St. Ansgar frustrates Warhawks in district opener

Regardless of it’s sports or life itself, you either win or you learn. The past two weeks have been a harsh learning experience for the West Fork football team.

The Warhawks had a hard time getting things going for the second straight week, as St. Ansgar handed West Fork a 67-0 setback in a Class A-District 2 last Friday at the West Fork Football Complex in Sheffield.

The Saints jumped out to a 20-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, and by halftime, established a 47-0 advantage. St. Ansgar never looked back after the break, scoring 14 points in the third quarter and tacking on six points in the final period.

West Fork fell to 0-2 overall and 0-1 in district play to start the 2021 season, while the Saints improved to 1-1 and 1-0 in Class A-District 2.

The Warhawks will hit the road for the first time this year, heading to Greene to face North Butler at 7 p.m. on Friday at the North Butler Athletics Complex. The Bearcats (2-0) defeated North Union, 34-14, last Friday in Armstrong.

The Saints will host North Union (1-1) on Friday in St. Ansgar.

Senior Jaxon Mclemore paced the Warhawks, picking up 29 yards on seven carries and seven yards on one reception.

Junior Trevor Guritz had trouble against the Saints, going 1-of-17 for seven yards and three interceptions. However, Guritz did churn out 17 yards on 12 rushing attempts.

Junior Josiah Chibambo led the West Fork defense with 11.5 tackles and nine solo tackles. Senior Dakota Lau picked up six and a half tackles, five of which were solo tackles.

Senior Griffin Carlson, who reeled in two interceptions for touchdowns against the Warhawks, led St. Ansgar.

Junior quarterback Tate Mayer passed for a touchdown on one attempt, and rushed for 64 yards and another score on just five carries. On defense, Mayer captured an interception.