Penn strong enough in 'Backyard Brawl' win over Mishawaka. Here's what we learned

MISHAWAKA — Penn bent. It didn’t break.

Three second half turnovers forced by the Kingsmen defense — including a pick-six by Penn senior Vincent Horner with seven minutes left in the game — sealed a 28-7 victory for Penn of Mishawaka in the first Backyard Brawl game in four years.

Horner’s second interception of the game came with the Cavemen facing a 4th-and-8 from the Penn 47-yard line. Horner read the pass from Mishawaka quarterback Brady Fisher perfectly, stepping in front of the pass and running it back 64 yards virtually untouched.

“It was great seeing the ball come out right to where I could get it,” said Horner of the game-sealing interception return for a touchdown. “My blockers set me up perfectly to where I could take it into the end zone.”

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Horner intercepted another pass in the third quarter when Mishawaka was driving. The Cavemen reached the Kingsmen 28-yard line before Horner stepped in front of another pass, intercepting that one at the 15-yard line.

“On the first interception, it was a really good play by their corner,” Mishawaka head coach Keith Kinder said. “We thought we had something in the middle of the field, and he made a really good play. The second one was more out of desperation; it was 4th-and-8. We’re not built for 4th-and-8. We weren’t very good on first down, we had too many silly penalties that hurt us, and we got beat because of it.”

Mishawaka (1-1) took three plays to get on the board first. It looked like Penn had forced a fumble and recovered on a second-down play, but a pre-snap penalty on the Cavemen negated the play.

Fisher capitalized on the second chance, with the Mishawaka senior quarterback bursting through the line for a 51-yard touchdown.

Penn (2-0) responded on its first drive of the game, going 61 yards across nine plays. They capped it off with a seven-yard touchdown run by senior Jake Balis.

Mishawaka marched down the field on its next drive, but it stalled at its 18-yard line. The ensuing 35-yard field goal attempt fell short, keeping the game tied.

The Kingsmen then took the lead for good on the next possession. On a third-and-goal from the five-yard line, Penn senior quarterback Nolan McCullough found senior Elijah Coker in the back of the end zone for a touchdown reception.

The game would be 14-7 at halftime.

It only took two plays into the third quarter for Penn to go up double digits. McCullough ripped off a 54-yard touchdown run, juking a Mishawaka defensive player before running untouched for the final 40 yards of the gain.

Horner’s first interception came on the next Mishawaka possession.

After a Kingsmen punt, Mishawaka turned it over again after a lengthy drive. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Fisher tried to pitch the ball to junior Kaden Smith. The toss was off the mark, and Penn senior Taylor Bauer was there to fall on it.

The Penn defense held Mishawaka to just five first downs in the first half, four of which came on the first two drives. While the Cavemen moved the ball easier in the second half, the “Wild Bunch” Penn defense shut them out on the scoreboard.

“It’s hard to simulate them and prepare for them; we hadn’t played it in a while, and Fisher does just a good job running that thing,” said Penn coach Cory Yeoman on Mishawaka’s triple-option offense. “Our offense came back and had a nice score to answer the call, which helped our defense out. The defense then settled in as things got going on.”

Kinder tried to keep perspective after the game, which was attended by an estimated 8,000 people.

“I want to make sure we put this in a frame of reference: it was a big game for the people outside the white lines,” Kinder said. “Inside the white lines, it’s two good football teams competing. These kids are going to be fine. Mishawaka was going to be fine. It’s a week two game. It’s not like we’re packing up gear tomorrow. There’s still going to be football in the morning.”

Player of the game

Horner. His interception in the third quarter came with Mishawaka closing in on the red zone. He then sealed the game with the pick-six.

Horner. His interception in the third quarter came with Mishawaka closing in on the red zone. He then sealed the game with the pick-six.

“It’s a great victory,” Horner said. “And its coach Cory’s 200th win, so that just puts the cherry on top.”

Cory Yeoman on his 200th victory as head coach at Penn

As Horner alluded to, Friday was the 200th win in the 22-year head coaching career for Yeoman. He’s one of 12 coaches from the area to reach that milestone in Indiana.

“Two-hundred wins to me means, one, I’m getting a little old,” Yeoman said. “Two, my best ability as a coach I think is to surround myself with great people. I’ve got a bunch of coaches on my staff that could be head coaches anywhere they want, but they love it here. I’m very lucky. I’ve been surrounded by great young men for all these years, and a great community and administration to back me. That’s the key: if you want to be successful in life, don’t try to do it yourself. Surround yourself with great people, get out of their way and let them do their jobs.”

Penn 28, Mishawaka 7

FIRST QUARTER

M: Brady Fisher 51-yard run at 10:05 (Lucas Larson kick)

P: Jake Balis 8-yard run at 4:58 (Dylan DeDario kick)

SECOND QUARTER

P: Elijah Coker 5-yard catch from Nolan McCullough (DeDario kick)

THIRD QUARTER

P: McCullough 54-yard run at 11:09 (DeDario kick)

FOURTH QUARTER

P: Vincent Horner 64-yard interception return at 6:48 (DeDario kick)

Up next for Mishawaka and Penn

Mishawaka: visits Northridge in the NLC opener for both teams.

Penn: visits Indianapolis Cathedral.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Indiana high school football: Penn tops Mishawaka in 'Backyard Brawl'