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By Jenny Kirk

jkirk@marshallindependent.com

IVANHOE - Constant rain made conditions less than desirable for the Lincoln HI Rebels in a Pheasant Conference matchup against Wheaton Friday.

But while things did not go very well for the Rebels, the Wheaton Warriors found the end zone over and over again en route to a 34-0 victory.

"The rain made everything slippery," said LH head coach Barry Meyer. "It was equal for both teams though. It made tackling and running a lot harder, but I thought it was a pretty good game."

The Warriors took an early lead after touchdown runs from Wolfgang Brink and Riley Wilson in the first quarter. Brink also ran in the two-point conversion to give Wheaton a 14-0 advantage.

"You give up a couple of good plays and momentum swings their way," said Meyer. "You miss a tackle here and there and before you know it, the score is more than it should be."

In the second quarter, LH's Corey Fleahman broke up a would-be touchdown pass to bring up a fourth down for the Warriors. The Rebels took over, but went nowhere on the drive.

With 7:20 remaining, Brink scampered into the end zone again on a 12-yard run to give Wheaton a 20-0 edge.

"It was really cold and rainy," LH's Cody Ness said. "I think on defense we played pretty well. But a lot of times we would hit someone and then another guy would come in and hit and we'd just slide off the tackles. I think we played a lot better than what the score was because we missed some tackles."

The Rebels started on the 35-yard line in their next possession, but after a penalty, a run by Ness, a loss on a play and an incomplete pass, LH was forced to punt.

The Warriors took over at 3:40 and quickly moved the chains via a reception by Thomas Pederson. With 1:31 left, Brink found the end zone, but holding was called on the play, which brought up second and three for Wheaton.

After a second consecutive holding call on the Warriors, Brandon Silva tackled Curtis Coffman to keep him from scoring. But with 15 seconds left before halftime, quarterback Justin Lee connected with Brady Karsky to put up six points and grab a 26-0 lead.

"We came out with a win the first game of the season and then we played two good teams that were ranked in the top-10 in the state and lost to them," said Ness. "Our fourth game of the year, we should have won, but we didn't play very well. Our season is going okay, but there's room for improvement."

The Rebels came out fired up in the third quarter and quickly shut down the Warrior's drive. LH's Ryan Verschelde broke up a pass to Pederson to bring up fourth and 10, forcing Wheaton to punt.

Joey Bednarek returned the kick-off to the 32-yard line for the Rebels. Then LH had its best offensive surge of the game. Ness had three successful runs and Silva added a 15-yard run to move the Rebels downfield. But behind the arm of Dan Paluch, the Warriors' Adam Russell came up with an interception at 5:46.

"Sometimes we would move the ball pretty well on offense and then other times, we would just get stopped," said Ness. "We have to figure out a way to be more consistent."

The Rebels didn't quit and shut down Wheaton's next drive. LH took over with 3:16 remaining, but then fumbled on the first play.

"The rain dictated a little bit more of a running game," Meyer said. "You consider passing, but then you think about the weather. It made us question a few calls."

Wheaton didn't waste much time in the fourth quarter as Brink scored his third touchdown of the night at the 11:26 mark. With the two-point conversion run from Coffman, the Warriors took a commanding 34-0 lead and rode it out for the win.

Ness led the rushing attack for the Rebels with 87 yards on 14 carries. Ness also contributed eight tackles.

Fleahman was solid defensively for LH as he came up with 15 tackles. Silva earned nine tackles, while Trey Buchholz and Shawn Lietz each had five. Verschelde, Brandan Stynski and Joey Bednarek added three tackles apiece.

Next up, LH (1-4) hosts Hancock Friday, while Wheaton (4-1) matches up against Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley.

Wheaton14 12 0 8-34

LH0 0 0 0-0

First Quarter

W-Wolfgang Brink 2 run (Brink run good)

W-Riley Wilson 6 run (run failed)

Second Quarter

W-Brink 12 run (run failed)

W-Brady Karsky 1 run (run failed)

Fourth Quarter

W-Brink run (Curtis Coffman run good)

LH INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Cody Ness 14-87, Brandon Silva 8-26, Dan Paluch 1-12.

Tackles: Corey Fleahman 15, Silva 9, Ness 8, Trey Buchholz 5, Shawn Lietz 5, Ryan Verschelde 3, Brandan Stynski 3, Joey Bednarek 3.