The West Fork football team competed till time ran out in a 20-15 loss at Newman Catholic in Mason City in their district opener on Friday, as aired on 104.9 KLMJ.
Newman struck first on its opening drive of the first quarter to pull ahead 8-0. West Fork took a deep breath and on the ensuing drive responded with the equalizer on a 12 yard touchdown run and two point conversion by Dax Suntken to tie the game at 8-8. Newman on the following kickoff went 75 yards to the house to retake a 14-8 lead after a failed two point attempt. The Warhawks led off the second quarter by taking their first lead of the game on Dax Suntken’s second rushing touchdown and the PAT was good by Zander Hansen, to move ahead 15-14. Just before halftime Newman regained the lead for good at 20-15. There were no points scored in the second half. The West Fork defense held strong in the second half forcing two Knights turnovers. The Warhawk offense’s best drive of the half ventured inside the Knights 30 yard line during the 4th quarter, but resulted in a turnover on downs.
West Fork Head Coach Dan Westhoff on how the team battled.
“I thought we really competed from start to finish and it was a great game and came right down to the wire,” says Westhoff. “It’s crushing to lose in that fashion but proud of how our kids competed and represented West Fork with pride. I think that just speaks to our kids’ character and how they continue to battle. We had our backs against the wall throughout the night. We did some bending and not breaking and we got a couple of timely stops there in the second half to keep us in the game. It really came down to the kickoff return, that was really the difference in the game. To hold these guys to two offensive touchdowns, there’s a lot to build off of. It’s a long season we gotta get ready to go for next week.”
Dax Suntken on 12 carries rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Zander Hansen passed for 72 yards to lead the Warhawks.
West Fork at 1-1 will play its final non-district game at North Butler on Friday.
