CALEDONIA — An opportunistic defense and a relentless ground attack proved to be the winning combination at Homecoming here Friday as the Caledonia High School football team tossed a 24-0 shutout at the East Webster Wolverines.
After surrendering 48 points to Heritage Academy a week ago in a double-overtime loss and 83 in the first three games of the season, the Confederates made five interceptions and recovered two fumbles en route to their third win of the year.
“Offensively, it was sloppy, sloppy, sloppy,” Caledonia coach Ricky Kendrick said. “But our defense came through for us tonight and defensive coordinator Brian White had a great game plan.”
Juniors Josh Kugel and Randy Randle and seniors Jon Phinizee and Hunter Griffin paced the Confederates. Kugel had two interceptions and a fumble recovery, while Randle and Phinizee both had two interceptions and Griffin came up with a fumble. Phinzee would have finished with three interceptions, but he lost one thanks to an inadvertent whistle.
Caledonia came into the non-district contest averaging 34.3 points per game, but a rash of penalties prevented the Confederates from matching or exceeding their offensive average.
“Penalties just killed us offensively,” Kendrick said. “We had one holding call in our first three games and I can”t tell you how many we had tonight. If we want to keep winning, we can”t do stuff like that.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Caledonia dented the scoreboard with a little less than nine minutes left in the second quarter when sophomore Onterrio Lowery slipped around right end for a 27-yard touchdown run. Kugel added the point after for what proved to be the only points the Confederates needed.
Caledonia wasted a scoring opportunity minutes later when Kugel”s interception return gave the Confederates what appeared to be a first at the Wolverine 12-yard line, but a personal foul and a block in the back pushed the ball back to midfield. Two consecutive holding penalties resulted in a Caledonia punt from the Confederates” 34.
Two plays later, Phinizee”s interception gave Caledonia field position at the East Webster 31. The Confederates capitalized on the miscue when Tyler Armistad capped a five-play drive with a 9-yard touchdown run with 43 seconds left in the half. The kick failed, however, so Caledonia had to settle for a 13-0 halftime lead, but not before Randle came up with his first interception at his 42 with seven seconds left.
Caledonia increased its lead to 16-0 when Kugel booted a 27-yard field goal with five minutes left in the third quarter to cap a 13-play drive which consumed seven minutes. Then he set up a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Ben Marchbanks after his interception return gave the Confederates a first down at the East Webster 13 with less than three minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Marchbanks two-point pass to Trey Lancaster accounted for the game”s final points.
Fittingly, Randle”s interception one play later preserved Caledonia”s shutout.
“Seven turnovers was the story tonight,” East Webster coach Doug Wilson said. “But those turnovers fall on the coaches, myself in particular, because we”re asking our kids to do something we normally don”t do in the spread offense.
“True, Caledonia just outplayed us, but we did play better in the second half.”
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