Winamac Gets The Job Done On The Road!
On a night filled with huge matchups all around the Kankakee Valley area, the Winamac Warriors were able to take their turn in the spotlight, as they were able to get their second win of the season, along with their second highest point total for a game this season, in a 52-8 victory over the West Central Trojans.
The Warriors began their scoring outburst on their opening possession, as they methodically pushed the ball downfield with a nice combination of pass plays as well as running plays, which were capped off by the first score of the night. With the ball on the 5-yard line, Winamac called a run play off the left side of the offensive formation. Running back Trent Fox trusted his pulling guard, Gabe Townsend, who was able to get a pancake block on the edge defender, allowing Fox to find his first of four touchdowns on the game. The scoring did not slow down much for the Warriors throughout the evening. On the next Warrior possession, the “Maroon Platoon” picked up where it had left off, mixing up the passes and runs to keep the defense off balance as much as possible. While Winamac was unable to find the end zone, they were still able to find points, as Sophomore kicker Max Murray stepped in to punch through a 22-yard field goal and give the Warriors a 10-0 lead with 4:30 left to go in the first quarter.
On the following possession, the Warrior defense came up huge as they were able to force and recover a fumble after frantically breaking through the line. It did not take long for the Warriors offense to get points on the board once again. Working with a short field, the Warriors went to the air for their second touchdown. On a quick hitting pass play, quarterback Russell Compton was able to get the ball into the hands of Brayden Lynch, who was able to slip his way out of a tackle for a 5-yard touchdown.
With the score now 17-0, West Central appeared to get re-focused. Coty Marlatt was the go-to for the Trojans, as he erupted for a 33-yard gain on his 3rd carry of the ballgame, giving the Trojans a first and goal at the 8-yard line. In what may have been the easiest call for Coach Marc Hall to make on the night, the Trojans went right back to Marlatt, faking the Jet Sweep handoff to the right of the offensive line, then putting the ball back into the hands of #3. The 5’9 155lb wingback broke two tackles on his way to the end zone, and the Trojans’ lone score of the night.
The Warriors continued to keep the pressure on the Trojan defense with an incredible mixture of run and pass. The third touchdown of the ball game for Winamac came off of a toss play out of the “Shotgun” formation. Quarterback Russell Compton took the snap and quickly tossed it to his right, into the hands of Trent Fox, who rumbled his way into the end zone from two yards out, and his second touchdown of the night! Fox had very little time to rest. After his two yard touchdown run, the Warriors, not wanting to give the Trojans any chance at gaining momentum, executed perfectly an onside kick, in which Fox recovered.
After marching back down the field, it was once again time to go to #35, also known as Trent Fox. With the offense once again lining up in their shotgun formation, and Fox to the right of Compton, Russell pitched the ball to Fox, who found the crease, and got into the end zone for his 4th touchdown of the game.
Once again, the Trojans began to gain some footing on their next possession, as they got a big 25-yard run by Sophomore wingback Brayden Huber. The Trojans thought they could catch the Warriors napping as they went to the air, taking a shot towards the end zone. Winamac’s Jaden Terry had other plans, as he soared for the interception, which he was able to return for approximately 27-yards, giving the Warriors back the ball as well as the momentum.
The Warriors capitalized on the turnover, as they moved the ball across midfield once again. This time, the Warriors dug a little deeper into their bag of trickeration, with Coach Craig Barr utilizing a double pass for the next score. Under center on this play, Compton took the snap and a one-step drop, getting rid of the ball quickly to the outside, and into the hands of Senior wide receiver Keith Dell, who hauled in the pass, then reared back and released a pass of his own. The throw was right on target, as it fell directly into the hands of Trent Fox, who hauled in the over-the-shoulder catch at the five yard line, and strode across the goal line. Following the extra point, the scoreboard now read Winamac 38, West Central 8, with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter.
The scoring was not yet done for the Warriors, as once again they were able to get the ball back from the Trojans. This time, Compton went outside of the pocket, on a designed rollout, and threw a laser into the chest of Braden Lynch from 13 yards out for another score. With the made extra point, the Warriors had increased their lead to 45-8 over West Central. The final score of the ballgame came from 2 yards out, as a dropped snap was picked up by running back Beau Brandt (who the play appeared to be going to anyway), he then muscled his way through the defensive line and into the end zone for the final touchdown of the ballgame, making the final score 52-8 after the made extra point.
In the end, it was Winamac’s ability to capitalize on the West Central errors that led to the lopsided 52-8 final score in Francesville. The Starke County Co-Op Play of the Game, on WKVI, was the double pass which resulted in the 29 yard touchdown going from Keith Dell to Trent Fox. Fox was also named the Ashley Derrickson/Five Star Player of the Game. On the night, Trent totaled 128 yards rushing on 27 carries with 3 touchdowns, to go along with 4 receptions and 68 yards with the touchdown reception from Dell. The Warriors are now averaging 57ppg in their two wins, meaning, if you catch Winamac on one of their good nights, you better bring your offense!
*Statistical Information In This Article Provided By Kankakee Valley Broadcasting Staff. These Are Not Official Game Statistics*
