Wheaton Academy falters in fourth quarter
Wheaton Academy’s offense operated like a smooth-running engine in the first half of its season opener against visiting Westminster Christian Academy in piling up 178 yards and 9 first downs.
But it ran as if it took in a bad tank of gas in the second half with only 37 total yards as the Warriors let a 19-10 lead slip away to the tune of a 38-19 loss Friday night at Wheaton College.
Westminster (1-0) took Wheaton Academy (0-1) behind the wood shed for a 21-0 fourth-quarter whipping as the Warriors struggled mightily after fullback John Gemmel limped off the field late in the third quarter.
With the Warriors sputtering, the visitors from Missouri turned to halfback Alex Rideout, who scored 2 of his 3 touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and quarterback Brett Bond, who moved the ball with a solid 11-of-13 passing night for 218 yards and 1 touchdown.
Wheaton Academy also shot itself in the foot with a key penalty to open the fourth quarter. Clinging to a 19-17 lead with a fourth-and-1 situation at the Wildcats 44-yard line, the Warriors were whistled for too many men on the field.
It forced the Warriors to punt, and Westminster immediately marched downfield to take its first lead of the night at 24-19 on Rideout’s 14-yard touchdown run. Bond set up the scoring chance with a 50-yard completion to Rideout.
First-year Wheaton Academy coach T.J. Ragan felt as if the coaching staff blew a couple of tires during the contest.
Of the crucial penalty, Ragan quickly took the blame.
“That’s on me because that was a coach’s decision and it was something that we have to clean up,” he said.
“Our players played hard and we expect them to play hard, but there are definitely some things we have to clean up as coaches,” Ragan added.
Early on, Ragan and his staff looked like geniuses as the Warriors responded after Westminster took an early 7-0 lead on Rideout’s 17-yard scamper around the right end.
Quarterback Nate Martinez found Matthew Lindsay for a 51-yard pass reception, helping the Warriors cap a 76-yard scoring drive when Gemmel powered into the end zone from the 4-yard line.
After David Williams knocked through a 28-yard field goal to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead, Wheaton Academy finished the first half on top when James Ragan finished a 54-yard drive with a 1-yard run. The extra-point attempt was blocked.
Things looked especially good for the Warriors after they recovered a Westminster fumble on the first snap of the second half. Three plays later, Gemmel pounded through the middle of the line for a 14-yard touchdown run and a 19-10 lead after a 2-point run attempt failed.
But the rest of the night belonged to Westminster, which made the six-hour bus ride worth it when Bond found Jacob Hicks for a 30-yard touchdown strike after scrambling out of the pocket.
Gemmel was hurt on the next series of downs, and the next time the Warriors had the ball, they suffered the ill-fated fourth-quarter penalty.
With the Warriors pressing to come back quickly, the Wildcats’ defense held, allowing Rideout and Bond to finish things off, with each scoring on 2-yard runs.
In between, Wildcats wideout/defensive back Kyle Kinner made the play of the night in nabbing a one-hand interception and returning it 36 yards to set up Bond’s final touchdown run.
“I don’t know how I caught that ball,” Kinner said. “I just put my hand out and the ball was there.”
Bond said his team responded to a tongue-lashing it took at halftime.
“At halftime coach got on us, and our line really did a great job in the second half, so kudos to them,” Bond said.
Bond praised his favorite target, Kinner, who had a game-high 5 receptions for 94 yards. “He’s got great hands and he’s really quick,” Bond said. “We have great chemistry together.”
For Wheaton Academy, Ragan is hoping for a chemistry experiment of his own to get his team prepared for next week.
“Westminster prepared well and went to their passing game and we didn’t adjust well,” Ragan said. “That’s our fault as coaches, and we have to prepare our guys better for the next time.”