SYRACUSE – There is little-to-no margin for error when it comes to tournaments. One loss and you’re done. No one wants to put on their uniform for the last time without a chance for some hardware at Lucas Oil Stadium. Everyone wants to leave it all on the field. The Wawasee Warriors fell just short in the opening round of the Class 4A sectionals, losing 20-16 to the visiting Leo Lions. In his final game in the green and gold, Gage Reinhard completed 16 of 28 passes for 158 yards and two scores – one each to fellow departing seniors Clayton Cook and Mylon Betts. Cook, who will continue his football with the Ball State Cardinals, finished with seven catches for 64 yards and a score. Betts hauled in four catches for 53 yards and a score. In light of the early exit, Wawasee head coach Josh Ekovich praised his players’ efforts over the course of the season. “These guys have come a helluva a long way,” said Ekovich. “I’m just proud of the way they competed all season and their commitment. I’m gonna miss these boys; they are a tough group.” The Lions’ running game proved effective, with a team effort of 245 yards on 40 carries, with tailback Tyler Hensinger carrying most of the load. The junior finished with 190 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. Despite early turnovers and other miscues, Leo head coach Jared Sauder was happy with the adjustments his teams made in the second half. “One thing it took was getting rid of the mistakes in the first half,” Sauder said. “We cleaned it up in the second half and I think that really helped us.” Both the Warriors and Lions failed to score on their opening possessions, but the Warriors drew first blood when Reinhard found Cook for a 19-yard first quarter score. The defense stiffened halfway through the second quarter, holding the Lions to a field goal. But a turnover by Wawasee gave Leo new life, and they responded quickly with a four-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kray Klopfenstein. The Warriors needed to answer right away before things got out of hand. Just before the end of the half, Wawasee was able to drive down the field and Reinhard found a wide-open Betts for a 26-yard touchdown to give them a 14-10 edge into the half. After halftime, the Lions made some adjustments, putting the clamps on Wawasee’s offense. Leo regained the lead on a 45-yard touchdown run by Hensinger. The Lions added a field goal near the end of the third quarter to put them up 20-14. Wawasee was very much in the contest up until the very end. They were not ready to quit. But the final minute of the game proved somewhat bizarre. The Warriors had the ball down to the Leo 1-yard line, but an illegal formation called on Wawasee nullified a 1-yard touchdown run by Reinhard and forced a 4th and 5 situation. On the next play, Reinhard’s pass fell incomplete, forcing a turnover on downs. With Leo deep in their own territory and Wawasee using its timeouts, the Warriors were able to force Leo to punt. Leo, to avoid a potential blocked punt, decided to take a safety, cutting their lead to 20-16. After the ensuing free kick, Wawasee, having only 25 seconds left on the clock was still able to get into the Lions red zone. In a last gasp effort, Reinhard was pressured out of the pocket and his pass fell incomplete. The Warriors finished the season with a 6-4 record, while Leo advances with an 8-2 record, facing NorthWood in the next round of sectionals. “We have to take care of dumb penalties and turnovers,” Sauder said. “You can’t win against good football teams in the sectionals when you make a lot of mistakes.”
LEO 20, WAWASEE 16 LE 0 10 7 3 — 20 WA 7 7 0 2 — 16
LE WA 1st downs 13 13 Rushing yds 245 102 Passing yds 57 158 Comp-Att-Int 6-14-2 16-28-0 Total yds 302 260 Fumbles/lost 0/0 1/1 Penalties/yds 8/80 3/25 Punts/avg 3/41 6/16
First Quarter WA – Gage Reinhard 19 pass to Clayton Cook (Lucas Garza kick) 4:56, 7-0 Second Quarter LE – Ben Von Gunten 35 field goal 5:50, 7-3 LE - Kray Klopfenstein 4 run (Von Gunten kick) 4:17 7-10 WA - Reinhard 26 pass to Mylon Betts (Garza kick) 0:50 14-10 Third Quarter LE – Tyler Hensinger 45 run (Von Gunten kick) 12:00, 14-17 LE – Von Gunten 33 field goal 1:39, 14-20 Fourth Quarter WA – Safety 0:24, 16-20 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing — Leo, Hensinger 25-190 TD, Klopfenstein 7-29 TD, Hissong 4-18, Leiter 3-11; Wawasee, Wilson 19-88, Reinhard 7-13, Katzer 2-1 Passing — Leo, Klopfenstein 6-14-57, 2 INT Wawasee, Reinhard 16-28-158, 2 TD. Receiving — Leo, Horn 1-32, Brown 2-13, Hissong 1-11, Leiter 2-(-1); Wawasee, Cook 7-64 TD, Betts 4-53 TD, Wilson 3-18, Krizman 1-15, Katzer 1-8
