The West Fork football team is 3-0 for the first time since 2010, following a 36-16 non-district win at Eagle Grove on Friday. It was the first meeting between the teams since 2015 and the Warhawks fifth win all-time in the series.
Eagle Grove took an 8-0 lead to open scoring the first quarter. West Fork responded with a 19 yard touchdown run by Dax Suntken to even the game at 8-8, and that was the halftime score after neither team found the endzone again in the first half. West Fork took their first lead on their opening drive of the second half with a six yard touchdown carry by Blaine Schulz to go up 16-8. The Warhawks gained some breathing room early in the fourth, as Tyler Fessler escaped the trenches for a 24 yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 22-8. The Eagles got back on the board with a 19 yard touchdown pass to cut their deficit to 22-16. The Warhawks put the game out of reach with a Schulz seven yard touchdown run and a Schulz 36 yard sprint for a touchdown late in the fourth. Head Coach Dan Westhoff on the value of player feedback in getting things rolling offensively in the second half.
“We had to make some adjustments at halftime. A big part of that is getting feedback from our players, that’s really important. We need to give them a voice in this process if we want to get the best out of them. They did a really good job of giving us the coaches’ boots on the ground as they’re out there in the middle of it,” says Westhoff. “Their feedback on what we needed to do was absolutely spot on. Players and coaches agreed to what we needed to do in the second half to combat that interior pressure. We did it. We had four touchdowns in the second half. It was great to see our kids take ownership and really get it over the finish line there. We really got it rolling in the second half and wore them down.”
The Warhawks rushed for 319 yards. Schulz had 107 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Fessler had 100 rushing yards and a touchdown. Suntken had 92 rushing yards and a touchdown.
West Fork (3-0, 1-0 A-2) will host AGWSR for homecoming in Week 4.
