SPEICHERVILLE – Pinned at their own 1-yard line, the Whitko Wildcats looked to pull a come-from-behind victory – driving the ball down to the Northfield 20. Alex Stoddard's pass was intercepted on the last play of the game, however, as the Wildcats fell 27-21 on the road Friday night in Three Rivers Conference action. As a team, Whitko's running backs combined for 309 yards rushing. However, miscues came back to haunt them. The Wildcats (2-4) committed five turnovers over the course of the game, leading to 14 points for Northfield Norse (2-4). The Norse were proficient in almost all categories, especially time of possession and turnovers. “Ball security is important, we just can't turn the ball over to anybody,” said Whitko head coach Wayne Swender. “[Northfield]'s a good team, and you have to give them credit.” The game was stalled early in the first quarter after a 35-minute lightning delay kept both teams off the field. The Wildcats used that extra time to stay motivated as they drew blood first on a 36-yard touchdown run by sophomore running Devin Gerding. Gerding finished the evening with 122 yards on just nine carries. Northfield answered right back as the rain reduced its offense to the ground game, which proved effective. Senior halfback Andy Roser, a 5-10, 215-pound bruiser, made it difficult for the Wildcat defenders to bring him down. He scored with a minute to play in the first quarter to tie the game at 7-7. Roser rushed for 125 yards in the first half and finished the evening with 195. Junior running back Alec Wells helped Northfield take a 14-7 lead with 9:03 remaining in the second quarter. The Wildcats toughened up in the trenches as Alex Stoddard tied the game yet again with a 1-yard keeper to send the game into halftime with a 14-14 tie. After the break, Whitko started its next two possessions with an interception from Stoddard and a fumble that led to 13 more points off turnovers for Northfield. Not only did the Norse have some of their stars shine on one side of the ball, but they had also came to play defense, as quarterback Austin Curless came up with an interception and Wells with a fumble recovery. Just 18 seconds into the fourth quarter, Gerding scored for the second time to keep the Wildcats within six points. The Wildcat defense was able to make a couple of stops late to give the offense some life. However, a three-and-out and the last-second interception barred Whitko from what would have been a miraculous victory. “We've just got to hang on to the ball,” said Swender. “We've got to play four quarters of good, hard ball and we didn't play four quarters of good, hard ball. We just have to go back to simple things and doing them well. It's just the fundamentals of the game – blocking and tackling.” Whitko returns next week to host North Miami, 39-12 winner over the Southwood Knights Friday night. Northfield will host Wabash, which was routed by Tippecanoe Valley 45-0 in a game that was shortened due to a blown transformer. NORTHFIELD 27, WHITKO 21 Whi 7 7 0 7 — 21 NF 7 7 13 0 — 27
