Western falls, 40-0, to undefeated Indians
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It’s an outcome no one wants to see: a shut-out in football on the team’s home field. But the Western Panthers had to suffer through exactly that on Sept. 4, as the visiting Twin Lakes Indians demolished the home team, 40-0.
The Panthers knew the game would be an uphill climb. Twin Lakes is ranked in Class 3A, and ever since the two became rivals in the Hoosier Conference, the Indians have had Western’s number, losing to the boys from Monticello four times in two years.
This loss made it five straight.
The outcome of the game was seemingly never in doubt, as Twin Lakes jumped out to a 20-0 lead in just the first quarter. And it got no better as the game progressed.
The Indians relied on big plays. Senior quarterback Cooper Dold led his team with 269 yards passing on just 13 attempts. He connected with senior rusher Mason Brummett for a 76-yard score and hit senior receivers Keaton Miller and Coleman Ottinger for 46 and 45 yards in the air, respectively.
The big completions left little ground for Brummett to cover enroute to three rushing touchdowns. He finished the game with 86 yards on the ground.
It wasn’t like the Panthers didn’t have opportunities to reverse their fortunes. Sophomore Jacob Scott had a monster game on defense. The linebacker led the team with nine solo tackles, including one for a loss, and assisted on five more. He also forced a Twin Lakes fumble and was responsible for Western’s only interception.
Junior Daniel Ousley recovered a fumble for the Panthers, as did senior Evan Dinn. But Western couldn’t capitalize on the miscues.
The bottom line was Western couldn’t accomplish anything with the ball in its possession. Senior quarterback Kaysn Messner completed as many passes to his receivers as he did to Twin Lakes’ defenders. He finished the night going 1-for-6 for six yards and an interception.
With no aerial offense in evidence, the Indians only had to defend against the run. Western attempted to advance the ball on the ground 41 times, managing 153 yards.
Senior Eli Wenger racked up 67 yards, with a long rush of 17 yards. Ousley had 14 carries for 51 yards. Senior Maddox Williams had the lone Western reception and managed 34 yards rushing.
Though the loss could have been demoralizing, the Panthers finally found the win column against West Lafayette on Sept. 11. At 1-3, the Western next faces Hamilton Heights (1-3) on the road.
See additional photos from this game, along with a gallery featuring the Western Panthers Marching Band, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern’s Facebook page.