It might be cold comfort for the Whitehall Vikings after a 55-14
defeat to Unity Christian in Thursday's season opener, but coach Tony
Sigmon doesn't believe the score indicates how good his team still can
be in 2025.
"We're closer to playing like we have as an expectation than we are far
away," Sigmon said. "I think we can find a lot of success this season."
Offensively,
the Vikings moved the ball fairly well and had a few scoring chances
that didn't pay off. A nine-minute, 17-play drive that reached the red
zone ended in a disappointing missed field goal. Three other times
Whitehall got into Crusader territory and didn't score, one of those in
the red zone.
Those missed chances loomed even larger on a day
Unity's offense was humming, taking advantage of every out-of-position
Viking. The Crusaders touched the ball five times in the first half and
scored eight points each time, including a kickoff return for a score.
"You have to play assignment football against those guys, and the times we let
up, whether it was technique or concepts, seemed to be too much to
overcome," Sigmon said.
Of course, the Crusaders' own excellence couldn't be overlooked either.
"Let's not be silly; Unity Christian is an excellent program and they have an
excellent team," Sigmon said. "I don't want to say it was just about our mistakes. They'll make their own breaks."
The
day wasn't bereft of bright spots. New quarterback Cole Essebaggers
played a well-rounded statistical game, going 10-of-13 for 135 yards and
a touchdown without turning it over. He also ran for 43 yards. Liam
Leeke had a big night, with 113 yards rushing, and Hunter Osborne and
Corde Anderson combined for 132 yards receiving.
Whitehall
also played better defensively in the second half. Anderson and Hunter
Peterson led the defense with four tackles apiece.
The players
can also take heart in the fact that the Vikings dropped three
non-conference games a year ago and still had a successful season,
winning a district title. The challenge will be in not letting a rough
first week become a rough second one.
"Our kids can respond to (that) and say, 'Listen, we play elite competition for a
reason. That's because we feel there will be a benefit from it,'" Sigmon said. "We're
hoping that plays out throughout the course of the season.
