SOUTH WHITLEY - When the Whitko Wildcats square off with third-ranked Lewis Cass Friday in a Class 2A, Sectional 26 semifinal football game, they will be viewed as the underdogs.
To motivate his team, first-year Whitko coach Wayne Swender need look no further than last week's sectional opener when the Wildcats were the heavy favorite.
"We know we're definitely the underdogs," said Swender, whose team enters the contest with a 7-3 record, while the Kings come into the game with a 9-1 mark. "We're looking forward to the challenge and we're really excited to still be playing football at this point in the season."
Friday's sectional semifinal game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Lewis Cass High School in Walton.
The winner of the game will play either sixth-ranked Oak Hill (10-0) or 10th-ranked Rochester (9-1) in next week's sectional championship game..
Last week, the Wildcats opened sectional play at home with a 16-10 win in overtime over Wabash.
Wabash entered the game with an 0-9 record and had already lost 40-0 at Whitko earlier in the season.
And that's why coaches talk about surviving and advancing, and about how any team can beat any team on any given day.
"We've talked about intensity and enthusiasm and being ready to play every play," said Swender. "Last week was a situation where Wabash came in more prepared than we were. We're going to make sure we're prepared this week."
In last week's win over Wabash, Adam Jarrell led the Wildcat offense with 20 carries for 109 yards and two touchdowns, while Ryan Bumbaugh rushed 10 times for 48 yards.
Whitko, known to be a running team, threw for just 39 yards in the first-round sectional win.
Friday, the Wildcats will face a running team in Lewis Cass.
"They love to run the ball," Swender said. "They run behind a big, strong offensive line. They've also got two defensive tackles that are over 300 pounds. We've got a challenge ahead of us."
The Kings opened sectional play last week with a 29-27 win over Bremen.
Whitko is looking for its second sectional championship in school history and first since 1986.
Lewis Cass has won four sectional titles, the most recent coming last year when the Kings lost in the semistate championship to eventual state champion Fort Wayne Bishop Luers.
