After a trio of lopsided victories, Whitwell coach Randall Boldin still had some doubts that he knew would be resolved Friday night.
Going against a Class 3A foe in Signal Mountain, Boldin knew this would be a litmus test for the rest of the Tigers’ season against Class 1A opposition.
The Tigers put Boldin’s mind at ease thanks to a dominant ground attack, defeating the host Eagles 41-10. In doing so, Whitwell uncovered another potent option in its offensive attack.
Senior running back Josh Wingo slashed Signal Mountain for 291 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns, part of the Tigers’ 396 rushing yards.
Whitwell (4-0) scored on six of seven possessions bridging the second and third quarters, with the first half ending the one series that didn’t produce points.
The Tigers amassed 518 total yards as quarterback Warner Ashworth expertly commanded the spread attack with efficiency.
“I thought Warner did a great job protecting the football and running our offense,” Boldin said. “It was good to see us get more than three solid quarters out of our starters because I wasn’t sure how our stamina would hold up.”
Wingo had entered the contest sharing carries with fellow senior Hudson Petty, who finished with 66 yards on 11 tries and two touchdowns. But the Eagles’ inability to slow Wingo led Boldin to keep calling his number.
“He had only been averaging about four or five carries a game, so this was sort of a breakout game for Josh,” Boldin said. “I know now he’s going to expect to get his share of the carries from now on.”
Signal Mountain (0-4) was able to tally a couple of scores in the second quarter to trail 21-10 at halftime. However, the Whitwell defense held the Eagles to 46 yards in the second half.
Andrew Eichner led the Eagles with 54 yards on 18 carries, while quarterback Drew Lowry passed for 110 yards, including a 36-yard scoring strike to Malone Howley.
Contact Paul Payne at sports@timesfreepress.com.