Great job to the Woodlan Warriors for a fantastic season on and off the field
The Woodlan Warriors travelled to Whiting, Indiana, a suburb of Chicago, after defeating Winchester in the Regional Championship. Could the Warriors prove their metal in this Semi-State Football match?
It was the year of the “W” if you have noticed the last few games in the tournament: Woodlan, Whiting, Whitko, and Winchester. All of the teams have done very well.
Dark, bitterly cold, windy, and a layer of snow and ice defined the evening conditions facing
Justin Durkes struts in unopposed to score the first touch down of the game.
both teams at this IHSAA Semi-State matchup. Arriving at the field with 45 minutes till the game began and the field not cleared off, surprised the Warriors. The Oilers began cleaning off small sections of the field starting with the field marker lines. Only about 1/2 field was cleared when the game began. There were very few seats for the Warrior fans and no permanent seating available in the less than stellar conditions.
Woodlan opted to receive the ball when given the choice. A little different from past games when they usually defer. In the first quarter, both teams took the possession and neither gained points. The first touchdown was scored 7:42 in the second and that was by Woodlan’s quarterback, Justin Durkes. The team completely faked the Oilers defense and Durkes jogged in the end zone with no opposition. Quentin Graber successfully added another point to the score with the PAT, making the game 0-7. Unfortunately, this would be the last time the Warriors would cross the goal line for points.
Whiting was watching closely how Mitchell VanBrocklin and the crew kept driving forward. This first touchdown they could not get a grip on the guests. After this though, they reconfigured the defense just for Van Brocklin and the Warrior offense.
Before the second quarter completed, the Oilers also posted a touchdown by Stuart Glascow with only 1:29 left and the score was brought to 7-7 at the half. They were good at passing and rushing when they pushed ahead on the field, outmaneuvering the Warrior defense.
During half time, more snow was cleared off the field at the south goal which the Oilers would be facing in the third quarter. When the game started back up, the home team was on fire. They flourished on the field as they pushed another touchdown through the Warriors’ defense. It was as if the wind off Lake Michigan was propelling them forward.
Woodlan came so close to scoring another touchdown in the third. Justin Durkes ran the ball 20 or so yards and got the ball within 10 yards of the goal. Soon the ball was on the first. The next play the ball fell back to five yards when the ball carrier slipped on the icy field and went down. The next play fell apart and moved the Warriors further back, and the Oilers took over. It was the point at which Woodlan looked like they were finished, after being so close to success. The Warrior defense stopped the advancement during the rest of the game.
Blake Acosta intercepts the ball in the fourth quarter brought down inside the goal area.
Another close one for the Warriors came with two minutes left on the clock when Blake Acosta jumped high in front of the receiver to intercept the ball. It was a beautiful catch and the only interception of the game. The ball should have been brought out to the 20 yard line, but the referees didn’t see and instead placed it on the one yard line. This clearly hindered the Warrior recovery.
The final score was 14-7 in this tight match. Both of the boys performed very well. The fans came out in droves to support their teams.
For Woodlan, Mitchell Van Brocklin was the rushing leader with 77 yards. Jack Rhodes was next with 33; Durkes 22; Jerimiah Cassell 20; Trevon McCarter 8.
On the defense, the top tacklers were Dontae Williams 6; Jordan Delagrange 5.5; Blake Acosta 5; Donald Guerrant 5; Alec Evans 3; Ah’lan howard 3; Amarion Hicks 2.5; Van Brocklin 2; Jack Stuckey, Jeremiah Cassell each 1; Brandon Rohr and Malik Murray each with 5.
Coach Sherwood Haydock and his coaching staff did a great job this year. The boys had the one of the best years Woodlan has ever had. They finished their year 13-1 and deserve to be recognized, not only for their hard work but for their success too. Incredible!
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