With both teams being 5-6 last year, the outcome of the opening game of 2024 could have been unpredictable to the fans who lined the bleachers. But by the end of the first quarter, the momentum was on the Tigers side and remained that way as the green and white defeated the Indians 42-2.

The Indians won the coin toss but chose to defer. From the opening kickoff, the Tigers were eager and hungry. By the end of the Tigers’ first drive, sophomore running back Kaden Crumes found his way to the endzone and with a successful 2-point conversion, the Tigers led 8-0 early..

Late into the first quarter, Yorktown junior Cole Purdue displayed the hunger, picking off Anderson quarterback Aaron Morgan. Finding the endzone once again, Purdue completed an 81-yard touchdown, bringing the score to 15-0 by the end of the first quarter.

“It’s electric, just coming out and being able to play some football on Friday night,” Purdue said. “You don't think about anything, you just go, you just play.”

This electricity continued into the second quarter for both the Tigers and the Indians. Both teams attempted a fake punt, but both were unsuccessful. For the Tigers, however, sophomore Sam Tokar recovered the Indian's fake punt, scoring another touchdown. Nearing the end of the second quarter, Indians’ senior quarterback Damien King threw his third interception of the game to senior linebacker Wilson Webster.

Anderson finally put numbers on the scoreboard after senior Jenson Shryock sacked the Tigers quarterback in the endzone, resulting in a safety. After bringing the score to 29-2, Yorktown senior Noah Long intercepted the Indians once again for a pick-six, resulting in a halftime score of 35-2.

Back-and-forth play left the score remaining at 35-2 through the entirety of the third quarter. The fourth quarter began with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Yorktown quarterback Noah Long to Wilson Webster, bringing the score to 41-2.

The Indians brought in fresh hands for the fourth quarter, replacing senior quarterback Damien King with freshman John Nicholas, but nothing could be done. Freshman John Nicholas threw the fifth interception of the game, leaving the Yorktown Tigers with a 41-2 victory.

The Tigers scored in all three phases of the game due to the six turnovers by the Indians. Yorktown head coachMike Wilhem was pleased with the result, but not afraid to admit that there is more work to be done.

“We have a lot to work on. It was sloppy at times but we played in all three phases,” Wilhem said. “You want to win games in all three phases. I'm proud. Our guys executed at times but we still have some things to work on execution-wise.”

For seniors like Webster, he was excited to be back on the field with his teammates both new and old. He finished the game with 96 total yards, one touchdown and one interception.

“I am most excited to play with this team,” Webster said. “There's a lot of good guys, there's a lot of young guys on our team so I just want to spread my wisdom on them and teach them some stuff, coach them up. The game was pretty good, but we had some rough patches. We will get those cleaned up and be ready for Muncie Central next week.”

Next week, Friday, August 30 the Tigers face the Muncie Central Bearcats at home on Friday, August 30th at 7 pm.

Contact Payton Hamett at payton.hammett@bsu.edu email or on X at @_paytonhammett.

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