Ada Forest Hills—”Celebrate for 24 hours, then get ready for a really good Big Rapids squad.”
In one of the season’s most exciting games, Whitehall rallied in the second half to keep its season alive with a 28-21 victory over Forest Hills Eastern.
The game began with a long eight-minute drive capped off by a Jackson Arnold touchdown run, putting the Hawks in the driver’s seat.
Whitehall then drove down the field on its first possession. The strong drive quickly diminished when a speed option with Camden Thompson and Hunter Osborne was fumbled and recovered by the Hawks.
FHE made its way down the field and scored on an unorthodox play I have never seen in high school football. Max Ferrick rushed for 13 yards, then fumbled, which was recovered by Drew Ferrick, who then ran 20 yards to the end zone.
After trailing 14-0 for most of the first half, one play changed momentum in an instant. With less than 10 seconds left in the half, FHE quarterback Jackson Arnold stepped into a throw that was intercepted at the 4-yard line by Thompson and returned as time expired.
The Vikings returned the kick after halftime and put together a well-rounded drive that ended with a Thompson touchdown from 29 yards out. With about eight minutes left in the third quarter, the game was tied at 14 apiece.
Whitehall’s scoring in the third quarter was not finished there; Nate Betz caught a pitch from Thompson around the outside and found himself in the end zone. The run was set up by a crucial 14-yard reception to Brock Morningstar.
FHE didn’t come this far just to stop, however. With six minutes left in the game, Arnold scored his second touchdown of the game.
With under five minutes remaining, Whitehall controlled the game with the ball at midfield. The Vikings slowly chewed the clock while still picking up first downs. Until they reached the red zone, the Hawks made three straight stops to keep them out of the end zone. On 4th and 2, Gavin Craner, who rushed for 150 yards in the game, charged up the middle for an 8-yard touchdown run that gave them the lead with 11 seconds left.
On the last play of the game, the Hawks players, coaches, and fanbase hoped for an Aaron Rodgers heave that would send FHE to the District Final. The pass was intercepted by Thompson, sealing the victory for Whitehall.
Morningstar, who played a crucial role in the defensive efforts, had this to say after the game: “Coach (Tony Sigmon) asked us how we wanted to come back to this locker room after the game. I said I want to walk back a winner.” He added, “We’ve gone through hell and back, and we have to ride this out and stay together.” Morningstar picked up a fumble late in the first half that would give Whitehall a slight momentum boost.
Craner exploded in the game while nursing an injured knee, tallying 21 rushes for 150 yards and a touchdown. “I just knew I had to work for my team,” he said. Craner also stated, “Score or die,” referring to that final drive that left FHE with just 11 seconds.
The Vikings’ defense posted multiple stops in the second half that helped propel them to victory. Defensive Coordinator Keith Stratton remarked after the game, “Intensity was great all week during practice; we needed to play with urgency.” Stratton also said, “We’re still playing football, and we’re going to take on next week like it’s Thanksgiving dinner.” Stratton has led 13 defenses since 2011 to 26 shutouts and is a legend in the program.
The mastermind behind all of this is head coach Tony Sigmon. Sigmon, who is 82-46 since taking over the program in 2014, notched his 10th playoff win. “Total team effort; we played sound in the secondary.” Perhaps the gutsiest call of the Vikings’ season came last night when they decided to go for it on 4th and 2 late in the fourth quarter in the red zone. “We believed in our offensive line; we believed in our running backs.”
Whitehall now looks ahead to next week’s District Final against Big Rapids, a chance for the Vikings to avenge their loss to them last season.
Huge thanks to Shayla Hardy for the pictures!
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