TERRE HAUTE
Whiteland eliminated Terre Haute North from sectional football competition for the second straight year on Friday night, as the Warriors racked up 56 first-half points on their way to a 63-15 win.
The Warriors (6-4) will host Terre Haute South in Class 5A sectional championship action next Friday, while North ended its season at 0-10.
Whiteland scored on all eight of its first-half possessions, with junior running back Slate Valentine doing a majority of the damage. Valentine racked up 274 yards rushing before halftime with five touchdowns — coming on runs of 11, 64, 11, 20 and 66 yards.
Valentine scored Whiteland’s first touchdown of the game with 6:18 left in the opening quarter, but the Patriots responded to tie the game just 2:03 later. North got a great kickoff return from Sam Weihart that took the ball to the Whiteland 26, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty took it to the 13.
Baker, North’s quarterback, rolled out to his left and carried it in from 5 yards out to even the score.
Whiteland got a 64-yard TD run from Valentine on its next play, taking a 14-7 lead with 3:51 to play in the opening period.
Connor Grismer added a 2-yard touchdown late in the first period to give Whiteland a 21-7 lead at the first stop.
The second quarter was all Warriors, as a light rain began to fall and North mishandled the ball on a couple of occasions resulting in turnovers deep in its own territory.
Whiteland picked up its first touchdown pass of the season just 1:10 into the second period, as Oliver Taylor hit Andrian Kolliego for a 31-yard score.
Valentine picked up another TD to end Whiteland’s next drive, and the final three scores of the half for the Warriors came on a total of three plays. Two were Valentine runs, and Taylor hit Peyton Williams for a 10-yard score.
Reserves took over in the second half for Whiteland, which got a 3-yard TD run from Alek Woolridge for the only score of the period and a 63-7 lead.
North got another quarterback keeper from Baker, and added the 2-point conversion on a run by Maddox Woodcock.
Whiteland had defeated Terre Haute North 63-3 in the sectional opener last year on its way to a state runner-up finish.
