Indians lose playoff spot in game against Weimar

    The Indians suffered an unfortunate loss against the Weimar Wildcats 33-0.
    Defensive Coordinator Johny Lesak said the team made some early mistakes that put the team at a disadvantage. "We made mistakes early in the game, and we just couldn't recover. It doesn't help that we lost more players this game. We needed to play a good game to begin with, and that loss of players made it difficult. Next week, we're going to have to get these kids ready to win a game. We came to win this season, first game or last."
    Representing the Indians at the toss were seniors #9 Jacob Foltyn, #1 Caleb Thedford, #85 Mark Macha, and #52 Ross Fowler. Weimar won the toss and deferred to the second half, putting the Indians on the receiving end to start the game.
    The kick-off was returned by junior #4 Matthew Sterling. Junior #11 Matt Bridges started as quarterback and begin with hand-off to McCann. McCann continued to be the go-to on the run, but the Indians were forced to bring out senior #8 Dalton Service for the punt. On defense, the Indians set up against the Wildcat offense on their own 39-yard line.
    A long pass to a Weimar receiver was complete and brought down by junior #7 Michael-Douglas Maresh for the first down. A short time later in the drive, the Wildcats moved the ball to the end zone for a touchdown; the extra-point was good, the score now 7-0, Weimar, with 8:25 remaining in the first quarter.
    To start the next offensive drive, Maresh received the ball and stayed on the field in the quarterback position. McCann ran the ball every time, until it was time for Service to step in on the punt. The Indians were now back on defense.
    Weimar’s first play was with #2 P.Holland and was brought down by Bridges. Another run by Purdy was stopped by Maresh, but the quarterback keeper by #19 B. Gall got the Wildcat first down.
    The next few plays were in the Indians’ favor: a false start penalty against the offense pushed the line back five yards, the run by Gordon gained little ground, and Foltyn sealed the deal with a sack, forcing the Wildcats to punt. On offense, Bridges came in, and the offense started with a run by Sterling, gaining five yards. Runs by Foltyn and McCann got the team close, but once again they were forced to punt.
    On offense once again, the Wildcats opted to go with the quarterback keeper, but that was thwarted by Fowler. A long pass to #12 J. Blanks was complete, but forced out of bounds by Maresh. Quickly, Weimar was able to execute another touchdown play with a good PAT. The score stood at 14-0, Weimar with only 35 seconds to go. To set up the second quarter, Sterling received the ball, and Maresh came in with a hand-off to McCann for the second down as the clock hit zero with 14-0 score.
    The second quarter picked-up where the line left off with another run by McCann. A 45 yard sweep pass by McCann to Thedford secured the first down deep in Wildcat territory. More runs by McCann helped to close the gap, but an incomplete pass to Thedford led to a turnover.
    While on defense, the Indians faced a multitude of plays by Weimar, but tackles by McCann, Macha, Thedford, and sophomore #75 Ben Ramsey helped slow them down; however, the first down was secured with a run by Gordon that was stopped by Bridges. Another Wildcat run by #28 C. Johnson secured another first down before being brought down by Foltyn. With third-and-goal, the Wildcats were able to score and succeed in the PAT attempt. The score then became a 21 point lead over the Indians with 2:52 to go in the half.  
    Starting off with the squib kick return was junior #3 Cameron Lambert. Bridges came in as quarterback and started with an incomplete pass to Macha. On the next play, Bridges kept the ball and was brought down for third-and-seven. Another incomplete pass to Thedford brought fourth down, and the turnover came with the sack. On defense, the Indians were able to get the ball back by forcing a turnover. Maresh now came in as quarterback, and the offense started with a run by McCann. The pass intended for Macha brought a third down, but the quarterback keeper by Maresh got the first down with 12 seconds to go. The next pass was intercepted by Wildcat #13 J. Hinze for the touchdown. The extra-point was blocked, the score 27-0, Weimar at the end of the half.
    With the Wildcats having deferred to the second quarter, junior #18 Jorge Campuzano came in for the kick-off. The ball was returned by #32 K. Derouen to the 30-yard line, but a false start led to a five yard loss, bringing out first-and-fifteen for the Wildcats. After a few plays, including a tackle by Fowler, the Wildcats punted the ball to the Indian 47 yard line.
    The first Indian play with Bridges in the quarterback position was an interception by #10 T. Holland at the Weimar 42 yard line. The Wildcats went with Gordon first, who was brought down by McCann. Another run by Purdy was stopped by Sterling. A chop block penalty against the Wildcats made for a loss of fifteen yards, a hole that they couldn’t dig themselves out of. The punt put the line on the Indian 34 yard line. Offensively, the Indians couldn’t move the ball; carries by Sterling gained no ground and the pass from Bridges to Thedford resulted in a loss of six yards and the punt. Before the quarter ended, the Wildcat offense managed to set up close to the goal line as the quarter came to a close with a score of 27-0, Weimar.
    The fourth quarter began quickly with Weimar executing early plays, getting them into a first-and-goal situation. They scored shortly thereafter, and the PAT was no good, the score 33-0 with 9:13 still to go.
    The kick-off was returned by McCann, and Bridges continued the role of quarterback for the night. A hand-off to Foltyn made progress, and the carry by McCann brought out first-and-ten in Wildcat territory. The offense continued to run McCann as they moved the ball down the field, crossing into the red zone. Ganado couldn’t push the ball over the goal line, for time ran out, ending the game with 33-0 Wildcat Win.
    Maresh said the score doesn’t show the effort that the entire team put in. “We worked very hard all night, and we never quit on each other.”
    The Indian’s play-off chances were dependent upon this game, and the loss knocked them out of contention. Foltyn says that despite this, they plan on playing harder than ever for their last game against Schulenburg for the sake of pride and brotherhood. “We still play for the pride of our school, families, and the tradition of the town. We play for each other, just like we have for over ten years. There’s a bond built there that’s worth fighting for, regardless of the situation.”
    The Indians will face the Schulenburg Shorthorns Friday, November 6, away. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.