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Gold Squad runs over Black Squad 33-17 as seven Putnam County players finish high school careers on the gridiron in WVFCA All-Star Game
TERRE HAUTE – For a game that was just two scores apart, the Wabash Valley Football Coaches Association All-Star Game felt one-sided, as the Gold Squad defeated the Black Squad 33-17 Saturday night at Rose-Hulman’s Cook Field.
Seven Putnam County players featured in the game with four in the Black Squad starting lineup in Greencastle’s Ryan Beauchamp and Chase Carrington, South Putnam’s Ethan Harcourt and Cloverdale’s Jesse Miller.
“It’s pretty special,” Miller said about being a starter for the Black Squad. “I didn’t think I was that good at the start but it was pretty fun.
“It showed at practice who would start and who wouldn’t and I busted my butt to start.”
“Honestly, this is probably one of the greatest things I’ve done,” Beauchamp said. “This is my last time playing but getting the chance to play and getting my named called as many times as it was meant the world to me, especially since I won’t be doing it again.
“We’re not going to play on the same field again, ever. We made a lot of tackles together, too, which shows how much we have improved since we started playing football and that we were among the best out here.”
“It showed we were among the best to be able to start on defense,’ Carrington said about being in the starting lineup with Beauchamp. “Both of us made tackles and kept getting our names called, which helped keep us going throughout the game.”
“To be a starter, you had to bust your butt at school, in the weightroom and everywhere else,” Harcourt said. “The hard work pays off and makes everything worth it in the end.”
Clover Mcguire Lee also featured in the game, as did North Putnam’s Trevor Roseboom and Lucas Murphy for the Gold Squad.
“It was pretty great,” Roseboom said about the win. “It was a great chance to come out here, meet new people and play in my last game.
“It felt good to be out there and involved in those scoring drives.”
“It’s awesome,” Murphy added. “We’re the only county school that isn’t in the Black Squad but we’re the winners tonight.
“It was fun and a great way to go out playing my last football game.”
The opening score came in a roundabout fashion as the Gold Squad took its opening drive inside the Black Squad’s 10-yard line, only to turn the ball over on downs.
On Black’s first play, however, the snap went well over Indian Creek quarterback Arj Lothe’s head and was recovered by Olney’s Carter Beard in the endzone for a score and a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
A solid reply from the Black squad, including a third-and-26 conversion from Lothe to Trevin Magee of Cumberland, but only resulted in a 30-yard field goal from Connor Wardlaw of Owen Valley.
Beauchamp, Carrington and Harcourt were constantly involved on defense as Gold’s running attack behind a large offensive line constantly ate up chunks of yards.
The Gold Squad got its second score in the second quarter after Linton’s Hunter Gennicks scored from a yard out to make it 14-3.
Murphy provided a key moment in the first half with a strip sack with Cole Bordeaux of Parke Heritage snagging the loose ball but the Gold Squad could not capitalize with points.
The Black Squad would tighten the game up at halftime as Lothe hit Gerson Corona twice for 54 yards, including a 25-yard score on fourth down to make it 14-10.
Gold’s defense ground the Black Squad offense to a halt for much of the second half with Murphy looking to have secured a fumble recovery on Black’s second drive, though the play was eventually ruled over on forward progress which allowed Black to punt it away.
“Maybe a little,” Murphy said when asked about being disappointed he was not credited with the fumble recovery. “I still had the strip sack, though, so I’ll take that.”
Black’s defense also was worn down as Gennicks added a two-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter, later adding a 33-yard field goal from Giuseppe Leone of Sullivan before Gennicks hit Riverton Parke’s Derron Hazzard for a 52-yard score to make it 30-10 with eight minutes to play.
The Black Squad finally got on the board in the second half with a two-yard score from Terre Haute South’s Josh Cottee before Leone capped the scoring with a 38-yard field goal in the final minute.
The Gold Squad finished with 200 yards rushing and another 154 yards in the air while the Black Squad only managed 58 yards rushing and 149 passing yards.
For some players, Saturday represented their last chance to put on the pads and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with being on the field with teammates, an opportunity that was in part bittersweet but also worth taking part in.
“It was a lot of fun,” Lee said. “It was tough to go out with a loss but it was a good way to end it, to play with a lot of good guys and I met a lot of guys this week that I’ll be able to carry on relationships in the future.
“It was nice to meet them, it was a nice week weather wise and it was nice to go out there and have fun.”
“I wish I could play again but it’s nice to finish with an all-star game,” Miller added.
“It’s a little sad out here, not going on to play college ball, but it’s a good feeling to end it with a win,” Roseboom said.
Murphy, while not playing college football, will still be involved in college athletics to the point that just hours after the game, he was headed to Manchester University for a wrestling camp.
“I’m ready to go,” Murphy said about preparing to head to Wabash and join the Little Giant wrestling program. “It was a good way stay to shape and get ready for college wrestling.”
For Carrington and Harcourt, the week was a chance to get themselves prepared for what’s to come in the following months as they join the football programs at Marian University and Wabash College respectively.
“Not going to lie, I did get a little tired out there,” Carrington noted. “I’m going to have to keep working to get ready for the upcoming season.”
“This gives me some motivation to get up there,” Harcourt added. “I was doing good and feeling good out here tonight.
“It gives me some momentum to go up to camp at Wabash and I can wait to see what the future holds.”