Reinoehl Runs Over Penn
MISHAWAKA - Running with the football isn't one of Tyler Reinoehl's specialties.
Tribune Photo/SANTIAGO FLORES
Mishawaka's Tyler Reinoehl (22) runs to the endzone for the game winning touchdown against Penn on Friday night.
Reinoehl rushed 23 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns, as No. 8 Mishawaka rallied for a 24-21 win over No. 5 Penn in the Class 5-A Sectional 2 title game at Steele Stadium.
After the Kingsmen (10-2) had fought back from a 17-0 deficit to grab a 21-17 lead, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Reinoehl traced 50 yards down the sidelines to the end zone with 3:54 left to put Mishawaka (11-1) in position to win its first sectional crown since 1991.
The celebration and storming of the field didn't take place, though, until Penn kicker Alan Sinclair had his 39-yard field goal sail wide right with 42.3 seconds left.
Mishawaka's reward for beating Penn twice in one season for the first time is a regional date at home against No. 8 Merrillville (11-1) next Friday.
"I honestly didn't see the play because I was watching how the linemen were set up to block," said Mishawaka coach Bart Curtis of Reinoehl's heroics. "When I heard the crowd cheer, though, I knew something good must have happened.
We have confidence in Tyler's abilities, but I didn't know he had it in him to make a run like that."
Known for his solid play as a defensive back, Reinoehl found himself pressed into service in the backfield when an ankle injury kept fullback Gary Brooks out of the lineup.
"I just wanted to do whatever I could to help us come out on top tonight," said Reinoehl. "Although I don't get to run the ball very much, I feel like I can be of some service.
"(Quarterback) Cortez (Lee) deserves a lot of the credit for the (second) touchdown run. He told me he thought there would be an opening to the right and that I should follow. He was right on target and once I got a couple of blocks, I was able to put on the jets and race downfield."
After using 15 plays and nearly eight minutes in the opening quarter to grab a 3-0 lead on Matt Reisdorf's 29-yard field goal, the Cavemen needed just seven plays to score two touchdowns.
A fumble recovery by Sebastian Cameron at the Penn 21 paved the way for Reinoehl to score his first touchdown from 11 yards out.
Another fumble, this one covered up by Cody Tungate, put Mishawaka in business at the Penn 23.
Four plays later, Lee hooked up with P.J. Warmoth on a 22-yard strike to make it 17-0 with 10:18 left in the second quarter.
"We dug ourselves a hole with those turnovers, but I knew our kids would find a way to battle back," said Penn coach Cory Yeoman.
Penn used a 31-yard pass from Jared Melander to Kamden Betzer and a 25-yarder from Melander to Gary Downey to get in position at the Mishawaka 9.
Emerson Marenyi capped off the 65-yard march with a nine-yard scamper to cut the deficit to 10 at the break.
That momentum carried over into the second half as Gary Downey raced 48 yards on Penn's first drive to make it 17-14.
An interception by Ben Lares at the Mishawaka 46 led to Penn's first lead.
Melander did the honors by finding Kamden Betzer open for a 46-yard score, taking three Mishawaka defenders into the end zone with him.
Penn's defense helped preserve the cushion as Gary Yeoman recovered a fumble at its own 20 to halt a Mishawaka threat with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation.
Mishawaka's defense and the Cavemen got the ball back at their own 39 with just five minutes left.
"Getting that three and out was huge because it kept them from gaining any more momentum," Curtis said. "We knew we had enough time left to get the job done. We just had to believe in what we were doing and not panic out there."
“I told Tyler in the huddle that if he could get to the outside that he would have plenty of room," Lee said. "That's because I saw something in the way they were set up defensively. The play worked because both Tyler and the guys on the front line did their job."
Penn didn't go down without a fight as Melander had a 20-yard pass to Tre Parmalee and a 19-yarder to Marenyi to get it down to the Mishawaka 14 with 90 seconds to go.
A sack of Melander by Christian Lentz, though, pushed Penn back to the 22-yard line, two plays prior to Sinclair's game-tying attempt.
"This is a bitter loss for us, but our kids have nothing to be ashamed of," Yeoman said. "We put ourselves in position to either tie or win the game, but came up short. Mishawaka just made a few more big plays than we did tonight."
Melander finished 9-of-14 for 164 yards, while Downey had 78 yards rushing on 11 attempts and Betzer added two grabs for 77 yards.
Lee ended up with 55 yards on 13 caries, while Warmoth chipped in 77 on 12 attempts.
