Contributing Writer
SPEEDWAY – Class 2A No. 2 North Putnam knew
that things would be a little tougher Oct. 5 when the Cougars traveled to play 2A
No. 8 Speedway.
But one
thing didn’t change – their dominant defense. The Cougars (8-0) were able to
hang on to a 21-8 victory and clinch the West Central Conference crown at 5-0,
while Speedway
falls to 6-2 and 5-1.
“Not to
take anything away from our first seven opponents, but from a concentration
level we knew we had to come in here with a different mindset,” said North
Putnam coach Dave Pasch.
The defense,
which came in having only allowing 34 points the entire season, needed no
change in mind set. The Cougars continued that dominant play by forcing four
turnovers and allowing only 207 yards of total offense by the Sparkplugs.
Two of the
turnovers came on interceptions in the fourth quarter, including one returned
for a touchdown that kept Speedway
at bay and wrapped up the victory.
“We have
had stints this year which we have forced a lot of turnovers,” Pasch said. “When
we got on the bus tonight there was just a different demeanor, and it showed.”
Both teams’
defenses were stout throughout the contest, with neither team able to muster
anything in the first quarter. North Putnam came the closest to scoring on its
opening drive, but Speedway
blocked a 25-yard field goal attempt by Rob Moore.
After a
fumble by Speedway with 6:07 remaining in the half was recovered by the
Cougars, North Putnam went 73 yards in just 3:56 to take a 7-0 lead on a
six-yard touchdown run by Adam Vondersaar.
Speedway nearly cut the deficit at the half
to 7-3, but a 40-yard field goal attempt by Grant Williams hit the left upright
to keep the score at 7-0.
North
Putnam made the first drive of the second half a dominating performance. After
an incompletion by quarterback Griffen Dahlstrom, the next seven plays all went
for positive yardage, including three plays of 10-plus yards.
The
Cougars went up 14-0 on Vondersaar’s second touchdown run of the game.
“That
drive was huge,” Pasch said. “Their (Speedway’s)
mindset is no different to anyone else’s – they want to kick to us in the
second half to try and establish field position.
“We have
been explosive at times, but on that drive we proved we could grind it out,
too.”
The
Sparkplugs wouldn’t give up without a fight. Even when quarterback Ethan Bartel
went down with a knee injury on the second play of the ensuing drive, forcing
back up Jake Duman into the picture, Speedway
continued to grind it out.
Riding the
back of Jaron Avance, the Sparkplugs drove down into the red zone and scored ultimately
on Avance’s five-yard run. After a North Putnam offside penalty, the ‘Plugs
decided to go for two, and they got it on Avance’s determined run to the right
side.
After a
defensive stop, Speedway
got the ball back with a chance to take the lead. But a pick-six was thrown to North
Put’s Darr Boruff, and the Sparkplugs had all but lost their chance at victory.
Any final
hopes were dashed with just under four minutes remaining when Jerrett Ban
intercepted Duman to seal the deal.
Vondersaar
and Dahlstrom were a two-man machine on the ground for the Cougars, running for
101 and 72 yards, respectively. The duo allowed North Putnam to control the
tempo most of the game.
Pasch said
that although this was a big win, the Cougs still have a lot of football games
left before they can get to their goal of the state title.
“It means
a lot now – it clinches at least a tie for the conference title,” Pasch said.
“We have only done that one other time in school history.
“We are
going to enjoy the bus ride home, but this was a physical, physical ball game.
So we are going to get healed up and go back to work on Monday.”
North
Putnam concludes its regular season Oct. 12 with a home West Central clash
against Cloverdale (3-5, 1-4). Speedway,
meanwhile, will, host 3A No. 11 Brebeuf (7-1) next Friday.
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