For the Daily Reporter
WHITELAND — Greenfield-Central had a built-in excuse to play uninspired football Friday night, but did the opposite instead.
By the time coach Adam Sherman finished addressing his team following a 35-7 loss at Whiteland, the east end of the Warriors’ field was more about congratulatory hugs than it was faraway looks after the Cougars fell to 0-2.
On Tuesday, Sherman was taken to the hospital after experiencing chest pains, leaving his assistants to prepare the Cougars for the difficult road test against the No. 5 team in Class 5A.
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“It’s been a really hard week for us,” Sherman said. “I was taken from school in an ambulance on Tuesday before practice. I wasn’t at practice on Wednesday and was limited (Thursday), so it’s kind of been a rough week for everybody.
“But the kids, my coaches and the community, they were just unbelievable. We came out tonight and were prepared. I think we ran out of gas at times, but the future is bright for us.”
Whiteland, meanwhile, is off to its first 2-0 start since the 2008 season.
Warriors senior tailback Jake Perry, all 5-foot-7 of him, was too much for Greenfield-Central to handle, rushing for 196 yards on 14 carries.
After spotting the Cougars a 7-0 lead, the Warriors took control with five consecutive touchdowns.
Greenfield-Central’s play at the outset was the perfect splash of cold water Whiteland needed coming off last week’s victory at Columbus East.
“We were not very inspired coming out today. I thought (GC) played extremely well, but we kind of knew their front six on defense were pretty stout, and they kind of proved to be,” Warriors coach Darrin Fisher said.
“I was happy with the way we responded to getting down 7-0. Our defensive kids played really well in the secondary after that first drive. We do fly around and get to the football. We were without a couple of guys on the defensive line tonight, but I thought the kids that replaced them really played well and played hard.”
Whiteland, which opens Mid-State Conference play on Friday at Decatur Central, rushed for 340 yards against Greenfield-Central. The Warriors’ defense limited the Cougars ground attack to only 50 yards on 26 carries.
Freshman quarterback Gehrig Slunaker completed 13 of 30 pass attempts for 89 yards for the visitors.
He was picked off three times, twice in the second half by Whiteland senior defensive back Trevor Larence.
Greenfield-Central struck first when Slunaker dropped back on fourth-and-10 and threw a strike down the right sideline on a wheel route for a 25-yard score to sophomore Jake Vance.
The ensuing drive required all of two plays to complete, Perry finding a hole on the left side and motoring for a 69-yard touchdown run with 2:30 remaining in the opening quarter. Whiteland added Perry’s 27-yard burst to the end zone and quarterback Iyan Pelfree’s 1-yard sneak.
Whiteland piled up a total of 241 yards on the ground prior to halftime, while Slunaker completed 9 of his first 11 passes before cooling down in the second period. The freshman, effective mostly on slant patterns, did finish the first half with 77 yards through the air.
The Warriors started the second half much the way they played parts of the first.
Junior Gavin Lutz darted 52 yards for a score on Whiteland’s first play of the third stanza. An interception by senior defensive back Trevor Larence at the Cougars’ 36 set up the home team’s next drive, this one capped by sophomore Chase Valentine’s 1-yard TD run.
Greenfield-Central is at Mount Vernon on Friday.
