Warsaw Tigers look for revenge from last year's 1-point loss in OT to Plymouth Rockies

WARSAW, Ind. -- This Friday marks another week of high school football in Michiana.   

This week, ABC57 viewers chose a strong contest for this week's Game of the Week, Warsaw vs. Plymouth. 

Last year, this matchup came down to just one point in overtime.

Warsaw Head Coach Bart Curtis tells ABC57 this week is crucial in order to achieve another State Championship appearance.

"Half the teams in the state of Indiana's seasons are half over, we certainly don't want to be one of those," says Curtis.

Last year's 5A State Championship Runners-up have their eyes on a trip to Indianapolis once again, but as Curtis knows all too well from his four decades of coaching, aiming for repeat success comes with an added layer of pressure.

"Sometimes when you're coming off a season where things have gone well, it's easy to carry that over and believe that it's just going to happen, and it doesn't just happen," says Curtis.

The Tigers were left licking their wounds in practice this week following a 38-7 loss to offensive juggernaut Concord, which was a bit of an unexpected turnout for two teams that were both holding 3-1 records going into it.

The game highlighted a need to toughen up the defense on Warsaw's end.

"You can't miss 33 tackles against a team like Concord and expect to have any other results than what we got last Friday," Curtis explains.

On the offensive side, Curtis highlights standouts like junior running back Tucker Reed who has game-changing speed, and senior quarterback Quinton Brock who Curtis says hasn't yet reached his full potential.

"He's got an arm although we haven't protected him long enough to find out how his arm is because he's constantly on the run when we do throw," says Curtis.

Despite being a smaller senior class this year, Curtis says youth doesn't excuse performance. If they don't bite as pups, they won't bite as full-grown dogs.

"We expect our kids to, regardless of the age, whether you're a sophomore, junior, or senior, to compete, to get better, and really buy into what we're doing," Curtis explains.

He wants his players to perfect all the little things with an 'Any Day, Any Play' philosophy.

"You don't know if the next play is going to be the one that determines the outcome of the game," says Curtis. "You don't know during practice if you're going to practice in a manner that if you take a play off, is that going to cost you Friday night? You don't know." 

That's especially on top of mind when sizing up this week's opponent, the Plymouth Rockies.

In last year's game, the Rockies were able to clinch a 33-32 win in overtime.

Curtis knows it'll be stiff competition once again, but even more with themselves, as they look to avoid a 3-3 record to end Week 6.

"They've got guys that can play the game of football and if we're not at our best, it won't be a good night," says Curtis.