COLUMBUS
Normally when a team doesn’t play up to expectations in the first half, it can be ready for a tongue-lashing from the coaches at halftime.
But trailing Columbus East, 10-7, Darrin Fisher and his staff did not take that approach. They sought to calm a high-strung group.
Whatever they did, it paid off. The Warriors scored on their first three second-half possessions and held the Olympians scoreless in the second half to post a 28-10 season-opening win.
“We made zero adjustments at halftime,” Fisher said. “We ran exactly the same schematics of what we thought would work in the first half. It was just a matter of, we finally got all 11 guys to calm down, take a breath, communicate with each other and execute the plays. They were over there hyperventilating, and freaking out, and we had to calm them down.”
The Warriors limited the Olympians to a total of two first downs on East’s first five possessions of the second half. East quarterback Ethan Duncan was 8 of 11 passing for 88 yards in the first half, but went 0 of 9 in the second half.
“We had two first downs when it mattered in the second half,” East coach Eddie Vogel said. “You have to be able to come out after halftime and be able to move the football and move the chains. That was our plan all week, and we didn’t get it done.”
After holding Whiteland to begin the game, the Olympians looked to score a touchdown on their first series, but a 41-yard pass from Duncan to Chase Zapfe was called back because of an illegal block, and the Olympians had to settle for a 24-yard Nathaniel Hedrick field goal.
The Warriors got on the board on their third possession on a 28-yard pass from Kevin Denham to Gunnar Hicks. East answered with a 26-yard keeper by Duncan early in the second quarter.
The Olympians’ defense continued to play steady throughout the remainder of the first half, and they led 10-7 at the break.
East got the ball to start the second half, but went three and out, and Whiteland drove for the go-ahead score, a 2-yard run by Peyton Emberton.
The next time the Warriors had the ball, Jonathan Crowley broke free for a 64-yard touchdown run and a 21-10 lead. Whiteland put it away on its next possession, which was capped by a 33-yard run from Crowley.
Crowley finished with 133 yards rushing on 10 carries.
“Halftime, (Fisher) was telling us we had to execute,” he said. “We didn’t add any new plays. We just had to execute.”
Denham finished 5 of 11 passing for 62 yards with the touchdown and one interception.
“Our goal every year is to get to the point of unconsious confidence,” Fisher said. “You hear it, you know it, you don’t have to think about it. You just identify the defense and execute. I have a bunch of returning starters that I thought were ready to do that. The first half, we just didn’t do it. We just had to settle down and execute.”