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Gold squad wins early offensive battle, beats Black 34-14 at WVFCA All-Star Game
TERRE HAUTE — After nearly an hour, the first quarter of Saturday’s Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star Game finally came to an end.
Six touchdowns across the first seven minutes left fans wondering just what sort of scoring record could be set on the evening though there would only be two field goals the rest of the way in the Gold squad’s 34-14 win over the Black squad.
Ten Putnam County athletes participated in the game, nine for the Gold squad in Greencastle’s Lamar Moore, Jackson Buis, Brendle Brennan, Garrett Cooper and Owen Huff and South Putnam’s Caden Switzer, Aiden Beadles, Ethan Harcourt and Wyatt Kendall, and one for the Black squad in Cloverdale’s Jaxton Helton, all of whome enjoyed the experience the week had to offer as well as the chance to play one more high school game.
“It was good,” Buis said. “It was great to have all the guys you’ve played against all your life come together and play as a team.
“They came to compete today, so it was a good time.”
“It was great,” Kendall said. “The ball is the same. The field is the same. It felt like a high school game, if just at a higher caliber.
“Aside from that, you feel right at home with three other teammates and buddies.”
“It was pretty good,” Cooper added. “I would have liked to make some more plays or see some action but, as a corner, if you don’t hear my name, that’s a good thing as there weren’t any targets. I was happy with the team winning and meeting some new people.”
“It was awesome to play with all the kids from nearby schools you play against,” Huff said. “Usually, you’re talking smack to them but now you’re patting them on the back when they make a great play.
“I got the little screen passes and the first downs. You can’t go out and score touchdowns every day but we got the win in the end and that’s all that matters.”
“It was hard and hot,” Helton said. “I tried my best and I tried to leave it all out there.
“It was fun to watch the game. I was mostly on the bench but it was fun seeing people from other parts of the state and work with them.”
“Overall, the team did really well,” Harcourt said. “I got in on a couple of plays and though we had some fumbles, it was what it was.”
“It was a great game and we had a lot of fun,” Moore said. “There was a lot of trash talk but it was still fun at the end of the day.
“I got to play with a lot of good people and I’m excited about things this year.”
Explosive play after explosive play dotted the opening minutes as Black started with a bang, Monrovia’s Eli Welch hitting North Vermillion’s Cody Tryon on the opening play of the game for a 77-yard score and a 7-0 lead.
Gold answered promptly as Eastern Greene’s James Lewis took a jet sweep handoff 32 yards for six with Kendall adding the extra point to tie the game at 7-7.
“I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous on the first PAT,” Kendall said. “Once you make the first one, though, the rest come pretty easy.”
On Black’s next offensive snap, the ball squirted away and Marshall’s Luis Lopez recovered, setting up a 21-yard score by Northview quarterback Kyle Cottee to put Gold ahead for good with just 2:50 played in the opening period.
The ensuing kickoff, taken by Casey-Westfield’s Brian Wright instead of Kendall, dropped short of the upbacks and, after the closest man missed the ball, Paris’ Kalvin Rigdon recovered for Gold.
Cottee would score his second touchdown of the game a few plays later from a yard out, set up by a run from Moore, for a 21-7 lead.
Black proceeded to run the next kickoff all but in for six as Lawrenceville’s Tanner Waller ran 76 yards to the Gold one-yard line. Monrovia’s Dom Kindle punched in on the next play to make it 21-14.
Gold hit back immediately as Cottee hit Brennan for a 64-yard strike on the next offensive snap to restore the two-score lead at 28-14 with 5:20 still to play in the first quarter.
“The first quarter was action-packed,” Brennan said. “Every other play seemed like a big play.
“It slowed there at the end but the quarter was wild. On the score, I just ran straight on a skinny post call, which is all I’ve been doing all week, and when I broke right, the corner wasn’t there anymore.”
While Gold continued to move the ball offensively, play soon bogged down thanks in part to both defenses finally coming to their senses and numerous penalties, most of which throttled the Gold offense once they reached the Black redzone.
Kendall would score the remaining points of the game, first hitting a 30-yard field goal with 7:49 left in the first half and a 34-yard attempt just over two minutes into the third quarter, one yard shy of the game record of 35 yards, co-held by former Greencastle kicker Buzz Deer.
Other drives ended with less fanfare as Cottee was picked at the end of the first half after a high pass went off the hands of Huff while Kendall and Wright both missed field goals in the fourth quarter, both coming after penalties Gold away from inside the five-yard line.
In the end, aside from explosive runs from North Vermillion’s Jerome White, Gold’s defense held firm in the end, getting key contributions from Switzer, Beadles, Cooper and others including Linton’s Ty Boyd and Paris’ Ethan Curl.
“It was a great week,” Switzer said. “The atmosphere was great, the coaches were great and it felt amazing tonight.
“I made a few big plays and it’s amazing to go out with a win. Couldn’t ask for a better game.”
“At the beginning of the week, (former South Putnam and current Eastern Greene assistant coach Nick) Wheeler told the coaches I’d be good outside, so I spent the week both inside and outside at linebacker,” Beadles said. “There were no subs, so it was figure it out and get it done.
“I had a deadleg early on and was wobbly throughout the game but overall, I felt I had some good plays and it was awesome to watch.”
Brennan, who caught two passes for 104 yards on the night, was the recipient of the Good Night Irene Award, a $500 scholarship named in honor of Wayne Stahley, a former Terre Haute North head coach of 21 years who passed away in 2016.
“It was really nice and a great honor,” Brennan said on being named the Good Night Irene winner. “I wasn’t expecting to get anything like that but it was nice to get it.”
For many, Saturday night was their football swan song and, by and large, for most it was an enjoyable night of football.
“It was amazing,” Switzer said. “I had a lot of fun.
“There were a few hiccups but for my last game, I went out with a bang.”
“It’s weird to think my high school career really is over,” Kendall said. “But I’m happy the way it ended and couldn’t ask for a better ending.”
“It felt great to feel the camaraderie throughout the team and morale was high,” Cooper said. “We just knew we were the better team early on and it felt nice to know that.”
“It was a fun week,” Harcourt said. “I met a lot of great guys out here and everyone can play up to the next level in my opinion.
“It was nice to finish out this last game strong and with a win.”
Beadles and Buis will be in action again in July as both represent the southern half of the state in the IFCA North-South All-Star Game. More information will be available closer to date of the game.
For a few others, it’s a win they’ll take with them as they prepare for college football in the fall.
“It’s nice to win the last one,” Moore said. “I feel like a champ and get to go to Oakland with that win.”
“It feels really good,” Brennan added. “After losing in sectionals, it’s nice to end high school with a win.”
| Black | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Gold | 28 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 34 |
Scoring
1st Quarter
B — Tryon 77-yard pass from Welch (Jessie kick) 11:42 0-7
G — Lewis 32-yard run (Kendall kick) 9:39 7-7
G — Cottee 21-yard run (Kendall kick) 9:10 14-7
G — Cottee 1-yard run (Wright kick) 6:15 21-7
B — Kindle 1-yard run (Jessie kick) 5:55 21-14
G — Brennan 64-yard pass from Cottee (Wright kick) 5:20 28-14
2nd Quarter
G — Kendall 30-yard field goal 7:49 31-14
3rd Quarter
G — Kendall 34-yard field goal 9:40 34-14
Statistics
| … | Black | Gold |
| Total Offense | 244 | 311 |
| Rushing | 124 | 117 |
| Passing | 120 | 194 |
| 1st Downs | 13 | 16 |
| Penalties | 7-60 | 7-50 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Black — 36-124, TD — White (NV) 11-69; Belcher (Monrovia) 7-14; Holman (THS) 6-5; Welch (Monrovia) 4-(-11); Walker (Lawrenceville) 3-25; Tryon (NV) 3-17; Kindle (Monrovia) 2-5, TD
Gold — 27-117, 3 TD — Cottee (Northview) 11-36, 2 TD; Moore 5-31; Harcourt 3-14; Hawk (Eastern Greene) 3-4; Lewis (Eastern Greene) 2-60, TD; McKinley (Olney) 1-3; Team 2-(-31)
Passing
Black — 9-14-120, TD — Welch (Monrovia) 5-6-99, TD; White (NV) 3-7-21; Holman (THS) 1-1-19
Gold — 15-22-191, TD, INT — Cottee (Northview) 9-15-124, TD, INT; Hawk (Eastern Greene) 6-7-63
Receiving
Black — Tryon (NV) 2-80; Belcher (Monrovia) 2-20; McMechan (Cumberland) 1-19; Rector (Parke Heritage)1-14; White (THS) 1-2
Gold — Brennan 2-104, TD; Huff 6-39; Matzke (Marshall) 4-36; Lewis (Eastern Greene) 2-8
This story will be updated