Wildcats blast Tatanka in season finale

By: 
Jason Ferguson

On a second down play midway through the second quarter of last Thursday’s football game against Lakota Tech, Custer’s Kallin Thomas took the handoff and plunged up the middle before being tripped up on a three-yard gain.
Thomas rose from the ground and held the ball aloft, beaming with pride over his short gain.
In a normal context, it would have seemed unusual to celebrate an otherwise nondescript run. When you consider that Thomas is a senior offensive lineman for the Wildcats, the celebration is much more understandable.
Such was the case for the Wildcats in their season-ending 69-16 pummeling of the Tatanka at Wildcat Field, as an early onslaught powered by Custer’s seniors led to half of the game being a glorified scrimmage that included offensive linemen at running back, players donning headsets and serving as coaches and junior varsity Wildcats playing the bulk of the game.
In a 3-5 season that had its fair share of ups, downs and behind-the-scenes issues, Custer head coach Russ Evans said he couldn’t have asked for a better game to end the year, his first as the head man for the program.
“We thought we could get the seniors in and go out and get us a comfortable lead, and then we wanted to get our young guys a chance to play,” he said. “This was a great opportunity for (the younger players) to get in there, and some of them really shined. That looks good for the future for us.”
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Wildcats had enough numbers to play junior varsity games, and played three during the course of the season. Even still, Evans enjoyed watching the younger players gain varsity experience against the overmatched Tatanka.
“They did pretty well. A lot of it has to do with the reps they get in practice and junior varsity games,” Evans said, noting the team now has enough players to run a scout team against starters. “It has paid dividends.”
The Wildcats officially didn’t punt once in the game (one attempted one went awry), and scored quickly on their first possession when Danny Immormino went untouched into the end zone from 22 yards out. Tyrin Scott ran in the two point conversion.
After a Tech three and out Custer scored again immediately when Ayden Petz found a wide open Kyle Virtue for a 52-yard strike. Kiran Pesicka kicked the point after and had a busy night, converting seven of the eight point after kicks she attempted.
Immormino got into the end zone on the Tatanka’s next possession when he intercepted a fourth down pass from the Tatanka and raced 45 yards for the score.
Lakota Tech fumbled on its next possession, and the Wildcats took advantage of the short field with a Petz-to-Roland Sedlacek strike from 14 yards out for a 28-0 lead.
Brady Virtue was the next Wildcat to get into the scoring on Custer’s next possession, when Petz connected with him for his third touchdown pass of the game, this one covering 39 yards and making the score 35-0 with four minutes still left in the first quarter.
After another Tech punt the Wildcats began to sub liberally, and sophomore running back Riley Trout scored his first varsity touchdown on a one-yard run to cap a 45-yard drive.
Tech fumbled again on its next possession, giving the Wildcats the ball on the Tatanka two yard line. From there backup quarterback Kawika Johncour connected with David Lewis for the two-yard score.
The Tatanka held off the first half mercy rule by scoring on Custer’s junior varsity defense at the eight minute mark of the second quarter, but that score was answered by a 60-yard kickoff return for a score that ocurred when Brady Virtue caught the kickoff and pitched it to Scott, who picked his way through traffic before racing down the north sideline to pay dirt.
The Tatanka scored again on a long pass on their next possession, but Custer again countered by marching the field and scoring on another Johncour-to-Lewis two-yard score that made the score 63-16 at the half.
The game came to an end via the mercy rule shortly into the third quarter after a Torin Knight interception set the Wildcat offense up with good field position. Moments later Trout was off to the races with a 56-yard touchdown to provide the final score.
Custer threw for 100 yards in the game and rushed for 162 more. Scott led the team’s defensive effort with five total tackles.  
Evans said he was pleased with the season, although there were a couple more games he felt the Wildcats could have won had it not been for mistakes.
“I knew everything wouldn’t get done the first year. We have a long-term plan and we are going to continue to work on that, evaluate everything and see the things we did well and the things we need to work on to get the program where we want to be,” he said.
The Wildcats will graduate 11 seniors, many of who have started since they were freshman, taking their lumps playing a varsity schedule as young, small, inexperienced players.
“Even though they got their butts kicked a lot, it paid off,” Evans said. “They developed and got better and better. We’re going to miss them.”
The cupboard isn’t completely bare for Custer, as players such as Immormino, Brady Virtue and offensive/defensive line stalwart Lincoln Golder will return next year, but the Wildcats will be once again be a young and inexperienced team when the season kicks off next August.
Like the coaches before him, Evans stressed an offseason of sports and weight lifting is key to raising the level of the program.
“The process is being here, being on time, learning what we do, learning how to do it, giving great effort, team before self and leaving better than we came in,” he said. “We have to make sure we are getting there for (workouts) to make sure we are getting prepared for next season. It’s just believing in what we are doing, and I think the younger guys do.”

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