AKRON — A week after losting a battle of conference unbeatens at Rochester, the Whitko Wildcats bounced back Friday at Tippecanoe Valley. While Rochester was locking up the Three Rivers Conference title with a 42-14 win at North Miami, the Wildcats (6-3, 6-1 TRC) settled for second place in the conference, downing Valley (1-8, 1-6 TRC) by a 34-16 count. Early on, Whitko looked a bit shaky against the one-win Vikings. On its opening drive, Valley needed just five plays to travel 66 yards, ending with an 11-yard touchdown run by junior Nick Feldman, and capped by a conversion run by senior Jarred Littlejohn. The 8-0 hole held until Whitko sophomore quarterback Garrett Elder ran one in from 25 yards out with 2:46 remaining in the quarter, but after a failed two-point conversion, the Wildcats still trailed 8-6 at the end of one quarter. “That loss last week was a big one,” Whitko coach Josh Mohr said. “It was a devastating one, and we were reeling from it all week. So, we just wanted to keep them focused, and that kind of played out in the first quarter. We were a little bit flat coming out.” Whitko nabbed the lead at 14-8 after junior Garrett Smiley scored from seven yards out midway through the second quarter, then Mohr got aggressive to get another score before the half ended. Still holding the 14-8 advantage, Whitko recovered a fumble at its own 10-yard line with 45 seconds remaining. Instead of sitting on the lead, the Wildcats got a 37-yard run from Elder, which he followed with a 53-yard touchdown pass to senior Trace Killian, going up 20-8 with 25 seconds remaining in the half. “That was just wide open,” Mohr said. “It was executed perfectly. Just like we do it in practice, but you never see it play out that way in a game. It was one of those things where it worked out just right.” Making the 12-point halftime deficit even tougher to swallow for Valley coach Scott Bibler was the fact his team had two drives begin inside the Whitko 23 in the first half, both via fumble recoveries. Instead of capitalizing, one drive ended on turnover-on-downs, with the other ending on a fumble, the second opening the door for Whitko’s 90-yard, two-play drive that took just 20 seconds. “We had opportunities,” Bibler said. “We caused some turnovers that gave us field position, but we just couldn’t capitalize. That’s what’s frustrating.” The second half saw Whitko senior Tanner Hughes take off, as he scored on runs of 29 and 47 yards, with the latter being the back-breaker. Following Hughes’ first score in the third quarter, Valley cut the Whitko lead to 26-16 after sophomore quarterback Alec Craig ran in from two yards out, then hit senior Jonah Mikel for the two-point conversion. Down 26-16, Valley forced Whitko into a 4th-and-6 early in the fourth quarter, which Mohr went for from his own 46-yard line. Making the gutsy call, Elder made it pay off by scrambling to his left, picking up seven yards. Right after that play, Hughes got the ball, was immediately hit, but was able to spin away and find nothing but open field all the way for the 47-yard score. That run capped the big night for the school’s all-time leading rusher, who had 169 yards and two scores in the victory. “He’s worked his butt off in the weight room, and it shows,” Mohr said of the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Hughes. “He is hard to bring down. His yards after contact, he has a ton of them. When the first guy hits him, he tends to bounce off, spin and just keeps his legs moving forward.” Valley was without its bruising back in the game, as sophomore Garrett Bell was unavailable after injuring his shoulder in last week’s 41-22 loss at North Miami. Getting the start, Feldman filled in admirably, going for 45 yards and the score on 17 carries. “Feldman did a nice job of getting in there,” Bibler said. “He’s been waiting for his shot, and I’m proud of him. “Of course we miss Bell, but I’m very proud of what Nick did tonight.” Wrapping up the regular season at 1-8, Bibler stressed that he’s seen improvement in his guys, with fight being the biggest thing against Whitko. “I’m proud that our kids played with more heart for four quarters,” Bibler said. “The penalties, the turnovers, the miscues just, once again, hurt us. It’s been a dilemma we’ve had throughout the season.” Valley finished the game with two fumbles, but actually won the turnover battle, as Whitko lost three fumbles and threw an interception. Despite that, the Wildcats got the win and enter their Sectional 27 game at Bellmont on a positive note. “This is good for us because it boosts our confidence a little bit,” Mohr said. “After last week, we just needed something to get us going again. I think this win helps our kids and helps our mentality going into Bellmont.” Valley travels to Culver Academies for its Sectional 26 game Friday, looking to avenge its 36-13 season-opening loss to the Eagles in Akron.
WHITKO 34, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 16 W 6 14 6 8 — 34 TV 8 0 0 8 — 16
W TV 1st downs 15 11 Rushing yds 270 124 Passing yds 125 129 Comp-Att-Int 7-11-1 9-20-0 Total yds 395 253 Fumbles/lost 3/3 2/2 Penalties/yds 11/83 7/71.5 Punts/avg 3/31.7 4/41.8
First Quarter TV – Nick Feldman 11 run (Jarred Littlejohn conversion run) 10:06, 8-0. W – Garrett Elder 25 run (conversion failed) 2:46, 8-6. Second Quarter W – Garrett Smiley 7 run (Tanner Hughes conversion run) 4:54, 14-8. W – Elder 53 pass to Trace Killian (conversion failed) 0:24.9, 20-8. Third Quarter W – Hughes 29 run (kick blocked) 5:27, 26-8. Fourth Quarter TV – Aaron Hoffman 2 run (Alec Craig conversion pass to Jonah Mikel) 10:31, 26-16. W – Hughes 47 run (Elder conversion run) 7:59, 34-16.
