Wilmot 42, Westosha Central 14
Panthers bulldoze smaller Falcons behind offensive line
By Jason Arndt
Sports Correspondent
Mason Nindl had confidence in his core of Panthers’ offensive linemen entering a western Kenosha County clash against Westosha Central High School.
The Wilmot Union High School senior scored two total touchdowns, had 11 carries and accounted for 92 of the Panthers’ 262 yards on the ground in the 42-14 Southern Lakes Conference win.
“Anything that we ran was working, what our line did for us was great, that was it,” Nindl said. “I did what I had to do.”
However, the Falcons tried to counter Wilmot Union High School’s running attack with Logan Hughes, who rushed for a game-high 137 yards on 20 carries.
Falcons’ coach Tyson Mengel said conditions were favorable for Hughes, citing his squad’s offensive line, compared to prior opponents when junior running back Tre Williams shouldered the load.
“Logan is our feature back, and the last couple games we saw, we used Tre’s speed,” Mengel said. “But we knew had better size coming in, so we knew it was Logan’s game, perfect conditions for him.”
Panthers’ sophomore AJ Frisby, who completed 13 of 20 passes for 236 yards with three touchdowns, connected with Nindl on a 14-yard screen to give Wilmot a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Nindl finished the game with two catches for 48 yards.
Panthers’ coach Erick Kaiser said Nindl’s stellar game was well-deserved.
“He works hard in practice, and worked hard all offseason and had a great breakout game,”
Also, Frisby had four rushes for 26 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown to cap of a 14-0 first half for Wilmot.
After a Frisby 6-yard score to junior wide receiver David Faber to open the second half, Westosha Central responded with a 6-yard strike by senior quarterback Josiah McDermit to junior receiver Tre Williams.
Williams, who is one of the Falcons’ leading rushers, was held to zero yards on seven attempts.
In the ensuing drive, Wilmot answered with a 67-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Christian Janssen from Frisby on a 4th down conversion.
The touchdown is Janssen’s third in three straight games, and finished Friday’s game with 137 yards receiving on 6 catches.
Mengel noted Janssen’s 6-foot-3 stature was too much for the Falcons’ defensive backfield, consisting of players under 6-feet.
With Westosha Central (0-8, 0-6 SLC) trailing 28-7 entering the fourth quarter, McDermit connected with junior receiver Mitchell Sibilsky on a 9-yard touchdown.
Wilmot bolstered its lead on a 24-yard run by sophomore Linc Bennett, who had 51 yards rushing on six carries, followed by a 23-yard run by Nindl to cap off the Panthers’ fifth consecutive victory.
Kaiser acknowledged the Falcons gave Wilmot a difficult first half, where the Panthers were held to 14 points.
“They played tough, period, they had some bumps and bruises along the way, but they played us tough in the first half,” Kaiser said. “My hats are off to them.”
McDermit, who threw a school-record 314 yards a week earlier, was held to 80 yards passing, completing 13 of 25 passes against Wilmot.
The Panthers’ intense blitz knocked the senior quarterback down multiple times, and forced him into two interceptions; consequently, he had a slight limp most of the second half.
“He is a very tough kid, when you talk to him, you never know,” Mengel said. “He is the nicest kid, but when he gets knocked down, he gets right back up.”
Wilmot (7-1, 5-1 SLC) was without the services of two offensive leaders, sophomore running back Robert Brent and senior receiver Josh Schroeder, who were both inactive due to injuries.
“They were a little nicked, so they had some time off,” Kaiser said.
If Wilmot wins at Delavan-Darien Friday, Oct. 16, the Panthers will earn a share of the Southern Lakes Conference title, but only if Lake Geneva Badger (5-1 SLC) beats Waterford (6-0).
The Panthers are defending SLC co-champs.
Westosha Central hosts Elkhorn, with both teams looking for their first conference victory.