Waukee Northwest 20, Waukee 17: Wolves' fourth-quarter touchdown seals victory
WAUKEE — Waukee and the Waukee Northwest football teams faced off for the first time since the school split a few years ago, and the Wolves took the early series lead with a 20-17 win.
“We put in a lot of work for this,” Northwest coach Corey Kopatich said postgame. “Waukee, they’re a really good team, and we’ve been down at halftime the first two weeks. We talked a lot about mental toughness. So, we’re excited for our guys and they earned this.”
Waukee pulled ahead to a 17-7 lead at halftime, thanks to touchdowns from Grant Gammell and Gabriel Chayee and a field goal from Drew Hurlburt. The Wolves' sole first-half touchdown came from Will Retz in the second quarter.
More: Iowa high school football final scores, results from Sept. 1 of the 2023 season
Ryan Woodruff added another touchdown — without an extra point — in the second half, and then Maverick Inman hauled in a pass from Sam Johnson to give the Wolves a 20-17 lead with under three minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The in-game action wasn’t the only rivalry-fueled part of the game. One player from each team was ejected in the fourth quarter after a skirmish.
Punting is winning…or at least a big part of Northwest’s game
Tanner Philpott didn’t have an easy job on Friday, and he was called on often as Waukee’s defense made stop after stop against Northwest’s offense.
When the Wolves' offense couldn’t convert, Philpott kept Waukee at bay with a strong and accurate leg. He kept his punts in bounds, and his distance was solid. Philpott’s hangtime was good too, allowing time for Northwest’s coverage team to get downfield and make plays.
More: Four things we learned in Dowling's 14-0 shutout victory over Valley
While Philpott bailed out the offense a few times, that doesn't mean the Wolves were stagnant with the ball in their hands. Quarterback Sam Johnson made big plays on the ground and in the air, coming up with a clutch pass in the fourth quarter when Northwest needed it most.
Waukee shows signs of promise against crown-town rival
There were plenty of players who contributed to the Warriors’ effort against the Wolves.
Sophomore quarterback Beckett Bakker moved the ball about as much with his feet as he did with his arm, and he did it while taking a bit of beating from Northwest’s defense. One of his biggest plays was a pass to Gabriel Chayee, who went 81 yards for Waukee’s second score of the game. Grant Gammell was another big piece of the offense.
The Warriors still have work to do on offense, but the product that Waukee put out on the field Friday was enough to hold on against Northwest.
“It was great for the community,” Waukee coach Gabe Bakker said. “I mean, these two teams should be playing; it was a great football game. We unfortunately didn’t make enough plays in the second half to win but this is what should happen in high school football — nights like this.”
More: What we learned from Class 3A No. 7 Nevada's decisive 42-7 win over Roland-Story
Dominant defenses keep both teams in the game
Both offenses had their moments.
But make no mistake, this matchup was decided by defense.
There were powerful plays on both sides, but none more than Harry Leinen's interception in the fourth quarter. He picked off Beckett Bakker on 4th and 15, giving the Wolves the ball back with 55 seconds remaining on the 49-yard line, effectively winning the game for Northwest.
“I felt pretty good once we got up 20-17,” Kopatich said. “Our defense, we thought if we didn’t let them score in the second half, we had a good chance to win the game.”
Waukee shined on defense, too. Tate Garrington, Mason Brooks and Cole Tedesco all recorded interceptions for the Warriors. Brooks' pick, in particular, was a big momentum shifter, as it stopped Northwest after two major pass plays. He also broke up a pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
“They like to hang their hat on creating turnovers,” Bakker said. “And they did tonight, obviously. We’ve got to continue to try and get short fields, give our offense the ball, give us a chance to go score touchdowns.”
Will these defenses hold up against higher-ranked opponents?
Time will tell, but Waukee did struggle late in the game, allowing Northwest to take its first lead of the matchup with under three minutes to play in the fourth quarter. That, and other unnecessary penalties throughout the game, hurt the Warriors in this one, and it will hurt against future opponents.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Northwest defeats Waukee, 20-17, with late fourth-quarter score
