SHOWDOWN IN STANTON
STANTON – In the same fashion of a great heavyweight fight, the East Mills-Stanton football game, Friday, was full of quick hitting offense, strong defense, and possibly the district championship in the balance.
The defending district champion Vikings came into the game with a perfect 6-0 record with a winning margin averaging 40 points per game wearing their purple tops and white bottoms.
The challenger East Mills Wolverines were in their visiting whites, with a 5-1 record, only losing in an overtime slugfest with the CAM, Anita Cougars in which they lost 44-42.
In what ended up being a high scoring, 58-40 Stanton win, both teams started tentatively, feeling each other’s defense out.
Tanner Stubbendeck struck first on a defensive counterpunch, intercepting a ball that was batted at the line by nose guard Lucas Oster, for a 10-yard touchdown.
Alex Whigham was the next to strike for the Vikings on a three-yard pass from Stubbendeck and ran in the ensuing two-point conversion to make the lead 14-0.
The Wolverines struck back with Jake Schafer starting at quarterback throwing a 10-yard pass to tight end Jake Doyle with 1:07 left in the opening quarter followed by the two-point conversion by Nathen Day.
“We felt confident with (Schafer) back there today,” East Mills Head Coach Andy Irwin said about his sophomore quarterback in place of injured Jake Bolton. “We need (Bolton) to be healthy going into the playoffs at the end of the season.”
Bolton has led the Wolverines with 915 yards and 15 touchdowns passing this year. Schafer has thrown for 527 yards and five touchdowns in his absence along with rushing and receiving for more than 250 yards this season.
In the opening minute of the second, the Vikings scored on a little razzle-dazzle, with Tyler Havrum throwing a 31-yard pass to Whigham on a halfback pass.
Havrum left the game with a back injury on the play after being hit while throwing the scoring strike.
Less than 40 seconds later, running back Dylan Larsen broke away for another Wolverine score narrowing the gap to 20-14.
The two teams kept the hits coming as they went blow-for-blow, Stubbendeck ran in a TD for the Vikings, Schafer on a quarterback-keeper for the Wolverines, and another Whigham run to extend the Viking lead to 32-24.
With 1:44 left in the half, Stanton seemed to be against the ropes, pinned in at their own two-yard line Whigham struck again.
On a run up the middle, Whigham spun away from defenders in the Wolverines secondary and sprinted to a 78-yard touchdown, followed by a Stubbendeck to Shayne Larson pass for the two-point conversion as the Vikings went into the half ahead, 38-24.
“(Whigham) can break those at any time,” Stanton Head Coach Don Hicks said. “Once he gets out in the open like that, he can be pretty dangerous.”
In the third quarter, the Vikings got a little breathing room, as Whigham scored his fifth touchdown of the night from three yards, increasing their lead to 44-24.
East Mills drove right back, scoring on a Day touchdown from nine yards, but the Wolverines could not find a way to stop the Viking attack as Stanton answered with a 33-yard run by Stubbendeck.
“Everybody was working really hard out there, and we did what we came out to do today,” Stubbendeck said. “We knew they were going to be a tougher team than last year, and the were, but our line and our defense stepped up and got us a win.”
Stubbendeck ended the night with 220 yards passing and 96 yards running the football.
In the final quarter, the heavyweights’ offensive fury slowed as the defenses stepped up, the Vikings only allowing Larson touchdown run, and Stubbendeck ran in his fourth touchdown with 21 second left in the contest.
Both teams fought to the final whistle as East Mills finished the game only inches from another score, but fell 58-40.
Up Next
The Vikings stay undefeated and host Hamburg (2-5, 2-3 in district) next Friday.
Whigham only needs three points to move up to second in the nation in scoring over his career.
Hamburg has had a balanced attack all season with 777 yards rushing and 748 yards passing before their 68-20 loss to Sidney last week.
Kaleb Kahue leads the Wildcats in rushing with 494 yards on 77 attempts with eight touchdowns on the season.
The Wolverines (5-2, 4-1 in district) host Essex (0-7, 0-5 in district), as the Trojans are still looking for their first win of the year.
The Trojans are hoping to have most of their original starters back with the possible return of the Kinney brothers, Colby (knee) and Cameron (back), to their backfield.
East Mills will probably be starting Schafer at quarterback again this week and hoping for the return of Bolton in their regular season finale against Hamburg on Oct. 23.