FORT WAYNE – The offense controlled the clock and the defense controlled New Haven’s Te’Vaughn Hurse as Bishop Dwenger advanced to another sectional championship game.
The Saints held Hurse, the state’s third-leading rusher with 2,019 yards, to 123 on the ground in a 31-21 win over the Bulldogs on Friday in a Class 4A sectional semifinal game at Zollner Stadium.
Dwenger (7-4) will travel to Leo (11-0) for in a quest for a sixth straight sectional title.
Hurse had scorched the Saints for 247 yards and four touchdowns last year in a 42-26 Saints’ regional win.
Dwenger’s ball control during a crucial fourth-quarter drive ended the Bulldogs’ hopes. Saints running back/linebacker Dalton Wheeler ran for 145 yards and a touchdown in the game.
“We knew (Hurse) was going to get some yards, but we practiced all week of staying in our gaps and flowing to the ball,” Wheeler said. “We didn’t want to give up over 200 or 300 yards to Te’Vaughn Hurse. That was our goal this week was to stop him.”
Steven Espinoza, playing on an injured ankle, added 51 yards and a touchdown for Dwenger.
“I was really happy with the ground game, it gave us some life,” Dwenger coach Chris Svarczkopf said. “We were able to do some things offensively and run the ball consistently and keep their offense off the field.”
Hurse, a senior, rushed for a school-record 423 yards last week in a 51-30 win over Logansport.
“Logansport putting nine in the box is a lot different than Dwenger putting nine in the box,” New Haven coach Jim Rowland said. “We did a nice job of going to other options, but we were just inconsistent. To Dwenger’s credit, they did something that’s hard to do, and they took away, for the most part, what we like to do and our bread butter.
“Offensively we failed to get into a good rhythm. Some of it was what we failed to do and some it was because we never had the ball. The all-star of the entire game was the Dwenger offense because they kept the ball and kept our offense off the field.”
Saints quarterback Mike Fiacable completed 13 of 17 passes for 167 yards and touchdowns to Ryan Watercutter and Evan Feichter, who also had two interceptions.
“The receivers got open, the offensive line blocked, and we made the plays,” Fiacable said. “Sectional championship is next week, and we have to have a good week of practice and be ready.”
Dwenger’s defense had been maligned the last few weeks, after giving up chunks of yards to Snider’s John Nelson and Bishop Luers’ Jaylon Smith.
“They are coming on,” Svarczkopf said of the defense.
“It is pride all the time, it’s on every play. Sometimes you even have to call timeout to remind them of that, this is where you become a great defense, by making a great stop here and there.”
