The boxscore from Friday night’s high school football game at Fisher Field shows that the Warsaw Tigers dominated the time of possession. The visiting Homestead Spartans, however, were dominant every where else. Powered a big-play offense that didn’t need a lot of time to score, as well a touchdown from both its defense and special teams, Homestead cruised to a 63-7 win. The Spartans improved to 2-0, while the Tigers fell to 1-1. “They’re an outstanding team and program,” Jensen said of Homestead, a team that has outscored Warsaw 166-17 the past three meetings. “They have a lot of weapons, and they use them. They find your weaknesses and exploit them.” Homestead’s stud Friday night – actually just one of many – was senior running back Grayson Bastin, who only carried the ball 10 times for 50 yards but had four touchdowns on the ground. He also had a 20-yard touchdown reception, as well as a 94-yard kickoff return for a score. “They exploited our weaknesses,” said Jensen. “And every time they did, they scored a touchdown.” The Spartans scored 14 points in the first quarter and 21 points in both the second and third quarters to take a commanding 56-0 lead. Warsaw scored its lone touchdown with 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter when junior fullback Jason Taylor muscled his way in from seven yards out. Homestead scored the game’s final touchdown with 5:31 remaining in the fourth quarter on a six-yard run by Ben Lutz. In all, the Spartans had the ball for just 16 minutes of a 48-minute game. Their high-octane offense, however, still managed to cover 424 yards – 210 on the ground and 214 through the air. Senior Frank Martin carried the ball five times for 97 yards and a touchdown. Senior quarterback Matt Skowronek was 10 of 12 through the air for 214 yards and a touchdown, though he did throw one interception. And senior receiver Isaac Griffith had four receptions for 98 yards. Not bad for an offense that graduated a number of standouts from last year’s 10-1 team, including current Western Michigan University signal caller Zach Terrell. “I think in some ways, this offense is tougher to prepare for,” said Jensen. “They attack you in every way. The quarterback did well. The pitch did well, and their receivers played well. They have a lot of weapons.” A week ago, the Tigers gave their fans something to cheer about as they opened the season with a 20-14 win at Columbia City. In that win, junior running back Tristan McClone carried the ball 43 times for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Warsaw’s linemen, both on offense and defense, dominated the line of scrimmage. None of that happened Friday night against Homestead. The Spartans’ defense held McClone to 41 yards on 17 carries, and held Warsaw’s offense as a whole to 194 yards. After racking up 315 yards on the ground last week, the Tigers had just 116 Friday. Junior Dylan Campbell had 30 yards on eight carries for Warsaw, while senior Chris Woolridge tallied 26 yards on five attempts and Taylor had 19 yards on five carries. Warsaw junior quarterback Austin Head was 8 of 13 through the air for 78 yards. Senior Taylor Cone had five receptions for 40 yards. With Friday’s loss behind them, the Tigers now prepare for the Northern Lakes Conference. Warsaw opens NLC play Friday with a trip to Plymouth. Jensen said the loss to Homestead could be a great teaching tool. It’s up to the players as to how they’ll respond. “We didn’t meet the challenge tonight,” said Jensen. “Still, this is a game that could catapult us to great things if the kids learn from it. If the kids are willing to work hard and respond, we can still do a lot of great things in the conference.”
