SYRACUSE - For the past two years, Wawasee football coach Tom Wogoman said his team has been pushed around.
Not this year.
Friday night, the Warriors definitely were not pushed around as they shutout the Whitko Wildcats 39-0.
"The team decided about Nov. 1 (of last year) that they would take the field with a different attitude in 2009," Wogoman said. "We were pushed around for the past couple of years. ... The kids from the very beginning pulled together and focused on becoming a better team."
The Warriors showed their determination early.
To open the game, Whitko kicked off to Wawasee, and Warrior kick returner Andrew Hepler took charge, returning the kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.
Once Kyle Clevenger split the uprights, the Warriors were up 7-0 with 11:42 left to play in the first quarter.
The Warriors stayed strong through the second quarter, scoring three touchdowns to take a 27-0 lead into halftime.
Whitko started the second quarter with the possession of the ball on its own 36-yard line. However, on the first play of the second quarter, Warrior Camron Erb intercepted a Gabe Starkey pass to end the Wildcat drive.
Warrior quarterback Jake Sommers had a hand, or rather an arm, in each of the three second-quarter touchdowns.
At the 10:40 mark, Sommers tossed a 22-yard pass to Jordan Schmitt, and at the 6:19 mark he connected with Brendan Wegener for an 8-yard touchdown reception.
Sommers completed the hat trick at the 1:02 mark when he threw a 5-yard pass to to Joey Melendez to give the Warriors a 27-point advantage.
After the Warriors scored on a 7-yard run by Trevor McKibben at the 8:36 mark of the third quarter, a heads-up play by Whitko's Scott Skiles on an unusual play put the Wildcats in possession at their on 47 yard line.
However, a penalty against the Warriors moved the Whitko squad to the Warrior 38 yard line.
The Wildcats managed to gain three yards, but Wawasee's defense did not allow them to go any farther.
Wawasee scored its final touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter after the Warriors recovered a bad snap on a Whitko punt at the 5-yard line.
On the first play of the Warrior drive, McKibben rumbled for five yards and his second touchdown of the night.
"This was a rough one," said Whitko coach Wayne Swender. "We have a lot of young players - we lost 15 seniors last year. It's going to be a process ... day by day we will get better."
McKibben led the Warriors with 83 yards on six carries with two touchdowns, while Travis Patterson gained 58 yards on nine carries. Along with his kickoff return for a touchdown, Hepler ran the ball five times for 61 yards.
Sommers completed 5 of 10 passes for 80 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
Leading the Wildcats were Skiles and Dakota Harmon. Skiles had five carries for 23 yards, and Harmon rushed seven times for 19 yards. Austin Mort came in late for Whitko and gained 17 yards on three carries.
Senior quarterback Starkey completed 5 of 14 14 passed for 50 yards with one interception.
Wawasee begins the season 1-0 and heads to Garrett next week, while the 0-1 Wildcats travel to Leo Friday night.
"It's nice to be 1-0," said Wogoman, "but that's all it is. We'll just have to keep working."
