Culver 48/592

Pioneer runs for 537 yards in rout of Caston; Winamac earns wire-to-wire win over Culver

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Football

Knox 26, Tippecanoe Valley 3 (Friday): Myles McLaughlin ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns and also threw a touchdown pass, and Jake Conroy ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass for the host Redskins as they snapped Valley’s 12-game regular season winning streak that dated back to October 2022 at Community Field Friday.

McLaughlin’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Conroy in the second quarter was his only completed pass in four attempts.

Knox had a 213-69 advantage in rushing yards. Valley converted just two of 14 third-down conversions and just two of four fourth-down conversions. They held Valley to seven first downs.

Jameson Phillips and Hunter Stage combined to complete just three of 14 passes.

Brandon Stiles led Valley with seven carries for 34 yards. Owen Omondi had a 28-yard reception, and Wes Parker had 21 yards rushing and 17 receiving.

Gage Overbey kicked a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter and also averaged 34.3 yards on three punts.

This was the first ever Indiana Northern State Conference game for both schools. Knox beat Valley for the first time ever. This was their third meeting and their first since 1988.

Knox 26, Valley 3

Valley 0 3 0 0 – 3

Knox 6 8 6 6 – 26

First quarter

KNOX – Myles McLaughlin 1 run (conversion failed)

Second quarter

KNOX – Jake Conroy 20 pass from McLaughlin (Conroy run)

TV – Gage Overbey 34 FG

Third quarter

KNOX – McLaughlin 12 run (conversion failed)

Fourth quarter

KNOX – Conroy 2 run (conversion failed)

Pioneer 63, Caston 6 (Friday): Noah VanMeter ran nine times for 261 yards and three touchdowns and was one of three Pioneer runners to rush for over 100 yards as the Panthers routed conference and sectional rival Caston Friday.

Micah Rans added 136 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, and Shiloh Rine ran for 102 yards and a score on two carries. Rine also caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Rans.

Pioneer had a 537-115 advantage in rushing yards. They averaged 17.3 yards per carry.

VanMeter, Philip McFatridge and Fletcher Smith had seven tackles each on defense. Rine and Colten Long had six each.

Cole Franklin had a fumble recovery on defense and 35 yards on two carries on offense.

Ashton Bowyer led Caston with 64 yards rushing on 15 carries. Jabez Yarber had 13 carries for 51 yards.

Gavin Mollenkopf completed two of four passes for 68 yards.

Tucker Woolever led the defense with seven tackles. Parker Zimpleman and Gage Minniear had four tackles each.

Pioneer led 41-6 at halftime. The second half was played with a running clock.

Pioneer defeated Caston for the 33rd consecutive meeting. They have not lost to Caston since 1996.

Pioneer 63, Caston 6

Pioneer 21 20 14 8 – 63

Caston 6 0 0 0 – 6

Winamac 22, Culver 14 (Friday): Tearson Wolford returned an interception 44 yards for a touchdown, and Xavier Adriano ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to Louis Rugg III for the Warriors in a wire-to-wire Hoosier North home win over Culver at Roudebush Field Friday.

Wolford also led Winamac in rushing with 113 yards on 14 carries, and Addison Allen had 39 yards on 10 carries to go with a 10-yard reception.

Adriano ran for 30 yards on nine carries in addition to his 47 yards passing. Ethan Burgess had an eight-yard reception.

Talen Garner led the defense with 11 tackles and nine assists. Wolford had three solo tackles, eight assists and a fumble recovery in addition to his pick-six. Hayden Taylor also had an interception. Burgess had six solo tackles, five assists and a fumble recovery.

Winamac held on after building a 22-8 halftime lead.

Anthony Sommers led the Cavaliers with 87 yards rushing, including a 24-yard scoring run in the first quarter. Ethan Binion had 56 yards on seven carries.

Jonas McCuen passed for 73 yards. Caleb McCuen had a team-high 43 yards receiving in two catches, and David Hite had two catches for 22 yards and a touchdown.

Logan Caudill had eight tackles, and Theron Carrington had seven.

Winamac 22, Culver 14

Culver 8 0 6 0 – 14

Winamac 22 0 0 0 – 22

First quarter

WIN – Tearson Wolford 44 interception return (Addison Allen run)

WIN – Louis Rugg III 23 pass from Xavier Adriano (Allen run)

CUL – Tony Sommers 24 run (Caleb McCuen pass from Jonas McCuen)

WIN – Adriano 8 run (run failed)

Second quarter

(no scoring)

Third quarter