The Changing Tides: Wolves Continue Rise in Rankings as Wildcats Fall for 3rd Straight Week

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

PFN Staff | October 19, 2019

Written by: Luke Rainey 

The postseason has already begun for the West Shamokin Wolves.

An 0-3 record at the start of the season indicated the importance of each proceeding game. Following their early woes, it was apparent that every game could make the difference between a run into the playoffs or an early end to the year.

Since the winless start, the Wolves have steered the ship in the other direction, winning four of their previous six games. The strong stretch puts them at a 4-5 record leading to their WestPAC Crossover matchup with Conemaugh Township next week.

On the other hand, the Homer-Center Wildcats are in a much different situation. Despite their 5-1 start, injuries to Ben Schmidt and Cobe Daugherty have had major impacts on the team’s success. Losing to Saltsburg and Blairsville in the past two weeks, Homer-Center was in need of a momentum change against the Wolves, but they fell short for the third week in a row, losing 33-15 after West Shamokin dominated the second half.

“The playoffs started for us a long time ago,” Wolves’ Head Coach Jon McCullough said. “We had a little tough start to this season. We lost guys right away in the first quarter against Purchase Line, but our kids keep plugging away. There’s no quitting for us. We’ve been able to regroup, we’ve got a great group of kids and we have to finish strong.

“I thought we came out with a focus and sense of urgency in the second half,” he also explained. “This was a game we had to have. We absolutely had to win this, and our kids came out and they responded.”

The Wolves received the kickoff to begin the game. They opened the drive with two big plays to get inside Homer-Center’s 30-yard line, and later completed the drive on fourth-and-4 with Jaden Haswell’s first rushing touchdown for 11 yards.

Though both Schmidt and Daugherty were able to play, Daugherty would be the Wildcats’ quarterback for the night, while Schmidt was limited to kicking. Daugherty netted his first two passes for 20-yard gains, which put Homer-Center in the red zone. However, the possession came to a standstill and the Wildcats attempted to kick a 30-yard field goal with Schmidt. He missed the kick wide left near the midpoint of the first quarter.

West Shamokin was held to a three-and-out and Homer-Center’s offense had another chance to get an early strike. A 14-yard scramble by Daugherty bailed the Wildcats out of an early end to the drive, and he would later do the same on fourth-and-1 at the Wolves’ 30-yard line. He then scored a 10-yard rushing touchdown, tying the game at 7-7.

Following the touchdown, Homer-Center’s defense also pulled through with an interception by Drew Kochman in Wildcat territory. The offense then executed a meticulous push downfield. In a 12-play drive, the Wildcats spent nearly eight minutes with possession before Travis Mock caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Daugherty. Kochman carried the Wildcats to an eight-point lead with a successful fake extra point kick with five minutes left before halftime.

Both teams punted on their next series’, but the Wolves would experience no trouble when their offense returned to the field. On the first play, Haswell stormed down the sideline and through Homer-Center’s defense to score a 73-yard touchdown. Like Homer-Center, the Wolves also faked the extra point kick, but were unsuccessful.

The Wildcats’ following drive ended with enough time to give West Shamokin an opportunity to take the lead. Haswell struck again with less than a minute left for a 47-yard touchdown, and the extra point put the Wolves ahead by five at halftime.

A routine punt shortly into the third quarter turned into a disaster for the Wildcats. After stalling at the Wolves’ 42-yard line, the ball was fumbled on the punt attempt and rolled back to Homer-Center’s 29-yard line before West Shamokin pounced on it. Another three-play possession ended with a Wolves’ touchdown by Haswell, this time scoring from 36 yards out and expanding the lead to twelve points.

The offenses for the Wolves and Wildcats were inactive until the beginning of the fourth quarter. Trailing by two scores, Homer-Center needed a score to stay alive. A 32-yard completion to Kochman put them at West Shamokin’s 31-yard line, but a fumble by D’Shaun Robinson gifted West Shamokin total control of the game with nine minutes to go.

While the Wolves ultimately punted, the turnover helped create strong field position. It proved highly beneficial on the Wildcats’ following drive when Daugherty threw an interception to Haswell. This helped establish a six-play, 35-yard drive for the Wolves to put the final nail in the coffin against Homer-Center and close out a 33-15 victory with a dominating second-half performance.

After the game, McCullough discussed how they prepared to face the Wildcats’ offense and quarterback issue.

“We knew that Schmidt was going to be banged up,” he explained. “We didn’t know what the situation was, but we had a feeling that if he didn’t go, Daugherty would be the guy. But regardless, whoever is the quarterback, we’re preparing the same way because it’s still going to be the same offense.”

Jaden Haswell, who scored four touchdowns, mentioned the significance of the Wolves’ defensive efforts, stating, “We take pride in our defense. We really hit where they hit us in the first half, and we tried to eliminate that. It worked very well for us.”

Meanwhile, Wildcats’ Head Coach Greg Page discussed the struggles of running his offense without Schmidt on the field.

“It was difficult for us, and I’m sure it was difficult for Ben,” Page stated. “But I give him credit for how he handled himself during the game. He was up by the coaches and was in every huddle coming over to the sideline at the end of the possessions.”

Moving forward, it remains uncertain when Schmidt will return as the quarterback for the Wildcats.

“We’ll see what happens next week. There’s no guarantee if he’s not a whole lot better next week that we’re not going to do the same thing.”

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews