ELKHART — After a tough offensive night in their first playoff game on Tuesday, the Warsaw Tigers returned to North Side Gym for the semifinal round of 4A Sectional 4 on Friday night. Matched up with Goshen, Warsaw had no such issues scoring in this one, lighting up the scoreboard en route to a 59-51 win.

“I thought our first quarter was as important of a quarter as we’ve played this year and the guys came through,” head coach Matt Moore said. “Really proud of the guys and how they came out.”

Mydin Burgher led the way for the Tigers offensively in the initial minutes of the game, scoring the first four points of the night for Warsaw. The early offensive issues that plagued the team in Tuesday’s win over Concord seemed to have gone by the wayside, as a contested layup by Robbie Finlinson gave the home team on the scoreboard six points in the first two minutes.

On the other end, the Redhawks were able to keep pace with the Tigers thanks to some shotmaking from deep. A steal and score by Goshen temporarily put them in front at 8-6 before a layup by Burgher tied things up a possession later.

That wouldn’t be the last time the lead changed hands in the opening period, as Goshen remained aggressive. Now attacking the rim at will, guard Braxton Cline found some success attacking Carson Gould, forcing the Tiger point man to pick up two early fouls. Cline scored nine of the first 14 points of the game for the RedHawks, putting them in front multiple times.

Each time the visitors went on top, the Tigers came up with an answer. One stretch saw a triple by Brandt Martin, followed up by a dunk from Finlinson, off of a fantastic behind the back feed from Gould, for a quick 5-0 run. Warsaw didn’t stop there. Sam Lara and Parker Justice got in on the action to extend the run to 11-0. Soon, it was a double digit lead for the Tigers.

After scoring 20 points in the first half on Tuesday, Warsaw scored 24 in the first eight minutes on Friday, and led 24-14 after one.

Goshen used a quick spurt in the opening 90 seconds of the second quarter to cut the lead down to three in a hurry. The teams continued to trade buckets as the period wore on, with the Tigers remaining in the lead, albeit a much less comfortable one than in the first.

During the middle portion of the quarter, things slowed down a tad for Warsaw as the team experienced its first scoring drought of the game. Goshen was able to take full advantage of this, getting to within one during the stretch. It wouldn’t be the only time the RedHawks would crawl within a point, but each time they did so, the Tigers answered on the other end with a basket of their own.

The visitors had a hard time taking care of the basketball in the final minutes of the half, allowing Warsaw to get its lead back up to five as the two sides headed to their locker rooms.

A big three by Gould two minutes into the third served as the first Tiger points of the second half. After Martin’s second basket of the game about a minute later extended the lead to eight, Goshen quickly called timeout to talk things over. After scoring the first bucket of the third in the opening seconds, they had now gone over three minutes without any points.

The break didn’t do much to stop the bleeding, as a three for Finlinson put him in double figures and extended the lead to double digits for the second time in the game. After the make, the Tigers would encounter another stretch where it seemed as if a lid was on the basket before Justice was able to end the cold spell with a three of his own. With eight minutes to go in the game, Warsaw led 46-36.

With its season on the line, Goshen scored four quick points to begin the fourth to cut the lead to six, but just when it seemed as if momentum was beginning to shift, Justice squashed it with a massive corner three to go back up by nine. With a little over five minutes left, the lead was back up to eleven on a layup by Lara.

“Very proud of Parker. He did not have a very confident Tuesday game so for him to come into tonight and come through for us, we need it,” Moore said.

Midway through the fourth, the Tigers were still up by nine, looking to deny one final push by the RedHawks. They were doing a fine job of it, holding the visitors scoreless for the next couple of minutes as time really started to become a factor. Soon, just two minutes remained in the game and Warsaw led by 10.

The lead only grew as time continued to wind down, as the Tigers grew nearer and nearer to a spot in the sectional championship game. With less than a minute to go, Goshen was able to get within nine, but it was too little, too late.

Justice led the way with 12 points. Martin and Finlinson each had eleven. Burgher added 10.

Warsaw (24-4) will face off against Northridge Saturday night with a sectional title on the line.

“You play for these opportunities. This game is going to be about seniors,” Moore said. “They’re going to have to produce. It comes down to can you minimize mistakes and take advantage of theirs.”

The post Warsaw tops Goshen, advances to Saturday night’s sectional title appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — History was made on two separate occasions at Fisher Field Friday night. The first was simple — by having the game at home, the Warsaw Football team played host to a regional contest for the first time in school history.

[caption id="attachment_101765" align="alignright" width="420"] Warsaw head coach Bart Curtis talks with his players after the win. Photo by Gary Nieter.[/caption]

The second history-making moment was a little more difficult to reach, but after the team’s second win in as many weeks against an undefeated, highly-ranked opponent, the Tigers hoisted a regional championship trophy for the first time ever with a 44-27 win over No. 2 Lafayette Jefferson.

After being a part of a moment so monumental, many players found it hard to put the feelings into words.

“It’s an unexplainable feeling. To be a leader on a team that can make this kind of history, I’m speechless right now,” senior linebacker Cohen Heady said. “I’m smiling right now but I don’t even know how to put it in words.”

“This is so awesome. We’ve been grinding for this for so many years and it feels so good that our hard work is paying off,” junior Quinton Brock added.
Others were ready to get back to work.

“It’s a great night for the Tigers, but I’m not satisfied yet,” Quarterback Drew Sullivan, who ran for 310 yards in the win, said. “It feels good but we’re not done yet.” Warsaw, which was 3-3 a month and a half ago, has now won six games in a row.

“This is a group of kids who had some battle scars from some tough losses, who never listened to the outside noise and kept working,” Warsaw head coach Bart Curtis said. “We stayed true to ourselves and continued to challenge the kids to play harder. They understand that to play in November you have to give it all you have.”

The Bronchos tried to catch Warsaw off guard on the opening kickoff of the game, attempting an onside kick. It didn’t work out for the visitors, going out of bounds and giving the Tigers the ball at their own 47-yard line to start the game.

Coming off of perhaps their best offensive performance of the season last week, the home team got right back to business on their opening drive, methodically moving the ball down the field while picking up a pair of first downs. It looked as if the Tigers were going to move the chains once again near the Jefferson 30, but a flag for a false start stopped the drive in its tracks. A few plays later, Warsaw elected to go for it on fourth down, but were stuffed and turned it over.

The Bronchos had much more success on their opening drive. Operating quickly, Jefferson was able to move the ball with ease during the first half of the drive, getting onto the Warsaw side of the field in a hurry. It was here the Tiger defense sharpened up, forcing the Bronchos to go for it on fourth down on two separate occasions. The visitors converted on both, making their way into the red zone before running back Antwoine Richmond ran in the game’s opening touchdown from the three with three and a half minutes left in the first.

Quinton Brock returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards before being tackled by the last man in his way to the end zone, the Broncho kicker. While the play didn’t result in a score, it did set up the Tiger offense in a favorable position once again.

It didn’t take long for Warsaw to use the spark to get something going, as Sullivan broke free on a keeper and took the ball 40 yards and inside the red zone at the 15-yard line. As the first quarter came to an end, another keeper by Sullivan made it second and goal at the three for Warsaw with a chance to tie things up.

“Coaches put together a great game plan for us knowing they were going to throw some different fronts at us, my guys were blocking their butts off for me,” Sullivan said.

[caption id="attachment_101775" align="aligncenter" width="860"] Junior Quinton Brock crosses the goal line for a fourth-quarter touchdown. Photo by Gary Nieter.[/caption]

Just two plays into the following quarter, Brody Duncan powered through a series of defenders from one yard out to score the first Tiger points of the night. The PAT that followed by Mason Smythe was good, tying things up at 7.

Now it was Warsaw’s turn for some trickery. For the second time in the game, an onside kick was attempted, and this time, it was successful. It was a beauty of a play, going the required 10 yards and no further before being recovered by Smythe, the kicker himself. Just like that, the home team was back in business.

The Tigers would make the most of the created opportunity. Facing a third and long just outside of the red zone, Sullivan dropped back to pass, and threw up a perfect ball to Brock, who beat his man and made the catch just outside of the end zone. With nobody else to stop him, the junior waltzed into the end zone for a 25-yard score that gave Warsaw its first lead of the night. With seven and a half minutes to go in the half, the Tigers were now up 14-7.

Things kept getting better for Warsaw following the score. The defense came up big with a stop, forcing the Bronchos to punt near their own end zone. The ball would never make it into the air, as a bad snap went over the Jefferson punter’s head and into the end zone. The first player to it was Daylon Fitzpatrick, who recovered it for a Tiger touchdown that caused the crowd to go into a frenzy. With six minutes left in the half, Warsaw was now up 21-7.

It didn’t take long for the Bronchos to come up with an answer. On the visitor’s first play from scrimmage following the turnover, Jefferson got a big play from leading receiver Andre Fancher. The senior broke a series of tackles and found a way to beat everybody, getting loose for a 73-yard score. The PAT was no good though, making it a 21-13 game just 20 seconds after the Warsaw touchdown.

Coming off of back-to-back scoring drives, the Warsaw offense stayed in a groove on its next drive. A big pitch play to Brock and another long keeper by Sullivan got things moving as the Tigers burned some clock while getting the ball into the red zone once more.

However, time was a factor on this possession, with less than a minute remaining as the home side looked to extend its lead. A couple of untimely penalties stopped the drive in its tracks, turning into a 37-yard field goal attempt for Smythe. The kick looked good for most of the time it was in the air, but it hooked right at the last second to keep Warsaw scoreless on its final possession of the half.

The first half had a controversial ending, as Jefferson attempted a trick play. Quarterback Keyen Crowder passed the ball backward to his receiver, throwing it low to make it look like a fumble. The play was whistled dead as an incomplete pass, but it should have been a fumble advanced by the receiver. Instead, the half came to an end on a long lateral play with the Tigers still up 21-13.

“We had a few opportunities in the first half that I feel like we let get away, and I thought it was going to come back and bite us,” Curtis said.”

The Bronchos began the second half on fire, moving the ball down the field in a hurry and getting past midfield within a minute. After picking up a fourth down conversion, Crowder connected with his receiver Omar Williams Jr. for a 38-yard score three minutes into the third quarter. Jefferson added a two-point conversion for good measure, and just like that, things were tied at 21.

“This game was kind of a blur with how fast they operated on offense,” Heady said. “When something bad happened we would get down on ourselves a bit but I knew we just had to stick with things.”

Getting the ball back, the Tiger offense was stuffed on three straight plays, leading to a fourth and short at their own 29. The team elected to go for it, and it paid off, with Sullivan using a second effort to pick up the first. He didn’t stop there, adding a 55-yard run just a few plays later to get the ball down to the eleven.

It looked as if Warsaw was going to turn the big run into points, but the Bronchos came up big at the goal line, coming up with a fourth down stop at the one-yard line to give the ball back to the offense. After a six-minute drive, the Tigers came up empty and things remained tied.

Jefferson was unable to do much offensively after getting the ball back, with a holding penalty as well as a fumble recovered by the offense only netted the Broncho offense two total yards. For the second time in the game, a poor snap on the long snap went over the punter’s head on fourth down, this time going through the back of the end zone for a safety. Once again, Warsaw was up 23-21 with a minute to go in the third.

Along with the points, the Tigers got the ball following the safety, ending up starting the possession at the Jefferson 49. They didn’t stay there for long, as yet another long run by Sullivan, this one for 36 yards, put the ball at the seven as the third quarter came to an end. The first play of the fourth quarter looked identical to the last play from scrimmage against Concord a week ago. A pitch to Brock was executed perfectly, and the junior made a couple men miss on his way to the end zone. Just five seconds into the fourth, Warsaw was now up 30-21.

“Total team win for us tonight. We’ve been in this position time and time again and we were ready for it,” Sullivan said. “We’re comfortable to have the ball in those situations.”
Needing something and needing it now, Jefferson was able to get back to work on offense. Moving the ball incredibly efficiently, it didn’t take long for the visitors to get onto the Tiger side of the field, before eventually scoring a touchdown on a short passing play to Marquis Adkins with nine minutes left. The Bronchos elected to go for two, but were denied by the home defense, keeping the score at 30-27.

“We’re a resilient group. We knew we were going to get punched in the mouth but we kept getting up and made the big plays when we needed to,” Heady said.

Looking to burn as much clock as possible, Warsaw rolled the dice after getting the ball back, electing to go for it on fourth and short at their own 37. The risk paid off, and yet another pitch to Brock worked out just fine. To make things even better, another huge run by Sullivan got the ball into the red zone with six and a half minutes left. Once again, the Broncho defense held strong while backed up into their own end, forcing a 4th and 6 just outside the 10. Sensing the game wouldn’t be won with field goals, the Tigers elected to go for it once again. The team broke out another play identical to one in last week’s win.

Sullivan pitched it back to Brock, and instead of running forward, he passed it to Ethan Egolf, who made an incredible catch in the end zone to put the Tigers back up by two possessions once more. With four and a half minutes to go, Warsaw was now up 37-27.
“I saw Ethan out there and he was covered up, but I know he’s got that dog in him so I decided to throw it up and let him make a play,” Brock said.

The Tiger defense put the final nail in the coffin on the next drive, forcing a fumble near midfield that was picked up by Grady Nelson to give the ball right back to the home side with four minutes left. The offense did its job, holding onto the football and burning all of the clock and putting an exclamation point on the first regional title in school history with a 16-yard TD run by Sullivan to give the Tigers 43 points.

“The brotherhood that these kids have, the way they play for each other, you can’t beat that. They responded well tonight when they had to deal with a lot of what Jeff was giving to them.”

Warsaw (9-4) will host Merrillville in the Semi-State game next Friday for the right to head down to Indianapolis.

“Merrillville is another really good football team. It’s going to take a full week of practice to be ready for them. We did some things tonight we’ll have to get fixed if we want to keep this going,” Sullivan said.

The post Warsaw captures regional football Championship with sixth straight win appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

By Connor McCann
Times-Union

DUNLAP — Revenge is a dish best-served cold.

A month and a half ago, Warsaw football led Concord, the No. 1 5A team in the state 17-0 at halftime before the Minutemen staged a furious comeback late to escape with a 28-24 victory to remain undefeated. Friday, the two teams met at Jake Field again, this time with a sectional championship on the line. As was the case the first time around, the Tigers played a great game, keeping it close throughout. But this time, it was Warsaw with the last laugh, as a last-second touchdown gave the Tigers a 31-28 for the team’s first sectional title since 2019.

“This was a game that saw two tough teams get knocked down to the canvas over and over again and both of them got up every time,” Warsaw head coach Bart Curtis said after the game. “Our kids are resilient. We’re fortunate to play the game we played and do the things we did tonight.”

The Tiger defense started the game off on fire. After giving up a first down on the first series of the contest, the D picked it up from there, perfectly reading two passes by Concord’s Bo Brunner and tackling receivers at or near the line of scrimmage. Facing a third and long, Brunner dropped back to pass and was hit as he threw it, leading to an interception by Jayden Habegger to set Warsaw up with some great field position.

The good times didn’t last very long, as something very similar would happen to the Tiger offense. After picking up a first down, the visitors turned it over on a botched handoff, giving the ball right back to the Minutemen unable to take advantage of the turnover.

On the other hand, Concord was very much able to use the quick possession change to their benefit, as on the second play of the home team’s second drive, Jaron Thomas took a carry straight up the middle and blew past everybody, making it all the way to the end zone and opening up the scoring with a 79-yard touchdown run that made it 7-0 five minutes into the game.

Perhaps looking to prevent the quick-strike Minutemen offense from getting the ball back, the Warsaw offense took its time moving the ball upon getting it back. The visitors held onto possession for the remainder of the first quarter, often needing all three downs to pick up a first while methodically moving up the field. After starting the drive near their own 20, a big run by Brody Duncan put the Tigers at the Concord 25 as the second quarter got set to begin.

The Tigers kept slowly, but surely, moving the ball in the opening minutes of the second, inching closer and closer to the end zone on each subsequent carry. After making their way all the way down to the three, Duncan finally put the exclamation point on a nearly 10-minute drive with a rushing score that tied things up with nine minutes to go in the half.

It took Concord less than 15 seconds to come up with an answer. On the ensuing kickoff, a line drive kick to the Minutemen do-it-all player Char’rese Brevard ended up becoming a problem. After picking up a few key blocks near where he picked it up, Brevard was able to find the edge and using his blazing speed, beat out every other defender on the field en route to a 90-yard return touchdown that put the home team up almost immediately after the game had been tied.

Evan Davis supplied the Tigers with their biggest play from scrimmage thus far on the following drive, rushing for 26 yards to put the ball near midfield. A chunk play through the air by quarterback Drew Sullivan to receiver Ethan Egolf put the visitors in Minutemen territory. After a pair of big plays, the Warsaw offense went back to a more methodical approach before finally being faced with a fourth down near the 30. Curtis elected to send the field goal unit out, and was rewarded for his decision as Mason Smythe buried a 39-yard field goal with three minutes left in the half to make it 14-10.

The juggernaut of a Concord offense came up with an immediate strike once again. Feeding the ball to Brevard on a reverse play, the senior did the rest. Finding the edge once again Brevard dashed past the Warsaw secondary and added a stiff arm to break free for good measure on his way to a 73-yard touchdown that made it 21-10 just 25 seconds after getting the ball back again.

A circus catch by Egolf put the Tiger offense back in business as they got the ball back. The senior receiver timed his jump perfectly to come down with a perfectly thrown ball by Sullivan down the sideline to get the ball to midfield instantly. That would be all Warsaw would get on the drive though, as the visitors were forced to punt a few plays later.

Needing a stop to keep things close heading into halftime, the Tigers caught a big break in the final minute of the half, as a fumbled snap by Brunner found its way onto the grass and was recovered by Warsaw for an instant red-zone opportunity.

The visitors were able to use a little bit of trickeration to turn the chance into some points, as a pitch backwards by Sullivan to Quinton Brock ended up leading to a pass, as the team’s backup quarterback found Tucker Reed in the end zone for the score. The PAT by Smythe that followed was good, making it a ball game once more with the Tigers trailing 21-17 heading into halftime.

“That was huge for us. Having the opportunity to be down four instead of eleven or more at halftime was massive,” Curtis said. “They’re a really good team on both sides of the ball and our kids battled snap for snap with them and I’m damn proud of them.”

Getting the ball right back to begin the third quarter, Warsaw continued with its strategy of taking the air out of the football, taking plenty of time to move down the field. Similar to the team’s first touchdown drive of the night, the Tigers were using every down available to them to move the chains while churning time off of the clock. Facing a fourth and short on the Concord 40, the visitors elected to go for it, picking it up on a keeper by Sullivan to keep the drive alive.

A nice run by Duncan immediately afterward put Warsaw into the red zone. After a few more strong runs by Sullivan, the visitors were within 10 yards of their first lead of the night. After a pair of penalties, one by each side, Sullivan kept it himself on an option play from six yards out to finish off a massive 10-minute drive and put the Tigers on top for the first time at 24-21.

“I think we did very well on offense. When you’re playing a team like them with some great linebackers and great offensive linemen, you have to execute to the fullest,” Curtis said.

Sullivan, who missed all of last season after an injury in the opening game, as well as a good chunk of time this season after an injury sustained in the first game against Concord, was excellent all night long. After the game, he was emotional as he reflected on his long journey to hoisting the trophy.

“This is the stuff you dream of. All of the work that we’ve put in, I love these guys, man. They work their tails off and they didn’t lose faith. We fumble on the first drive and nobody skips a beat. It took us four quarters of football to beat those guys,” Sullivan said with tears in his eyes. “I’ve been in this situation two times before, came up short, felt like I didn’t do enough. To go out there and play four good quarters of football, it feels special.”

Feeding off of the momentum the offense had just created, the defense returned to the field on a mission, and delivered the crucial stop they had been looking for. Forcing a three-and-out, the Tiger D gave the ball right back to the offense on its own 42 as the fourth and final quarter prepared to declare a sectional champion.

For the second time in the game, Warsaw elected to roll the dice and try to convert on a fourth and short near midfield. This time, the Concord defense was the one celebrating, as the Minutemen got the push they were looking for in the trenches and came up with a crucial stop to give the ball back to the offense.

As was the case with the first Tiger turnover earlier in the game, the home side wasted no time at all turning the turnover into points. Another long run by Thomas, this one 55 yards, ended in the end zone as the senior broke five different tackles and even added a hurdle to put the NLC champs back in front, 28-24, with nine minutes left.

With just six minutes remaining in the game and facing another fourth down at the Minutemen 37, the biggest play of the game to this point had arrived. This time, Warsaw kept the chains moving by picking up three yards while needing two. Another first down with four minutes remaining in the game put the visitors on the cusp of the red zone.

Here is where the Concord defense came up big, stopping the Tiger offense for little or no gain on three straight plays to force the second fourth down of the drive, this time the visitors needed to get seven with two minutes remaining. Needing to make the biggest throw of his life, Sullivan was perfect. He connected with Egolf, who somehow kept his feet in bounds to pick up the massive first down.

“I knew my guy Ethan was going to be open. We work on that play. We stay after practice and we work on that play,” Sullivan said. “We knew that moment was going to come. I’ve never heard a louder crowd than on that fourth down. We had one shot to win a football game. We work on that every single day.”

Having to protect the end zone inside the 10 with just a minute left in the contest, the Concord defense held strong once again, forcing a fourth and two at the four. With the season on the line, Warsaw called time with 17 seconds left to try and get the perfect play.

It was exactly that, as a pitch to Brock was the last thing the Minutemen were expecting, as he galloped untouched into the end zone to put the Tigers up 31-28 with just 13 seconds left.

Not able to come up with that final stop in the regular season matchup, Warsaw was able to exercise some demons and got the big one here. The Minutemen tried to get the ball down the field with a series of pitches, but it did not work. The ball was batted down for an orange and black sectional title.

Warsaw (8-3) will look to take down its second undefeated team in as many weeks as they square off with Lafayette Jefferson in next Friday’s regional game.

[caption id="attachment_101490" align="aligncenter" width="802"] The Warsaw football team celebrates after winning its second sectional title in school history, 31-28 over No. 1 Concord, Friday night. The Tigers scored the game-winning touchdown with 13 seconds left. Photo by Gary Nieter[/caption]

The post Warsaw stuns No. 1 Concord to win sectional title appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Times-Union Sports Editor Connor McCann needs a big assist.

The 27-year old who is originally from Glenview, Ill., only has one kidney and it has been going downhill since 2019 and he’s now on the verge of kidney failure.

In 2019, his GFR, on a scale of 100 to 0 (with 100 being perfectly healthy), stood at around 35.

In March, that had dropped to 13.

"Ever since then, I have been dealing with the prospect that this kidney that I have is long long for this world and at some point, will hopefully avoid dialysis but to do that, I will need to get a kidney transplant."

McCann was expected to head to a hospital in Chicago late this week to begin a series of tests that will hopefully open the door for him to be placed on a waiting list for a kidney transplant.

In the meantime, he, his family and his co-workers have been rallying for him in a publicity campaign aimed at finding donors. That's involved Facebook and Instagram pages as well as flyers posted in Warsaw and Elkhart where he and his girlfriend live.

Another odd wrinkle: Unless somebody tells him they're taking steps to be considered as a transplant donor, McCann won't know until approval has been determined because of privacy laws known as HIPPA.

"Right now, I think I have six or seven people in the process. It might be even more. They don't tell me because of the Hippa laws. I'm not allowed to know where or when anybody signs up or is in the process," McCann said.

McCann has health insurance and the costs of all expenses (pulse mileage and lost wages) for the donor would be covered.

In the meantime, McCann is still writing game stories and designing sports pages for the Times-Union. 

If the process continues to drag on and the kidney continues to deteriorate, McCann will be forced to consider two types of dialysis.

To learn more and consider getting involved, check out his Facebook and Instagram pages titled Kidney4Connor.

McCann talked with News Now Warsaw for this week’s In The Know, the public affairs show you can hear this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.

In The Know can be heard at the following times:

News Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):

Fridays at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturdays at 7 a.m. 

Sundays at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.

WRSW (107.3):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

Willie (103.5 FM):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

The post Times-Union Sports Editor seeking donors for kidney transplant appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

MISHAWAKA — The stakes were simple as the Warsaw and Mishawaka football teams squared off on Friday night: win, and control your own destiny in the Northern Lakes Conference title race. The Cavemen started the game with purpose and never let up, handing the Tigers a 34-11 loss, their first of the season.

“They ran their stuff a lot better than we ran ours, and they defended our stuff a lot better than we defended theirs,” Warsaw head coach Bart Curtis said after the game.

It was a nightmare start for the Tigers, who found themselves down before they could even catch their breath. On the first play of the game, Mishawaka executed a quarterback draw with Brady Fisher.

Running behind a physical offensive line, Fisher was able to find some room on the outside, breaking loose for a 73-yard touchdown to put the home team on the board just 21 seconds into the game.

The rest of the first quarter was dominated by defense. Warsaw would eventually settle in, not allowing another first down in the game’s first 12 minutes. Unfortunately for the Tigers though, Warsaw was unable to get much going on their own offensively, resulting in the two teams playing a game of field position.

The battle would be won by the Tigers. After a great punt by Mason Smythe pinned the Cavemen back near their own end zone, followed by the Warsaw defense forced a key three-and-out, the Tigers got the ball back at the 30 yard line, already in range for Smythe. The visitors would ride Reed Zollinger, coming off a massive game last week, closer to the end zone, but eventually would have to settle for a 29-yard field goal with just a minute gone by in the second quarter.

From that moment on, the rest of the first half belonged to Mishawaka. On the team’s next possession, the Cavemen were able to burn the clock while moving the ball upfield, something the home side has done so well this season. After a drive that lasted just over six minutes, Fisher would find the end zone once again, this time on a 25-yard score to extend his team’s lead to double digits.

The Tigers would not have an answer, going three-and-out on their next possession, giving the ball right back. It didn’t take long for the Cavemen to take advantage, as Fisher connected with receiver Ethan Bryce, who did the rest. The senior broke multiple tackles in the open field, going all the way for a 59-yard touchdown. Mishawaka went for two but did not get it, making it a 20-3 game at the half, giving the Tigers quite the uphill climb.

Things did not get much better as the second half began, as Warsaw quarterback Quinton Brock threw an interception on the team’s opening drive, putting the Cavemen in prime position to extend their lead once again. A few minutes later, Mishawaka did just that, as Novell Miller punched it in from three yards out to make it a 27-3 game.

Needing a spark badly, the Tigers would get one on the ensuing kickoff, as Daylor Vilamaa returned the ball 40 yards to the Warsaw 45-yard line, giving his team some nice field position. It would be just what the doctor ordered for the visitors, as the team put together its most impressive drive to this point, methodically going 55 yards in five minutes for a touchdown scored by Zollinger. The two-yard score was the senior’s ninth of the season.

Zollinger would also punch in the two-point conversion, making it a 16-point game with just over 14 minutes left.

   Warsaw junior Daylor Vilamaa picks up yardage during a kickoff return in Friday night's game at Mishawaka. Photo by Gary Nieter.

“We fought a bit in that second half. Reed is a tough kid and even though our line didn’t do too well blocking for him, he fought hard for every yard he got,” Curtis said.

Needing a stop to stay in the game, the Tigers would get one in a big way in the final moments of the third quarter. With Mishawaka driving once again, the Warsaw defensive line was able to get a great jump at the line, blowing up Miller at the line of scrimmage and forcing a fumble. Warsaw linebacker Jette Woodward would recover, giving his offense a chance to continue chipping away at the lead.

The Tigers would put together another great drive following the turnover, with Brock, Grady Nolin and Lucas Ransbottom connecting on a big hook-and-ladder play on a fourth down to keep possession alive. However, on the drive’s second fourth down a few plays later, Zollinger was spotted about half a yard short of a first down, a questionable decision by the referee. Even more questionable was the crew’s decision to call a turnover on downs without bringing the sticks out to measure. Still, down 16 with under seven minutes left, time was quickly running out for Curtis’ team.

The visitors would get the ball back after forcing a stop with just over five minutes remaining in the game. But on the second play of the drive, the Tigers, who had taken care of the ball much better than usual to this point, coughed it up on an option play, giving the ball back to Mishawaka in the red zone and essentially putting the game on ice.

With under two minutes to go iin the game, Miller scored his second touchdown to give the game its final score.

Warsaw (5-1) plays Wawasee next week at Fisher Field for its homecoming game.

“Last year when we lost this game, we had to look ourselves in the mirror to play some good football to wrap up the season,” Curtis said. “A loss like this tests our character, we’re going to find out what kind of team we have. Is this loss going to define us? I don’t know. I think tonight was a lot more of them being great than us being poor. I don’t think tonight was who we are or what we’re capable of.”

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