The Cardinals came in as the #10 2A seed and the Panthers were a #7. W-L plays in the competitive Heart of Central Illinois (Large) conference which was won by the #1 seeded 2A school El Paso- Gridley.
W-L started with a bang as they returned the opening kick to the Panther 24 yard line. On the second play as the quarterback scrambled he found an open receiver in the end zone and the conversion kick made it 7-0 only one minute into the game.
The Panthers started their first possession on the 33 and on the second play a Panther receiver let one go through his hands and the Cardinals intercepted on their 47 yard line.
The EP defense then stiffened and did a good job holding down the visitors the rest of the game. A 44 yard scamper by Evan Steimle moved the Panthers deep into W-L territory but they turned in over on downs when a 4th and 4 pass was deflected. The first quarter ended at 7-0 as neither team was able to do much on offense.
Early in the second quarter the Panthers suffered a big loss as Caleb Reymer, an outstanding lineman for EP, went down with a lower leg injury. He didn’t return during the game and hopefully the injury won’t affect his wrestling season.
EP finally got on the board midway through the second period as Steimle found Lane Decker open on a post pattern from 30 yards out. The kick was blocked and EP trailed 7-6.
The Cardinals used a long pass for 33 yards on their next possession to get deep into Panther territory but a 30- yard field goal was blocked as the half ended.
EP received the second half kickoff and put together an awesome drive gathering 3 first downs but after holding the ball for 8 minutes, committed two consecutive penalties, that led to a punt to the Cardinal 12. A three and out by W-L gave EP the ball back at the Cardinal 37. A 33-yard completion from Steimle to Caleb Brown put the ball on the 4 and two plays later the two hooked up again for a touchdown. An incomplete pass on the conversion attempt made it 12-7 one play into the fourth quarter.
After a couple first downs by the visitors, the Panthers were able to force a punt and took over on their own 12 with 8 minutes left. Unfortunately, a Panther fumble was lost giving W-L the ball on EP16. Tackles on consecutive plays by Tristen Hovey and Matthew Ballard stalled their attempt temporarily but then a 4th down offsides penalty (the second of the game) by EP gave them a first down on the 5 and they scored on a one-yard run shortly after. The kick was no good and Warrensburg-Latham led 13-12 with 3 minutes left.
The Panthers took over on their 21 but couldn’t move the ball and on fourth and 7 an interception sealed their fate. A 22-yard touchdown run and 2-point conversion made the final score 21-12.
The Panthers were led in rushing by Steimle with 16 carries for 109 yards. He was also 6-17 in passing for 126 yards but had 3 or 4 passes dropped.
The Cardinals only had 73 yards rushing during the contest and 87 yards through the air as the Panther defense which was led by Ballard, Hovey and John Holland did an excellent job.
Head coach Tyler Whitebread was noticeably disappointed afterward. “We just had too many mental mistakes during a playoff game to overcome. The loss of Caleb also really hurt. I just feel so sorry for the young men who had a great year. I thanked the seniors for their effort the last four years and appreciate what they have done to elevate the program.”
The Panthers end the season at 7-3 and with an undefeated sophomore season, the future looks bright for Erie- Prophetstown Football.
