COLUMBIA CITY – The opening week of the high school football season was rough for the Whitko Wildcats, as they fell 56-0 at Whitley County rival Churubusco.
Friday night proved no different against their other Whitley County rival, Columbia City.
The Wildcats allowed five first-half scores as the host Eagles routed the visitors 48-6 at Max Gandy Athletic Field.
For the Eagles, Jacob Bolt completed three of six passing attempts for 123 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Bolt also carried the ball six times for 105 yards and another touchdown as he helped orchestrate the convincing victory.
Jacob Wigent led the ground assault with three touchdowns and 109 yards rushing.
Things looked up for the ‘Cats early on. After forcing the Eagles to punt on their first possession, Whitko junior quarterback Cade Bechtold completed 3 of 4 passes for 39 yards as Whitko got as far as the Eagle 26-yard line. A botched snap followed by an incomplete pass, however, resulted in a fruitless first possession.
Despite being held scoreless in the first half, Whitko coach Jeff Sprunger thought Bechtold looked more comfortable in the pocket and that the front line improved to make space for his running backs.
“We are seeing improvement with this team,” said Sprunger. “We knew it was going to take some time. We’re not far off from where we want to be.”
By halftime, Columbia City outgained Whitko in total offensive yardage by a margin of 338-85.
The Wildcats later led two good drives deep into Eagle territory, but neither resulted in any points.
Senior halfback Hunter Reed helped the ‘Cats get on the scoreboard for the first time this season, punching the ball in from five yards out in the fourth quarter. Reed finished with 79 yards on 25 carries. Zach Gardner finished with 53 yards on 15 carries for the ‘Cats.
Whitko hosts Three Rivers Conference opponent Maconaquah in a 7 p.m. start Friday. Both the Wildcats and Braves will be seeking their first wins of the 2017 campaign.
After being outscored 104-6 through two games, the difficult tests will be used as preparation for the upcoming conference slate, said Sprunger.
“We like the competition we are getting out of these teams,” said Sprunger. “We feel like it prepares us well going into our conference. We are a young team, and we are going to see them grow as the season goes, and I’m excited about the potential of this team by the end of the season.”
COLUMBIA CITY 48, WHITKO 6
W 0 0 0 6 — 6
CC 14 20 14 0 — 48
W CC
1st downs 1 14
Rushing yds 109 284
Passing yds 54 123
Comp-Att-Int 4-12-1 3-7-0
Total yds 163 407
Fumbles/lost 2/1 5/1
Penalties/yds 2/22 9/76
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Whitko, Hunter Reed 25-79, Zach Gardner 15-53, Cade Bechtold 6-(-22); Columbia City, Jacob Wigent 15-109, Jacob Bolt 6-105, Max Bedwell 9-72
Passing — Whitko, Bechtold 4-12-54, 0 TD, 1 INT; Columbia City, Bolt 3-6-123, 2 TD, 0 INT
Receiving — Whitko, Reed 2-24, Michael Conner 1-21, Logan Busz 1-9; Columbia City, Michael Sievers 2-63, Noah Judd 1-60
