WHITEHALL — So much of defending a wing-T style of offense relies on discipline - on making sure you know what the other team is going to do before you attack, and then attacking.
The Vikings have proven adept at shutting down Manistee's particular style of wing-T over the past few years, and Friday night, spearheaded by the whirling dervish that is Corde Anderson, they did so again. Whitehall permitted only 153 offensive yards, a lot of them coming after the issue was long decided, as the Vikings romped to a 49-6 homecoming win.
Anderson was responsible for a lot of that success. Technically, he only had three tackles - two of them sacks - but he also repeatedly got in the face of Manistee quarterback Dayvion Neal-Berry and forced the ball out of his hand for harmless incompletions.
"It's a lot of discipline and every day at practice we work through it. We do exactly what they
do," Anderson said. "It's
the big discipline part of the whole thing. That's really what runs our defense."
Anderson added that his coaches deserve a lot of the credit.
"They help us out," Anderson said. "They
tell us what to do, and we just do it. We do a very good job about that. Fast and strong, that's where it's at."
It was the Viking defense that provided their first spark Friday, forcing a three-and-out to start the game and then another one after the offense fumbled the ball to Manistee in Mariner territory. That second three-and-out led to Camden Thompson's 55-yard punt return touchdown.
However, the offense needed another boost after punting its next possession, and Anderson provided it, recovering a Mariner fumble in easy scoring range for Whitehall. Two plays later, Thompson hit Hunter Osborne with a wide receiver screen and Osborne took it 21 yards to the house for a 14-0 lead.
"He's got a phenomenal motor," Whitehall coach Tony Sigmon said of Anderson. "He's such a fun kid to coach. That
effort and energy you saw tonight, he brings that every day. He's a kid
that when he walks in, he's got a big smile on his face and it brings
everybody up. For us, he's an awesome
weapon to have on the defense and on the offensive side. It's really his
motor, his effort and energy. He has one speed, and it's 100 percent."
The offense would not need any more boosts after that fumble recovery, as Thompson took off for a 54-yard touchdown run on the Vikings' next offensive play. Whitehall (3-2, 3-0 West Michigan Conference Lakes) added two more scores before halftime - another scoring run by Thompson and a 21-yard end around to paydirt by Osborne - to turn on the running clock for the second half with a 35-0 advantage.
Whitehall's Ryan Goodrich battles to stay on his feet as Manistee's Wyatt Protasiewicz tries to take him down during Whitehall's 49-6 win Friday.
Manistee didn't get on the board until the fourth quarter, with mostly reserves in the game on defense. Sigmon credited the defense with disciplined play; they were able to pick up some lessons from facing Unity Christian and Zeeland West, who also run T formation offenses, though not the same as Manistee's.
"They're very steady, almost like a metronome, where
it's like, 'Here it comes,'" Sigmon said of the Crusaders' and Dux' sets. "It's amazingly efficient. With Manistee,
they have elements of it too, but then they
break the T with the wide receiver, with the motions in the backfield,
and with the counter. You really have to be a little bit more
aware of that, in terms of play on the back end."
Whitehall got a lot of guys involved on offense. Thompson had 153 yards of offense, throwing for two scores and running for one. Gavin Craner ran for 75 yards and a score; Osborne ran for and caught a touchdown; Ryan Goodrich carried for 54 yards and his own touchdown. The multifaceted attack is what Sigmon and the coaches pictured when Thompson was installed as the signal-caller in the offseason.
"I have as much confidence in what we're doing offensively as I've had in
any other year," Sigmon said. "We know they
have to key one person, but if they key on one, someone else can go
(make a play) for us. I'm very happy with where we are right now. We
went
through a lot of adversity in those first couple of weeks, but I'm
hoping that this is the payout."
Whitehall will next face Oakridge, a traditionally key marker to the schedule. The Vikes have routed the Eagles each of the last two seasons, but that shouldn't change the team's focus level.
"I think we've fought through a lot of adversity, going against Zeeland
West and having a bad game at Unity Christian," Anderson said. "We weren't in the rhythm
of things. I think now, we're finally in a rhythm to
continue what we're able to do. I
think we really showed a little bit of that tonight, and I think we're
ready to show it again next week."
