STAFF REPORT
WZBD.com
Coming into Friday night’s game with Tipton on a neutral field, the South Adams Starfires had allowed just one score in a Week One game over the past five years.
That trend of making big statements to open the season continued in Marion at Indiana Wesleyan with Owen Wanner controlling the game and the Stars answering some of their biggest questions coming into the contest.
Colton Bollenbacher ran for 130 yards and a touchdown and Owen Wanner was 10 for 14 in the air to lead the Starfire attack.
Challenging itself with a strong program like Tipton in the opening week, the team will now prepare for another non-conference game next week against Bellmont.
“Defense I thought played really really well,” praised coach Moser. “Coach Steiner has his guys ahead of our offense right now in being prepared probably.”
“Our run game was really really good, the line blocked well.”
The Blue Devils had no problem running the ball and keeping the clock rolling, but coach Grant Moser’s defense made the stops when they needed to and created two turnovers, not allowing backup QB Dallas Capshaw any room to complete a pass. Capshaw finished 4 for 12 with just 27 yards passing.
Owen Wanner opened the scoring on the game’s first drive, commanding the field as the Starfires rushed back to the line of scrimmage after each play to keep Tipton from preparing for what was to come next.
Wanner hit Isaac Dee, who could become his new favorite target, and got a couple of nice runs from Caiden Neuenschwander around the end and Colton Bollenbacher up the middle, but it was Wanner himself who did the most damage on the ground. The senior had runs of 14, 9 and the eventual 15-yard score.
While the Starfires needed just three minutes to score on the game’s first possession, neither team was able to find the end zone the rest of the first half. New kicker Jackson Garcia’s PAT attempt was wide left and the score remained 6-0 until into the second half.
A stop on defense and a good punt return by Isaac Dee set the Starfires up for success on their second drive, but Peyton Tragesser collapsed the pocket on Wanner on third down.
Feeling confident after their first scoring drive, the Stars went for it on fourth down after a time out and spread things out, but it was a screen pass that yielded a big gain, with Wanner hitting Bollenbacher for a 30-yard gain into the red zone.
Two plays later, Bollenbacher was six feet away from his first TD of the year with a punishing run up the middle, but Wanner kept it on the next play. The quarterback was crunched at the goal line by Cole Hussey and held up just long enough for Landon Spidel to steal the ball away from him for the game’s first turnover.
Pinned up against the end zone, the Blue Devils could not manage a first down and South Adams was quickly back on offense, driving to the same end zone for the third time in the game.
Bollenbacher rumbled to the five-yard line on the final play of the first quarter and the Stars seemed to be in position to score again, but the kicking team could not convert on a short field goal and the score remained 6-0.
Tipton went with a heavy dose of Calvin Condict on the next drive, knocking off a huge chunk of time from the clock, but they had nothing to show for it after failing to convert on fourth down at midfield.
A big return for Tipton to start the second half put the Blue Devils in position to score, but they managed just a short field goal to cut the lead in half at 6-3 with four minutes left in the third quarter.
Isaac Dee found running room and got to midfield and that was where Bollenbacher took control of the game, scampering 50 yards for a touchdown to help the Starfires take a stranglehold on the game. Garcia’s PAT was good and South Adams led by ten points.
“That was a big turning point,” said coach Moser of Bollenbacher’s run.
The next Tipton drive stalled near their own 20 and on the punt, Hayden Brown came around the right end untouched, blocked the kick and then scooped it up, adding an exclamation mark to the night to seal the game for South Adams.
Coach Moser noted that the game with an unfamiliar opponent came out of the North-South All-Star, where he met Tipton’s head coach, Aaron Tolle.
“Indiana Wesleyan didn’t charge us a dime for the game,” said Moser after the game. “They gave us suite tickets, they treated us really well and took care of us.”
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