Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

DOVER — Western Boone knows they have work to do to get to where they want to be. But while it isn't a finished product, the Stars are finding ways to get the job down. The Stars jumped out to a 35-7 lead in the first half and cruised to a 42-14 win over Crawfordsville. "We had several self inflicted errors," Western Boone head coach Justin Pelley said. "If we are going to win big games, we have to clean that up. They are little things that we harp on all the time that you have to do well in big games." Western Boone jumped to a 21-0 first quarter lead. Star quarterback Brandon Potter found the end-zone on a 1-yard run on the opening drive of the game, which was set up by a 38-yard run from Klyde McKeighan. Western Boone added a score on its second drive behind an 11-yard run from Mason Tomes. A Cannon Brunes 29-yard catch and run from Potter made it 21-0 after a quarter. “Situationally, we didn’t play well on third down. Couple third and long they convert, those are just back-breakers,” second-year Crawfordsville coach Brad Clark said. “I was disappointed in our tackling effort tonight. We got guys there, and credit to them, they refuse to go down and churn out a lot of big plays and tough yards.” Western Boone totaled 256 rushing yards on 38 carries for the game, including 194 in the first half. Brunes led the way with 66 yards on eight carries, while Jacob Smith had 54 yards on six rushes. Crawfordsville’s best stretch came in the second quarter. The Athenian defense made two stops to get off the field, and a 60-yard Ethan McLemore touchdown made it 21-7, but the Stars responded with a pick-six from Dylan Sheets and a late score from Luke Jackson to make it 35-7 at the half. "They had the big play and then stopped us on the next drive," Pelley said. "Our kids responded after that and we needed that at that time. That helped, but we have to get better in the secondary if we are going to win big games." McLemore added a 64-yard touchdown reception in the second half. The senior caught five passes for 165 yards. Kaden Patton was 11-of-22 passing for 212 yards. Crawfordsville totaled just eight rushing yards on 14 carries. “We thought spreading it out would help open up some of the running lanes inside and it just didn’t happen,” Clark said. “They’re sound and they fly to the football. We’ve got to find a way to take some pressure off our pass game. We’ve got to find some ways to move the football.” Crawfordsville is now 0-3, and will host Danville next week, while 3-0 Western Boone will host Tri-West. "We have to try and keep the ball on the ground, keep it from them and use ball control," Pelley said. "That's what we have been known for. We'll throw it around if we have to, but if we can keep the ball on the ground and keep the clock running that's in our best interest." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.