Goal Line Stand Lifts Leo [VIDEO]
SYRACUSE – Less than a yard. All the Wawasee football team was needed was less than a yard and maybe things would have been different. The Warriors outplayed a ranked Leo squad in the opening round of sectionals Friday night but it is that Lions survived to fight another day.
The Leo defensive line stood tall during a sequence of plays that happened in the game’s final minutes to help the team capture a thrilling 20-16 win at Warrior Field.
Trailing 20-14 with just over nine minutes remaining in the game the Warrior defense came up big, as it did on several occasions Friday night, with a sack from Cameron Adams to force a Leo punt. The Warrior offense used the ensuing drive to eat up the majority of the remaining game clock and get the ball inside Leo’s one-yard line.
The Warriors were stuffed on both first and second down. Gage Reinhard would have his number called for a third consecutive play and appeared to score on a second effort, but was ruled down before breaking the plain.
Following a Wawasee timeout, Reinhard and the Warrior offense returned to the field and punched in a score to tie things up 20-20, but while the home crowd erupted into cheers, so did the visitors sidelines. One lone flag could be seen near the south sideline, illegal procedure against the Warriors. The score came off the board and Wawasee was stopped on fourth down from the Leo six-yard line with just over a minute remaining.
“I guess we had a receiver move,” said a distraught Wawasee head coach Josh Ekovich of the controversial penalty. “That’s what I was told, I don’t know who it was. I didn’t see the call.”
The Warrior defense would hold Leo inside of its own five and the Lions would volutarily put a safety on the board and kick the ball back to Wawasee with just 25 seconds remaining in the game. A roughing the passes penalty set the home team up with two plays inside of the Leo 20, but again the Warriors were denied as the Lions would hang on.
Wawasee had nothing to be ashamed of Friday night. The Warriors played admirably from start to finish, forcing two Leo turnovers, recording two sacks and tallying more than 250 yards of total offense.
The Warriors took the first lead of the game with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Reinhard to Clayton Cook in the first quarter. A phantom pass interference call gave Leo its first points on the night, a 35-yard field goal by Ben Von Gunten.
A bad snap on a punt attempt set Leo up for its second score, a four-yard run by quarterback Kray Klopfenstein to give Leo a 10-7 lead. Wawasee responded by taking a 14-10 lead into the half on a 25-yard Reinhard to Mylon Betts scoring strike. Leo regained the lead in the third quarter on a 45-yard run from Tyler Hensinger.
Reinhard finished with 158 yards through the air. Cook and Betts combined for 117 of those yards while Nic Wilson’s 88 rushing yards led the ground attack. Stephen Possell led Wawasee with eight tackles. Ekovich made it clear that his team left it all on the field.
“We’ve come a very long way,” Ekovich remarked. “Seven weeks ago we’re being housed by Northridge and we could’ve folded the season then but we didn’t. That’s a credit to this senior class. They’re a great group of kids. Committed, athletic, they play hard.
“I told them that if they play hard every snap tonight, win, lose or draw, then there are no regrets. They did that tonight. I’m going to miss these guys.”
An undefeated Leo squad outed the Warriors from the opening round of sectionals last year, racking up over 400 rushing yards en route to a 35-7 blowout win. Leo (8-2) finished with 245 rushing yards this year and will travel to Nappanee to take on NorthWood (6-4). The Panthers beat Angola 48-6. Wawasee closes the season at 6-4, the program’s fifth consecutive winning season.