Mishawaka earns ‘program win’ over New Prairie in IHSAA regional

MISHAWAKA — Three-hundred-and-seventy-one days ago, the Mishawaka football team walked off its home field in stunned silence after losing a regional final at the buzzer against Fort Wayne Snider.

The mood was a little different for the Cavemen Friday.

All three facets shined bright for Mishawaka in a 21-7 victory over New Prairie in an IHSAA Class 4A regional championship game at Steele Stadium. It’s the third regional title in program history for the Cavemen and first since 2018.

“This was a program win,” Mishawaka coach Keith Kinder said. “I can’t stress enough how special our program is, and it’s special because our kids love Mishawaka football, and they want to be Mishawaka football players. It is not about chasing scholarships, it’s not about, ‘This person says I should be getting this’ – this is about Mishawaka football to the group of guys in our locker room, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

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Special teams set the tone from the start for Mishawaka, with senior Brady Newsome returning the opening kickoff to the New Prairie 40-yard line. Two plays later, sophomore quarterback Landon Snyder scampered 36 yards for a touchdown run. Only 64 seconds had ticked off the clock before Mishawaka had a 7-0 lead.

The offense scored on its next two possessions as well. A 10-play drive was capped off by a 32-yard scoring run from sophomore Kadyn O’Neal. A nine-play march early in the second quarter was punctuated by a two-yard plunge from Snyder.

“Our defensive staff had our guys really well prepared, the issue is just seeing that speed and size that you’re seeing,” said New Prairie coach Casey McKim on defending Mishawaka’s flexbone, run-heavy…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/mishawaka-earns-program-win-over-043124476.html

Author : South Bend Tribune

Publish date : 2024-11-16 04:31:24

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