Warren Central’s title-caliber defense shuts down Merrillville 35-7
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
Warren Central’s defense looks like it plans to start and end its season at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Warriors steamrolled Merrillville and its highly respected quarterback, Jake Raspopovich, 35-7 on Friday night in the PeyBack Classic.
For perspective, Raspopovich completed the same number of passes to Warren Central as to Merrillville: four.
And Warren Central gained far more yards off of them. It’s the kind of defense, led by Georgia recruit Tim Kimbrough, that wins championships.
Raspopovich’s stat line looked like something out of a nightmare: 4-for-19, 27 yards, four interceptions, two returned for touchdowns.
Now, consider his stats from last season: 173-of-292, 2,057 yards, 12 touchdowns; 159 rushes, 551 yards, seven touchdowns.
Pretty good, right?
Warren Central interim coach Steve Tutsie had a message for the doubters.
People said our secondary’s not very good, our back seven’s aren’t very good, he said. I don’t know. I think they’re pretty good and they’ve got a lot of good guys. And we were able to get pressure with our defensive line.
In the third quarter, Raspopovich dropped back into the end zone and was hammered as he attempted to pass. The ball fluttered into the hands of linebacker Katrell Moss, who high-stepped into the end zone and gave Warren a 28-7 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Cantrell Andrews went 70 yards for a score with another pick.
It was everything you’re used to seeing with Warren Central: Speed, speed and more speed, but with a little more discipline.
At one point, Merrillville’s dynamic running back, Dylon Collins, had 75 yards. A reporter from northwest Indiana who has followed him in the past said he would have had 175 at that point against anyone else.
The defense will be key as the Warriors attempt to figure out whether Anthony Cooper-Taylor or Jeff George will be their starting quarterback.
Whether we have a lot of big names, I don’t know about that, but we play very well as a defense, Tutsie said.
