COLUMBIA CITY – In a special ceremony, the game ball for Friday’s season opener between Warsaw and Columbia was delivered via a helicopter. The host Eagles then used their ground game to beat the Tigers 33-21 at Max Gandy Athletic Field. On a night former Columbia City player Sam Dailey, who was airlifted following last year’s game at Fisher Field in Warsaw with a severe head injury, was recognized before the kickoff, the hosts rushed for 285 yards and five scores. The Eagles’ running game allowed them to beat the Tigers for the first time since 2010. The 12-point victory was just Columbia City’s second win over Warsaw since 1997. “What you saw was two young teams,” said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen, whose team lost all 11 offensive starters from last year’s squad that finished second in the Northern Lakes Conference and advanced to the sectional championship game. “Columbia City went up 13-0, and then we responded and went up 14-13,” he added. “Things were looking good, and then a couple bad things happened and they stole the momentum.” Warsaw rallied from a 13-0 deficit with a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, but the Eagles scored 20 unanswered points in the second half en route to the win. Clinging to the 14-13 lead, the Tigers opened the third quarter with the ball and drove down the field. On a third-and-goal play from Columbia City’s 5-yard line, senior quarterback Jake Mangas threw what looked like a touchdown to junior Riley Rhoades. Rhoades, however, was called for offensive pass interference after he made the catch in the end zone. The penalty pushed the ball back to the 20-yard line, and after Mangas lost four yards on the next play, Caleb Klusman missed a 41-yard field goal. Rather than adding to their lead, the Tigers came away with nothing, and Columbia City scored the game’s next 20 points. Ashten Barnes scored on a 10-yard run with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter. Trevor Bolt completed a 32-yard pass to Dayne Asplund with 11:49 to play in the fourth. And Braden Myer pushed the Columbia City advantage to 33-14 with a 24-yard run with 7:14 remaining in the game. “We did what we wanted to do,” said Jensen. “We go down and score right before the half ... we’re moving the ball in the third quarter, and then the penalty and missed field goal hurt us.” The Tigers made things interesting in the fourth quarter when Mangas threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to junior Brock Riley with 4:21 to play. With Warsaw trailing 33-21, Klusman executed what looked like a perfect onside kick. It appeared the ball bounced off the leg of a Columbia City player before the Tigers recovered the ball. The officials, however, saw it differently and said a Warsaw player touched the ball before it went 10 yards. The Eagles ultimately ran the clock out, winning their debut with first-year coach Brett Fox. “They’re a well-coached team,” Jensen said of the Eagles. “Their kids played hard. Coach Fox is going to do very well in this profession.” Quarterback Trevor Bolt led Columbia City with 18 carries for 101 yards, while Myer added 16 carries for 99 yards and three touchdowns. Bolt completed 4 of 11 passing attempts for 103 yards. In the matchup of these schools the past two seasons, Warsaw was the team with the running game. Standout running back Tristan McClone, however, graduated and is playing at Marian University. Columbia City outgained Warsaw 285-30 on the ground Friday night. The majority of the Tigers’ success in the season opener came through the air, as Mangas completed 15 of 29 attempts for 261 yards and two scores with one interception. Austin Head, last season’s starter under center, completed just 52 passes for 737 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games last year. Kyle Mangas led the Tigers in receiving with six catches for 123 yards Friday, while Rhoades hauled in five passes for 48 yards. Warsaw is in action again Friday when it hosts East Noble for senior night at Fisher Field, while Columbia City travels to county rival Whitko.
COLUMBIA CITY 33, WARSAW 21 W 0 14 0 7 — 21 CC 13 0 8 12 — 33
W CC 1st downs 14 18 Rushing yds 30 285 Passing yds 261 103 Comp-Att-Int 15-29-1 4-11-0 Total yds 291 388 Fumbles/lost 0/0 1/1 Penalties/yds 2/25 4/35 Punts/avg 3/39 2/37
First Quarter CC – Braden Myer 1 run (Jordan Gregory kick) 2:54, 7-0 CC – Myer 3 run (kick blocked) :45, 13-0 Second Quarter W – Ethyn Bradley 2 run (Caleb Klusman kick) 9:04, 13-7 W – Jake Mangas 18 pass to Kyle Mangas (Klusman kick) :15, 14-13 Third Quarter CC – Ashten Barnes 10 run (Drew Lamle conversion catch) 1:58, 21-14 CC – Trevor Bolt 32 pass to Dayne Asplund (kick failed) 11:49, 21-14 Fourth Quarter CC – Myer 24 run (kick failed) 7:14, 33-14 W – Jake Mangas 38 pass to Brock Riley (Klusman kick) 4:21, 33-21 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing — Warsaw, Bradley 11-38, Jakub Wood 5-11, K. Mangas 1 (-3), J. Mangas 6 (-16); Col. City, Bolt 18-101, Myer 16-99. Passing — Warsaw, J. Mangas 15-29-261, 2 TDs, 1 INT; Col. City, Bolt 4-11-103, 1 TD, 0 INT. Receiving — Warsaw, K. Mangas 6-123, Riley Rhoades 5-48, Riley 1-38, Thomas Hickerson 1-28, Jeremy David 2-24; Col. City, Drew O’Dell 1-34, Asplund 1-32, Ryan Mosher 1-22, Carson Reed 1-15.
