Zack Linky, Lucas Denlinger and Jalen Roscoe each had one catch for the Tigers.
Brown led NorthWood with 16 carries for 78 yards, while Diemer finished with 11 carries for 70 yards and fullback Tony Miranda added eight carries for 21 yards.
Nine completed three passes for 20 yards.
Miranda caught two passes for 14 yards, while Aaron Rhoade accounted for the other catch and six yards.
Both teams punted four times in the game.
Warsaw will be in action again Friday when it closes out the regular season at Concord, while NorthWood will host Plymouth.
"This is what happens when you believe," said Jensen. "My hats are off to these kids. They didn't give up when we were 1-4. Lesser kids would have given up, but these kids kept going hard. I'm so proud of them. Let's keep this thing going."
