Warriors fall 30-24 to Wilbur-Creston-Keller

COULEE CITY – Wilbur-Creston-Keller ate up the bulk of the clock in Friday’s game against Almira/Coulee-Hartline, limiting the Warriors to just five offensive plays in the second half to pick up a 30-24 win over ACH. 

“We had a good week of practice – we thought we could play with them, and we did, obviously,” ACH head coach Brandon Walsh said. “Just a few too many things didn’t go our way. If two or three things bounce our way for us, I think we come out on top.” 

Tied at eight at halftime, the Wildcats ripped off a 56-yard run to bring the ball to the Warrior 1-yard line, which they later punched in for a touchdown to take a 14-8 lead over ACH. WCK then recovered the ensuing onside kick and proceeded to drive down the field to score on a two-yard run to go up 22-8.  

“That was big, because obviously they had the momentum there at halftime,” WCK head coach Darin Reppe said. “They had scored there late and stopped us at the end of the half. We made a couple adjustments at halftime, and the onside kicks were huge. We got a couple of those, and those really swung the game in our favor.” 

ACH did get back into the end zone on a 30-yard run by junior Harvest Parrish, which the Wildcat lead to 22-16 with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter, but a long WCK touchdown drive combined with another Wildcat onside kick recovery meant ACH didn’t run another offensive play until there was 3:04 left in the fourth quarter. 

“We had a couple chances ... We made a couple mistakes that extended drives for them,” Walsh said. “When you’re on the field that long defensively, that’s tough. The kids get tired, and momentum goes the other team’s way.” 

Wilbur-Creston-Keller benefitted from Warrior penalties on two fourth-down attempts and continued to run the game clock while keeping the ball out of ACH’s hands. 

“They (ACH) were doing a really good job on defense in the first half, getting penetration and taking away our bread-and-butter stuff,” Reppe said. “We went to more quick-hitting stuff in the second half, and that really helped us move the ball, keep the chains moving and grind down the clock.” 

ACH did add a touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 49-yard catch-and-run by junior Brady Roberts but couldn’t recover the onside kick which allowed the Wildcats to run off the remainder of the game clock, winning 30-24. 

The Wildcats got on the board first Friday night, scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to take an 8-0 lead after the ensuing two-point conversion. However, ACH got down the field quickly on a 37-yard reception by junior Adyn Peha, setting up a game-tying touchdown catch by Peha four plays later on a 14-yard catch in the end zone.  

Senior Jameson Conley caught the two-point conversion to tie the game at eight, and the Warrior defense stopped the Wildcat offense on its drive before halftime. 

“That (touchdown) was huge, the defensive stop at the end of the half was awesome – outside of the loss and a few negative plays, there was lots of good things that happened in the game,” Walsh said. “I was happy with our energy and effort. Some of those things that you don’t exactly coach.” 

ACH was held to 57 rushing yards on 13 carries Friday night, 30 of which came on Parrish’s touchdown in the third quarter. The Warriors turned the ball over on downs on two of their four first-half drives. 

The Warrior defense did hold the Wildcats to a season-low in points; their previous lowest-scoring game was a 64-0 win over St. John Endicott-LaCrosse on Sept. 12. 

“I just didn’t think we blocked very good,” Walsh said. “We tried to run the ball, and they thought we were going to run the ball, so they put seven (players) in the box. I probably should have called more passes early once we opened it up a little bit. Once we started passing the ball, we moved it.” 

ACH drops to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in Northeast 1B games this fall. The Warriors host Odessa on Friday at 7 p.m. 

Box score 

WCK: 8-0-14-8 30 

ACH: 0-8-8-8 24 

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline defenders go in for a tackle against a Wildcat ball carrier Friday night in Coulee City.
  

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline junior Adyn Peha, in black, catches a 14-yard touchdown late in the first half against Wilbur-Creston-Keller on Friday.
  

    Warrior sophomore Brody Pitts (10) knocks the ball loose on a tackle in the first half against the Wildcats.