DUNLAP – If all that counted was the last 44-1/2 minutes of the football game, Warsaw would have pulled off its second upset of a ranked team in as many weeks.
But 5A No. 6 Concord scored twice in the first 3-1/2 minutes, then held off the visiting Tigers for a 26-20 Northern Lakes Conference win at Jake Field Friday night.
Warsaw deferred on the coin toss, then went three-and-out on its first possession. Concord’s Carter Neveraski returned Harrison Mevis’ punt to the Tiger 26, and two plays later Ethan Cain found Brady Reed over the middle for a 21-yard touchdown 50 seconds into the game.
The second possession was more of the same, except the Tigers got a first down. A 30-yard Neveraski punt return put the Minutemen at the Warsaw 30, and three plays later Dominick De Broka scored the first of his two touchdowns to make it 14-0 with 8:34 left in the first quarter.
“It couldn’t have been worse,” Warsaw coach Phil Jensen said about the start. “When you win the toss and defer, you’re supposed to back them into their end zone, make them punt and you take the lead.
“But that’s a good Concord football team. They have some athletes, they have some size, they’re well coached, and they took advantage of their opportunities early.
“Then they had to hang on.”
Warsaw got on the board on its third possession, when Tristan Larsh found Zach Riley down the left side for a 62-yard touchdown catch and run.
Concord scored a safety on a bad punt snap just before halftime, then on the opening possession of the third quarter the Minutemen drove 66 yards on eight running plays, with De Broka capping the drive with a 4-yard run. A 35-yard Josh Gorball field goal late in the third quarter made the lead 26-7, and it seemed Warsaw was toast.
But on the first play of the fourth quarter, Blake Marsh gave new life to the Tigers with a 42-yard pick-six. Jensen opted to go for two, and Larsh was stopped short.
“We made it a two-score game, and with that two-pointer, then one of the scores can be a field goal,” Jensen explained. “If we didn’t get it, we needed two touchdowns regardless.”
Warsaw got a much-needed stop, and on its next possession got its only three first downs after halftime. After Larsh converted a fourth-down, he found Riley for a 35-yard strike to close within a touchdown with 4-1/2 minutes to go.
Concord wouldn’t give the ball back, running out the clock with a series of sweeps, keeping the ball in bounds and ending Warsaw’s hopes of an epic comeback.
Larsh finished with 54 yards rushing and 135 yards passing, all but three of those to Riley.
“We didn’t play great, not good at all. But we had a lot of gutty performances, especially from Zach Riley and Tristan Larsh, two kids who didn’t practice all week because of injuries. I’m really pleased with them,” Jensen said.
“They didn’t give up. Last year at NorthWood (a 64-21 loss), that got to be a bloodbath in a hurry. Two years ago at Carroll (a 49-21 sectional loss), that was a a bloodbath in a hurry. So I’m really pleased with our resiliency and our determination to continue to battle and play.”
Warsaw finished the regular season 5-4 overall and 4-3 in the Northern Lakes Conference. The Tigers, along with the rest of the teams in Class 6A, have a week off before opening sectional play. Warsaw hosts Chesterton Oct. 27.
CONCORD 26, WARSAW 20
W 7 0 0 13 – 20
C 14 2 10 0 – 26
W C
1st downs 9 28
Rushing yds 60 343
Passing yds 135 92
Comp-Att-Int 8-17-0 9-12-2
Total yds 195 435
Fumbles/lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties/yds 6-55 8-80
Punts/avg. 5-36 1-32
First Quarter
C – Brady Reed 21 pass from Ethan Cain (Josh Gorbal kick), 11:10, 7-0
C – Dominick De Broka 8 run (Gorball kick), 8:34, 14-0
W – Zach Riley 62 pass from Tristan Larsh (Harrison Mevis kick), 5:39, 14-7
Second Quarter
C – Safety, snap on punt went out of the end zone, 0:14, 16-0
