Reed, Rockies Run Wild On TigersThe Warsaw Tigers got off to the start coach Phil Jensen was hoping for Friday night at Fisher Field.
The rest of the game, however, didn’t go Warsaw’s way at all.
In a 42-7 loss to the Class 4A No. 9 Plymouth Rockies, Warsaw won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
The Tigers recovered a Plymouth fumble on the game’s opening drive and scored four plays later when senior Will McGarvey barrelled in from a yard out just over three minutes into the Northern Lakes Conference opener.
The remaining 45 minutes of action were all about the Rockies, who racked up 334 yards on the ground to Warsaw’s 54.
In total yards of offense, Plymouth outgained the Tigers 406-90.
Plymouth improved to 3-0, while Warsaw fell to 1-2.
“That’s exactly what we wanted,” Jensen said of how the game started. “We won the toss and deferred, we got a turnover and scored, and then the wheels fell off. We’ve got to make more plays defensively. We’ve got to execute better offensively.
“Plymouth did a nice job changing things up, and I’ve got to find a better way to help Tristan (Larsh). We’re asking him to do a lot with reads. He’s got pre-snap reads, and he’s got post-snap reads, and that’s a lot for a first-year quarterback. I’ve got to find a way to help him handle that better, and I’m confident we will.”
Larsh completed 5 of 13 passes for 28 yards, and also carried the ball 10 times. Because of Plymouth’s aggressive defense, Larsh was tackled behind the line of scrimmage six times, resulting in -17 yards.
The majority of Warsaw’s offense came via junior Bryce Garner, who rushed for 40 yards on eight carries. McGarvey tallied 27 yards on 11 attempts.
The story of the game was 6-foot, 185-pound Plymouth senior fullback Blake Reed, who is listed on the roster as an offensive and defensive linemen.
Reed racked up 165 yards on 11 carries, including scores of 82 and nine yards, in the first quarter alone and finished the game with 23 carries for 227 yards.
His 82-yard score tied the game with 8:04 left in the first quarter, and his 9-yard touchdown pushed the advantage to 14-7 as the opening quarter ended.
“When our offense is clicking like it has been the first three weeks of the season, sometimes you have to pick your poison,” said Plymouth coach John Barron, who was Jensen’s roommate while the two played football at Butler University.
“We’ve got two really good wings in (Braxton) Bennitt and (Benji) Nixon, and when Cole (Filson) is healthy he’s a good runner as a quarterback, but tonight they were giving us the fullback and we took it all night long.
“We have a very good offensive line, and our offensive line is smart, they’re physical, but they understand what we’re trying to do.”
Filson scored on a 9-yard quarterback keeper to make it 21-7 in the second quarter, and Nixon scored the Rockies’ final three touchdowns – runs of 15 yards and 1 yard, and a 37-yard strike from Filson.
“I love Phil like a brother,” Barron said of Jensen. “I want him to win every game but tonight. The Warsaw community, to me, has been a great community.?I think they do things right here. Their athletes are tremendous, and we respect them. Our kids played well, and Phil’s kids played hard. Nobody got hurt. It was good, clean game.”
Friday’s matchup marked the 98th meeting in the series of the U.S. 30 rivals, who first played in 1924.
The Rockies have won the last four meetings and now lead the series 52-44. The teams tied in 1949 and 1965.
Warsaw travels to Elkhart Memorial Friday, while Plymouth hosts Northridge in a battle of unbeatens.
“It’s about how you respond,” said Jensen when asked what his message was to his players. “It’s easy to be a front runner, it’s easy to be a leader when things are going good. Now we’re licking our wounds a little bit. How do we go from there? What do we do when we show up (today), what do we do Monday? I’m proud of them, and we’ll just keeping getting better.”
PLYMOUTH 42, WARSAW 7
P 14 13 8 7 — 42
W 7 0 0 0 — 7
P W
1st downs 22 10
Rushing yds 334 54
Passing yds 72 36
Comp-Att-Int 4-5-0 6-15-0
Total yds 406 90
Fumbles/lost 2/2 2/1
Penalties/yds 6/50 5/65
First Quarter
W – Will McGarvey 1 run (Harrison Mevis kick) 8:51, 7-0
P – Blake Reed 82 run (Jeremy Drudge kick) 8:04, 7-7
P – Reed 9 run (Drudge kick) :00, 14-7
Second Quarter
P – Cole Filson 9 run (Drudge kick) 8:37, 21-7
Benji Nixon 15 run (kick failed) :15, 27-7
Third Quarter
P – Filson 36 pass to Nixon (conversion pass to Reed) 10:07, 35-7
