Time simply runs out for Lowell
Mishawaka wears down Red Devils in regional
MISHAWAKA — Tyler Wildman was going to process the loss on the bus ride home.
The season ended for Lowell on Friday with a 28-14 loss to Mishawaka in a Class 4A regional.
After a shaky first half, the Red Devils (10-3) left it all on the snowy, mud-caked field.
It just wasn’t quite enough. It wasn’t the ending Wildman, a senior running back, wanted but sometimes that’s how it goes.
“It’s all sinking in right now,” he said. “I’m going to take these shoulder pads off and I’m never going to put them on again.”
When the Lowell players and coaches replay this game, they will see missed opportunities in the first half.
The Red Devils looked like they were dead after running just nine offensive plays and rushing for minus-1 yard in the first half. Mishawaka only led 7-0 at the half, but the Cavemen (12-1) dominated the time of possession
Lowell coach Keith Kilmer decided the only chance his team had was to run the football.
His team faced second-andlong on each of its three possessions in the first half.
“We just decided to establish the running game,” Kilmer said. “We made some adjustments and they made some and it turned into a shootout.”
Lowell opened the second half with a nine-play, 66-yard drive that ended with a 13-yard touchdown run by Wildman.
Mishawaka took a 14-6 lead when Chris Harness, who fin- ished with 220 yards on 34 carries, scored from the 1 with 1:59 left in the third quarter.
Lowell answered with a 21-yard TD run by Wildman with 11:52 left. Blake Jansky caught a pass from Ethan Igras for the 2-point conversion to tie it.
The play that broke it open was a 34-yard TD pass from Mishawaka quarterback Sam Shively to Bradley Taylor on fourth-and-5 with 8:05 left.
Lowell drove deep into Mishawaka territory before Igras was stopped on fourth-and-13 at the 21 with 2:45 left.
The Red Devils just didn’t quite have enough.
Wildman said the team had to produce in the second half.
“We had no choice,” he said. “We had to run it and try to make it happen.”
Mishawaka finished with 302 yards rushing.
Lowell just couldn’t stop the Cavemen when it counted in the second half.
Kilmer said the defense played “bravely.”
Shawn Mooney, a defensive back for the Red Devils, said they just came up a bit short.
“Our coaches put us in a great position to win,” he said. “We executed part of what they told us but we let some of it slide and it cost us at the end.”