Decked out in white pants and white jerseys, Whiteland looked the part of the road team for Friday’s season opener.
Some time was required, but the Warriors eventually appeared right at home.
Senior running back Slate Valentine carried the football 32 times for 257 yards to lead Whiteland to a 27-13 victory over Jeffersonville in a rematch of last season’s opener in the state’s southernmost reaches.
“It’s just playing for the person next to me. Just everyone on the field being together, and the O-line just kept pushing,” Valentine said. “Seeing them keep fighting … I’m going to keep fighting with them. Adrenaline just keeps going. I get tired, come back out, and then I’ve got to go again. The adrenaline just carries on.”
Last year’s game at Jeffersonville, won by Whiteland, was a penalty-filled marathon that seemed at times as if it wouldn’t end. This time around, the Red Devils were whistled 15 times for 104 yards in penalties, and the Warriors seven times for 60 yards.
Nothing within reach of perfection, though first outings rarely are.
“Luckily, it’s not gymnastics. We’re not judging them with 8s, 9s and 10s,” Whiteland coach Darrin Fisher said. “They’ve got a new staff. Much more disciplined. Got some new players, and those new players made plays tonight.
“I am proud of our kids for playing the next play. When things went wrong, we could’ve went in the tank. Our timing just wasn’t good on offense today, and it cost us early. In the second half, I thought our kids really rallied, and played extremely well.”
Whiteland clung to a slim 7-0 lead at halftime despite holding a lopsided advantage in total yardage, 188-55.
Fifty-three of those were on the game’s first play with Valentine toting the rock from his team’s own 42 to the Red Devils’ 5-yard line. Senior back Connor Grismer cashed in two plays later from the 2 for the lead only 53 seconds into the game.
Whiteland ventured into Jeffersonville territory four more times before the half, but netted no points. A Valentine fumble stopped one drive, the senior’s later run on fourth and 3 produced two yards, and Warriors quarterback Oliver Taylor was twice intercepted on long pass attempts — both on impressively athletic plays by Jeffersonville junior defensive back Tre Martin.
The latter occurred only 40.8 seconds before intermission, allowing the Red Devils to run out the clock. All of Whiteland’s yardage in the first half was on the ground, 160 of it courtesy of Valentine.
Taylor gave his team some breathing room midway through the third period when his 1-yard quarterback keeper capped an 8-play, 52-yard drive. Whiteland’s next series lasted just the one play — Taylor’s 66-yard burst around right end at 3:19 of the third.
The Red Devils got on the board with 17.1 seconds remaining in the third on quarterback Riko Wright’s 46-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Cameron Holloway.
Holloway hit paydirt again early in the fourth, his electrifying 83-yard punt return for a touchdown cutting the Warriors’ lead to 21-13.
The game’s final TD came at the 5:37 mark of the fourth quarter when Taylor hit senior Blake Riddle on a swing pass on second and goal from the Red Devils’ 14.
“Their team got better this year. So did we. So I feel like it was all-around good football,” Valentine said. “It’s nice to come out with a win.”
The Warriors face a tough challenge on Friday when they play at Kokomo. The Wildkats won at Whiteland last season, 27-13.
