Garrett Elder breaks away for one of several big runs in Friday’s win over Churubusco. (File photo by Nick Goralczyk)

SOUTH WHITLEY – Garrett Elder knew he had some big shoes to fill this fall for the Whitko football team.

The loss of record-setting fullback Tanner Hughes left a lot of yards to be gained by someone in the Wildcats’ triple-option attack.

Quarterback Elder, the motor that makes the Whitko offense go, has been up to the challenge.

Elder, an explosive 5-10, 175-pound junior, has rushed for 1,582 yards and led the Wildcats into a Class 2-A sectional title game Friday night at No. 4 and undefeated Woodlan.

The soft-spoken Elder eclipsed Hughes’ single-season school record with a brilliant performance last Friday night. Elder rushed for 249 yards on just 13 carries, including touchdown runs of 75, 26 and 83 yards to rally Whitko to a thrilling 34-27 win over Churubusco. The Wildcats trailed 21-6 at halftime before the huge final half by Elder.

Hughes, now a freshman running back at Defiance College in Ohio, rushed for 1,431 yards last year.

“It’s an honor to get it,” said Elder Tuesday night of the record. “Tanner was a great fullback. I knew that I would have to step up this year, but I didn’t think that I would have these kind of numbers.”

“The credit goes to my offensive line. They are the ones who give me the key blocks that I need. They have been great all year, but have really come together the last few weeks. All of us get along together very well.”

Elder, who is averaging 9.5 yards per carry and has 21 touchdowns,  has led Whitko to a 6-5 mark and a chance at just the second sectional championship in program history (the 1986 Wildcats won a sectional en route to claiming a Class 1-A state championship). The Wildcats have won four of their last five games after a tough 2-4 start.

“Garrett has exceeded our expectations this year,” said Whitko coach Josh Mohr. “We saw glimpses of what he could do last year with his speed and explosiveness. We knew with another year in this offense that there were some big possibilities there for him.

“He has that extra gear with his speed to hit the crease and take off. He’s a perfect fit for our option scheme with his speed. He’s just greatly improved at reading defense, even from the start of this season. It takes a lot of reps to get that done.

“Garrett is also just a very quiet and humble young man with great character.”

Elder has helped the Wildcats rush for 3,459 yards this season. He has had plenty of help from sophomore fullback Hunter Reed, who has 719 yards and seven touchdowns, along with senior Garrett Smiley and junior Conner Sherwin. Both Smiley and Sherwin have ran for over 300 yards.

“The big thing for me is reading my keys,” Elder remarked. “The thing as a team these last few weeks is that everyone has the fire and wants to win now. We’re having fun and playing hard.”

Mohr praises the effort of his guys up front. Senior center Walker Hobbs leads the group of offensive linemen. Also big up front for the Wildcats are seniors Garrett Coki and Garrett Titus and juniors Gavin Howard and Jared Smith.

“Our offensive line, and I mean all of them not just our starters, have been tremendous this season,” emphasized Mohr, a 1986 Whitko grad who played offensive line for the Wildcats. “They take pride in what they do and have found their niche. The whole group is out there every day just pushing and grinding to get better.

“Football games are won in the trenches and our line has been outstanding.”

With a stellar signal caller and playmaker in Elder to help the “Big Uglies” up front look even better.