The Caston Comets had the strong start they were looking for in a 54-14 win over Whitko on Friday night in South Whitley.
It was the Comets’ first 1-0 start since they beat West Central in the 2021 opener.
The Comets had 10 different players run the football. They rushed for 273 yards on 39 attempts as a team (7.0 per carry).
Tucker Woolever led with 75 yards at a touchdown on five attempts. London Herd had 38 yards and a TD on seven carries. Ashton Bowyer had 36 yards and a TD on seven attempts. Logan Mollenkopf rushed for 30 yards and two TDs on four carries and was 2 of 2 passing for 74 yards and a TD. Landen Rigney had a 56-yard reception and rushed for 37 yards on four attempts. Bowyer had an 18-yard TD catch. Bronson Howard added 17 yards rushing and a TD on three carries. Braxton Enyart had a 65-yard punt return for a score.
The Comets led 6-0 after one quarter, 35-14 at halftime and 48-14 after three.
“We obviously made more plays than them, but we’ve got to clean up several things,” Caston coach Chris Ulerick said. “Our intensity in the first quarter, you would’ve thought that we were down by some of our body language. But it’s a first game. It’s certainly a better first game than what they’re used to. So anytime you can go on the road, get a win, especially in the first game, it is a big deal. It’s a good thing. But there’s plenty to clean up. It was a good road win for us, a good chance to get some of our feet wet and a good chance to again evaluate some kids and make sure that they are ready to play varsity football.”
Bowyer led the defense with seven tackles. Jayden Cox had a sack. Ethan Reasor had an interception. Parker Zimpleman had a forced fumble and Cohlton Browning had the recovery.
“Defensively, other than two plays, we pretty well held them in check,” Ulerick said. “They did complete two big pass plays. One, we tipped it up and it landed in the wrong kid’s hands and he took off running. The other one was just kind of a coverage issue. But for the most part, we were able to do things that we wanted to do defensively. Not super clean, but we were able to certainly play hard, play fast, and got the job done.
“Special teams got us on the board early and that’s always a positive. Anytime you can return your punt of the year for a touchdown, that’s a good thing.”
The Comets are looking to be a much improved team from last year’s 3-7 campaign. The Wildcats were 1-9 last year.
“There’s no familiarity there,” Ulerick said. “The Whitko stands were packed. They had good energy and I’m sure that they thought the same thing. You look at the Harrell site and you compare scores, compare this, compare that. At the end of the day, we were just tougher than what they were. And that’s always a good measuring stick to just be tougher than somebody that you’re lining up against.”
The game saw the return of Rigney to the field. The senior running back showed big-play potential before two leg injuries limited cost him his junior season.
“It was certainly a good thing to see him get out there,” Ulerick said. “We got him in some activity. We need to get him involved a little bit more defensively, but we were certainly glad to see Landen back out there and get some reps in.”
Caston hosts North White for its home opener Friday.
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