SPEICHERVILLE – Going into Friday night’s matchup at Northfield, the Whitko Wildcats were coming off of a 35-0 win over TRC rival Manchester but were still facing a 3-4 record. They knew they had to play their best game against the Class 1A No. 8 Norsemen in order to get back to .500. With a lot of help from the defense and their offensive line, the Wildcats got the job done, upsetting Northfield 19-7. Hunter Reed carried the ball 37 times for 150 yards and recorded three touchdowns, and the defense forced six turnovers as the Wildcats stunned the Norse at Wilbur Dawes Field. “I told them, ‘You finally broke through that wall and took it to the next level,’” said Whitko head coach Josh Mohr. “I told them to continue to build off of this. That offensive line paved the way for us tonight.” Whitko’s first drive of the game was effective, taking up seven minutes and driving all the way down to the Northfield 7-yard line before coming up empty and turning the ball over on downs. The Wildcats took a punch in the gut on the Norse’s first play from scrimmage, a-93 yard touchdown run by Jarred Short. After a three-and-out on the following possession, Whitko got back into the game after a forced fumble that led to a recovery by Chase Bradley on a punt return. Two plays after the turnover, Reed tied the game on a 4-yard carry into the end zone. The defense tightened the clamps on Northfield’s next possession, forcing a three-and-out. After a short punt that left Whitko with 30 yards to work with, the Wildcats found continued success in their run game and Reed found the end zone for a second time. Northfield had its back to the wall, and the Wildcats were not looking to let their opportunity slip away. In the second half, Bradley earned a second fumble recovery while Robbie Owsley had a key pass breakup on a fourth down play and quarterback/defensive back Garrett Elder had an interception in the second half in the effort that cemented the victory. “Defensively, coach [Wayne] Swender had those guys ready to play. They were attacking and flying all over the place,” said Mohr. “They did a great job holding a team that averages 40 points a game to just seven.” Friday night’s matchup was overshadowed by a mistake found on Thursday, as Northfield coaches and officials realized they had used an ineligible player in four of their games this season. Upon discovery, the school reported the violations to the Indiana High School Athletic Association and was left no choice but to forfeit those four games that the unnamed player was involved in. Despite the findings, Mohr didn’t notice any change in Northfield’s style of play or intensity. “Hats off to them for dealing with that and coming back out to play as hard as they did tonight,” said Mohr. “They did a lot of good things, but the turnover battle makes a big difference in some of these games.” As a result of the punishment, the Norse are now 3-5 on the year and will face North Miami in the TRC playoffs Friday. With the win, Whitko improved to 4-4 overall and claimed the TRC North Division. The Wildcats will host the Peru Tigers Friday in the conference championship at 7 p.m.
