Fireworks filled the sky after Warsaw's fooball game with the visiting Goshen Redskins Friday night.
Prior to the post-game celebratory pyrotechnics, juniors Justin Clemens and Tom Daniels provided plenty of their own fireworks, leading the Tigers to a 40-14 homecoming win over the Redskins at Fisher Field."I told the kids they were ready tonight, and they were ready," said Warsaw coach Phil Jensen, whose Tigers improved to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the Northern Lakes Conference. "We didn't play great last week, but we won. We had a great week of practice this week and we got the job done. I'm not just proud of them because we won, I'm proud of them because of the way we played. We played together. We played as a team."
Clemens came up big for the Warsaw offense, as the 6-foot-4, 197-pound quarterback threw for three touchdowns and carried the ball 19 times for 127 yards.
Through the air, Clemens was 5 of 8 for 122 yards with no interceptions.
"He had a big game tonight," Jensen said of Clemens. "I felt like we've been asking a lot of him, playing both sides of the ball. He did an outstanding job at quarterback tonight. He had a lot more poise. He's a horse and is hard to bring down when he runs. He also threw the ball pretty well."
Clemens threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to classmate Zack Linky that gave the Tigers a 13-0 lead with 4:46 remaining in the first quarter.
With 8:53 to play in the second stanza, Clemens found senior Luke Champion for an 11-yard scoring strike, putting Warsaw up 20-7.
And with 1:27 remaining on the third-quarter clock, Clemens hooked up with sophomore Jaylan Roscoe for a 44-yard touchdown pass. With Matt Franco's extra-point kick, the Tigers took a 33-7 lead at that point.
The Tigers' first touchown of the night, a two-yard plunge by junior running back Andy Conrad just over a minute into the game, was set up by a big defensive play from Daniels.
Goshen senior Tyler Coburn powered his way for a 14-yard gain on the first offensive play of the game but fumbled the ball. Daniels scooped up the loose pigskin at the 34-yard line and took it down to the 2-yard line, where Conrad scored from two plays later.
After Goshen went three-and-out on their second offensive drive, Daniels ended the Redskins third drive of the game when he intercepted a pass from senior Spencer Oversen.
The Tigers were able to capitalize on Daniels' INT immediately, as Clemens found Linky for a 33-yard touchdown toss on the first play of the ensuing drive.
"We hit on all phases of the game tonight," said Jensen. "We didn't turn the ball over, and when the defense forced a turnover, we were able to capitalize both times. This was a great team effort."
To go with his fumble recovery and interception, Daniels also played great coverage on Goshen's receivers, knocking away a number of would-be catches for the Redskins.
Oversen finished the game just 1 of 10 through the air for 11 yards.
"Tom Daniels played a great game tonight," said Jensen. "He showed me tonight what everyone said he was able to do last year."
Cody Kindle scored the Tigers' final touchdown of the game, powering his way in from two yards out with 2:24 remaining in the game.
Warsaw's three-pronged running attack of Conrad, Kindle and Clemens combined for 269 yards on 52 carries.
Conrad finished with 94 yards on 23 attempts, while Kindle gained 48 yards on 10 carries.
"It's nice to have all three of them out there," said Jensen.
The Tigers also got field goals of 37 and 25 yards from Franco.
While Warsaw had multiple options on offense, the Redskins, who fell to 2-4 overall and 0-4 in the NLC, looked like a one-man offensive unit.
Junior running back Nick Lewallen carried the ball 28 times for 213 yards. As a team, the Redskins had 230 yards on 32 carries.
"We knew we'd have our hands full with Lewallen, but we only gave up the one big play," said Jensen.
Lewallen answered Champion's 11-yard touchdown catch with a 70-yard scoring scamper of his own, cutting the Tigers' advantage to 20-7 with 8:26 to play in the first half.
Lewallen scored again with 6:59 to play in th fourth quarter, powering his way in from five yards out.
Brock Bender had the only Goshen reception in the game, an 11-yard catch early in the third quarter.
With a homecoming win now under their belts, the Tigers travel to Syracuse Friday to play rival Wawasee for the coveted 'W' Trophy.
"Every game is big from here on out," said Jensen. "Next week is special. It's long-time rivalry. These kids live across the street from each other. We're playing for the 'W' Trophy. There's something to play for every week now."
