PLAINFIELD — Plainfield and Whiteland exchanged punch after punch in Friday’s conference showdown, but it seemed neither team could land the knockout blow.
Plainfield finally did in the closing moments.
Evan Wilson capped a seven-play, 59-yard march with a 5-yard touchdown run with one minute left to lift the Quakers to a 17-14 victory.
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Matthew Clark added an exclamation point by picking off Whiteland’s last-gasp drive in the final seconds.
The win came just six days after the Quakers were shut out 38-0 by Ohio powerhouse Pickerington Central.
“It’s a credit to our kids,” Plainfield coach Brian Woodard said. “When you get beat 38-0 it’s about how you respond. I think our kids showed it tonight.”
Wilson’s score came just moments after the Warriors seemingly notched a game-clincher of their own. Whiteland’s Ashton Perritt picked off a hurried Gabe Cunningham at the Plainfield 17 with just more than four minutes to play. That turnover set up a 5-yard touchdown run from Drew Smyth that put the Warriors up 14-10 with 4:02 left.
“I think both teams had the game won at a couple different times,” Woodard said. “Sometimes it was about who could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.”
Smyth also scored the first point of the game – a 9-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Riegel that put the Warriors ahead 7-0 with eight seconds left in the first half. Plainfield evened tied the game on its second drive of the third quarter, when Eric Drake rumbled into the end zone from seven yards out.
A 30-yard field goal from Matthew Dayhuff early in the fourth put the Quakers ahead 10-7. Dayhuff missed his first attempt – also a 30-yarder – but earlier in the game pinned the Warriors inside their 1-yard-line with a perfectly placed punt.
Smyth led all rushers with 103 yards and a touchdown. Cody Phillips added 52 yards on the ground for the Warriors (1-2). For Plainfield (2-1) Wilson rushed for 66 yards and a score. Cunningham went 6-of-12 for 41 yards and two interceptions.
Cunningham had a more effective night on the ground, where he rushed for 56 yards and seemingly had a 53-yard scoring run, but it was taken away due to an inadvertent whistle.
The Plainfield defense was busy, forcing six turnovers – three recovered fumbles, two turnovers on downs, and an interception.
Friday’s game was the latest chapter in what’s been a highly competitive series between the Mid-State rivals. Despite Plainfield taking 14 of the last 15 match-ups, the last four meetings have been decided by a combined 12 points.
“We told the kids the game was going to come down to the fourth quarter,” Woodard said. “That’s the way these games go. It’s one thing to talk to your kids about that, and it’s another for them to get to the fourth quarter and win it.”
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