The Twitter account of the Whiteland student section had a simple message for Franklin before Friday night’s football game:
“Don’t forget to bring our boot.”
Once the game began, the Warriors backed up the trash talk from their peers, earning that prized traveling trophy back with a convincing 45-21 victory behind a dominating night from Chase Valentine.
The senior running back ran for 205 yards, gained 72 more on a pair of receptions and was generally impossible for the Grizzly Cub defense to contain while scoring four touchdowns. The Warriors, who didn’t punt once, controlled the game almost throughout.
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Click here to purchase photos from this gallery“We had to do a good job of taking what they gave us,” Whiteland coach Darrin Fisher said. “I thought the key was being able to run the ball between the tackles. I think that keeps everything honest for us, and then we can get the ball on the perimeter.”
After their defense opened the game with a turnover on downs at its 35, the Warriors (3-1, 1-1 Mid-State) ran the ball seven consecutive times to set up a 27-yard touchdown pass from Brant Kunz to Valentine. The Grizzly Cubs responded by going 80 plays in 11 yards, all on the ground, to tie the game on a 4-yard keeper by Reed Roberts with 11:23 to go in the second quarter.
Valentine scored his second touchdown of the night just 3:28 later, taking a handoff on third and 6 from the 9 and going straight up the middle for the TD. This time, Franklin answered immediately. Grant Roberts took a lateral on the ensuing kickoff and took it the distance for the tying touchdown.
A 32-yard field goal by Chris Dawalt gave the Warriors a 17-14 edge with 3:47 left in the half, and after a Franklin three-and-out, Whiteland struck quickly for another score. Valentine keyed a 93-second march with a 40-yard run and then capped it off with a 10-yard burst to stretch the margin to 10 before the break.
“That’s always important,” Fisher said. “You have to finish the half strong, and you have to start the third quarter strong.”
Whiteland came out after the intermission and created some additional cushioning with another fast scoring drive. Desmen Singleton, who hadn’t touched the ball in the first half, carried twice for 30 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown that made it 31-14. Valentine then took just about all of the remaining drama out of the contest with a 67-yard TD sprint up the right sideline with 5:43 left in the third quarter.
Jalen Ward got Franklin a little closer when he took a screen pass 51 yards to the house, but Valentine killed the momentum with a long kickoff return and Kunz scored on a 1-yard keeper late in the third to cap the scoring.
The victory gave Whiteland a measure of revenge after the Grizzly Cubs scored in the closing seconds for a thrilling 15-13 triumph in last year’s meeting — one that ended the Warriors’ 22-game series winning streak.
Despite the result, Franklin coach Chris Coll wasn’t about to panic.
“I like the way we played,” he said. “We’re still growing, we’re still developing; it’s Week 4. I mean, it’s not the Super Bowl, right?”
There was, however, a trophy on the line, and Whiteland was happy to have it back.
“It’s huge,” Valentine said. “Coming off of losing last year and not having the boot, we won this year and it’s amazing. I couldn’t be more happy.”
