Whiteland’s Slate Valentine, left, gets away from a Perry Meridian defender on his way to his second touchdown of the game.
Rob Baker | For the Daily Journal
In games with lengthy lightning delays, like Whiteland’s contest Friday against Perry Meridian, it’s common for one team to seize the momentum whenever the game resumes.
Two hours after lightning halted the Mid-State Conference showdown, the Warriors made sure that momentum swung their way.
Officials halted the game at halftime with the game tied 21-21. When play resumed, Whiteland’s offense resumed its strong first-half showing, scoring 21 points in a row.
The defense, meanwhile, held the Falcons to just a late cosmetic touchdown, enabling Class 5A No. 8 Whiteland to claim a 48-28 win.
The Warriors (3-1, 2-1) ground out 320 rushing yards, led by Slate Valentine’s 153 on 26 carries with two touchdowns. Jordan Palmer added 97 yards on just seven carries, aided largely by a 59-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Whiteland quarterback Ollie Taylor didn’t pass much, but he made the most of his opportunities. He completed just 3 of 6 passes but they went for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
“With Kokomo (another game that featured a lightning delay), we were so eager to get out there, and we didn’t get to, so when it came time here, we were ready to go,” said Whiteland senior Connor Grismer, who caught one of those touchdown passes, a 35-yard pass to open the second-half scoring and give Whiteland the lead for good at 28-21. “We had a lot more juice coming out of the locker room in the second half.”
Grismer’s touchdown catch started a stretch of four consecutive second-half Whiteland possessions that resulted in touchdowns.
In addition to Taylor’s two TD passes, he ran for two more scores. His other touchdown reception went to Zander Hite, who he found wide open for a 51-yard catch that gave Whiteland its largest lead of the game, 42-21, with 10:01 remaining.
“I thought Ollie Taylor played extremely well,” Warriors coach Darrin Fisher said. “His decision-making of when to throw, when to pull it down and run, get us in and out of plays … we’re seeing the blossoming of a senior quarterback in front of our eyes right now.”
In the first half, Perry Meridian (2-3, 1-2) outgained Whiteland 201 yards to 175, and the Falcons’ passing game seemed to give the Warriors fits. Perry Meridian quarterback Allen Zupan threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, but only 71 of those yards — and neither touchdown — came in the second half.
Whiteland’s biggest defensive stop came with about a minute remaining in the third quarter and the Warriors leading 34-21. Perry Meridian drove the ball to the Whiteland 5-yard line on a nine-play, 76-yard drive. It ended when several Warriors converged on Zupan behind the line of scrimmage for a sack on fourth down.
The Warriors then pieced together a six-play, 90-yard drive that ended with Hite’s touchdown catch and effectively ended any drama that was left.
“Their mental and emotional toughness was going to carry the day in the second half,” Fisher said of the Warriors. “Our season has been filled with comebacks and tie games at halftime. Those things have developed the toughness of this team mentally and emotionally.”
Blake Riddle and Brandon Dye both claimed fumble recoveries for the Whiteland defense, while Eli Taylor’s interception late in the first half prevented the Falcons from a chance at a go-ahead score before halftime.
Whiteland’s running game gained 146 first-half yards but piled on another 174 yards in the second half, appearing to wear down Perry Meridian defenders. Valentine, Palmer and other backs were able to slip out of tackles more easily in the second half to gain extra yardage.
“They started submarining, and we started planting our feet in the ground and driving straight through them,” Whiteland senior offensive lineman Jonah McIntosh said. “We came out flat (to start the game), and we realized we still have to get juiced up and ready to go.”
Whiteland plays its Week 6 matchup at Mid-State rival Martinsville, ranked third in Class 4A.
