By ANDREW FEEBACK
The Southern Wells Raiders had a strong start and spirited finish in their game with the visiting Wes-Del Warriors Friday night.
Just about everything that happened in between didn’t go their way, however, and they found themselves on the losing end of a 14-6 decision.
“Too many mistakes,” coach Jeff Sprunger said. “Just too many mistakes. We moved the ball, and then we shot ourselves in the foot. Then we’re behind the chains. … just too many mistakes.”
Officially, the Raiders only had six penalties, but it felt more like 16. They fumbled once, and a touchdown for the Warriors immediately followed it.
They forced the Warriors to punt six times but had trouble sustaining anything offensively throughout the game.
Southern Wells (1-3) scored on its first possession with Tucker Worster’s one-yard touchdown run. The Raiders only had to go 15 yards for that drive after the Warriors’ punter shanked one out of bounds.
The Raiders regained possession with a 6-0 lead, but a fumbled handoff gave it right back to the Warriors.
Trey Adams caught a screen pass from Triton Blevins and raced 34 yards for a score to give Wes-Del a 7-6 lead.
Back-to-back illegal shift penalties nixed what had started to look like a promising drive for the Raiders early in the second quarter.
A third illegal shift penalty moved them back after they had reached the Warrior 21-yard-line late in the first half, and another penalty for too many men on the field botched a potential field goal as the half ended, turning a 38-yard attempt into a 43-yard try that came up short.
Wes-Del (1-3) went up 14-6 when Adams found a huge hole to his right and went 48 yards for the score.
That play followed a turnover on the downs by the Raiders near midfield.
The Southern Wells defense made a nice stand when Wes-Del reached the seven-yard-line early in the fourth, sacking Blevins and then recovering a fumble on the next play.
The Raiders then had the ball for 19 plays and more than nine minutes, throwing only one pass that gained just three yards.
Case Boxell had some nice carries after contact throughout the game, including an admirable second effort that gained four yards when the Raiders faced fourth and three at the Warrior 28.
“Case is one of those guys that’s always dependable,” Sprunger said. “He keeps his feet churning and plugs away. You’ve got to love his heart. That was a big fourth down there, and he plugged away and gave us a chance.”
Southern Wells came within five yards of the end zone with about a minute left, facing third and three. But back-to-back runs up the middle went nowhere.
It marked the fourth time in the game in which the Raiders faced fourth and three yards or less and didn’t convert.
Statistically, Southern Wells appeared to have an advantage in this one, but as Sprunger mentioned, it just wasn’t a clean enough performance to result in a win.
The Raiders will host Woodlan next Friday night.
sports@news-banner.com
WES-DEL 14, SOUTHERN WELLS 6
At Southern Wells High School
Score By Quarters
Wes-Del 7 0 7 0 — 14
So. Wells 6 0 0 0 — 6
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
SW—Tucker Worster 1 run (kick failed), 7:37.
WD—Trey Adams 34 pass from Triton Blevins (Corben Price kick), 5:13.
Third Quarter
No scoring.
Third Quarter
WD—Adams 48 run (Price kick), 9:36.
Fourth Quarter
No scoring.
Team Statistics
WD SW
First Downs 6 13
Rushes-Yards 21-63 53-182
Yards Passing 108 12
Passing (Att-Comp-Int)6-13-0 3-5-1
Penalties-Yards 4-25 6-29
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 3-1
Punts-Average 6-34 2-37
Time of Possession 15:18 32:42
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Wes-Del: Brock Nauman 9-23, Trey Adams 6-43, Triton Blevins 5-(minus 12). Southern Wells: Case Boxell 22-66, Tucker Worster 17-88, Bryar Gearheart 9-21.
Passing: Wes-Del: Blevins 6-13-0-108. Southern Wells: Trey Slusher 3-5-1-12.
Receiving: Wes-Del: Adams 4-81, Abdullah Abdulameer 2-27. Southern Wells: Gearheart 3-12.
