Growing pains are to be expected from a young team, and Whitehall
saw its share of them Friday night at Clare, playing what coach Tony
Sigmon called 40 minutes of good football and eight where a lot went
against the Vikings.
Two four-minute stretches proved costly for visiting Whitehall, making the difference in a 46-22 Clare victory.
"The biggest thing is, our kids have to respond," Sigmon said. "They can feel bad for a day,
but on Sunday we have to get back to it and erase it and focus on being
1-0 in week two."
After the two teams traded turnovers to
start the game, a clutch fourth-and-goal touchdown pass from Isaiah
Lewis to Wyatt McFarren seemed to open the floodgates, and the next
three possessions of the game also resulted in touchdowns. Liam Leeke
capped a run-heavy drive with one of them, a one-yard burst that,
combined with a two-point conversion, made it 16-7.
Clare,
though, stormed back. After scoring again in response to Leeke's
touchdown, the Pioneers erupted late in the first half for three
touchdowns in the final four minutes, turning a 16-14 Whitehall lead
into a commanding 35-16 Pioneer advantage at warp speed. A turnover by
Whitehall and a surprise onside kick recovery late in the half helped
spur the home team's momentum.
Whitehall didn't give up easy.
Lewis had a 30-yard run that set up Leeke for a short touchdown to make
it 35-22, and the Vikings were in the Clare red zone with a shot at
getting within a score when the Pioneers' Trent Francisco picked off a
pass and returned it all the way to the Whitehall 10 before cramps
stopped him from scoring. Clare then cashed in the touchdown, and the
Vikings' momentum was gone.
The Pioneers rang up over 400
yards of offense in the game, including 289 on the ground on over six
yards per carry. The Viking defense did hold them to a combined total of
4-of-13 on third and fourth down attempts.
"I don't want to take anything away from Clare," Sigmon said. "They battled all game long
and they have some really good football players on their side. They made plays and they won the game."
Whitehall
saw some promising signs from some of its young players. Though Lewis
threw two interceptions, he was also responsible for 211 yards of
offense - 86 on the ground and 125 in the air. Among the veterans, Leeke
posted 91 yards rushing, and Elijah Smith had 91 receiving.
"Isaiah
thew the ball well at times, and Wyatt made some nice catches," Sigmon
said. "Elijah played his hearr out on offense and defense. Liam ran the
ball
hard. It really boiled down to playing a complete game."
The
Vikings are likely eager to get back on the field and look for a win
next week, when they'll visit Fremont in their West Michigan Conference
Lakes opener.
"There are mistakes that will be made in the
first game, that's obvious," Sigmon said. "It's one of those dynamics
where I'd like to see us respond, watch the
film, learn and get ready for another game as quickly as possible."
