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The Illini West Chargers went to Warsaw Friday night and came away with a 42-14 win over the host West Hancock Titans 42-14.
The Chargers moved to 5-0 on the season as they got two touchdowns each from senior halfback Drake Schmudlach and Ser Whitaker.
Schmudlach scored on runs of 10 and 39 yards in the first quarter, after Whitaker opened the Illini West offensive barrage with a 20 to run. Other Charger scores came on a 2-yard run by fullback Kyle Huss, a fumble recovery in the endzone by Colin Beals, and a 78-yard punt return by Whitaker late in the first half.
Schmudlach added two successful conversion runs to the Charger final total, while senior halfback Trey Ourth added another. The Chargers led 42-0 at the half and cleared their bench after intermission. The Titans got two late scores to set the final score at 42-14.
The Chargers picked up 313 total yards with 245 of that total on the ground. Drake Schmudlach led the way with 95 yards on 6 carries, while Huss added 54 yards and Whitaker chipped in with 41. Also picking up yardage on the ground were Cole Carson (20 yards), Connor Beals (14), Kyle Miller (13), Trey Ourth (7), and Shane Wood (1).
IW quarterback Zane Schmudlach completed 2 of 2 pass attempts for 68 yards. The receptions were made by Drake Schmudlach for 27 yards and Colin Beals for 41 yards. Cole Carson also attempted two passes in the 2nd half.
The Charger tackle chart included several players as Illini West used almost every available player in this contest. Linebacker Jack Carlisle led the way with 7 tackles, while Ethan Lillard and Travis Cox had 5 each. Others on the tackle chart included John Martin, Trey Ourth, Connor Beals, Trey Bartlett, Dakota McKeown, Brian Lafferty, Drake Schmudlach, Jack Bastert, Hayden Fox, Brandon Gehle, Chris Beaver, Kyle Palmer, Jacob Jacoby, Grant Clark and Coulton Wascher.
The Chargers return to action this Friday night when they host Quincy Notre Dame in a non-conference game. The Raiders are ranked #1 in Class 4-A.