Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

Western Boone falls to 0-2 on the season and felt like they let one slip away after the game. "We had a chance to win, we just didn't make the plays we needed to," Western Boone head coach Justin Pelley said. "There were probably three or four plays that turned it. I am proud of our kids, we had seven guys going both ways, they have one, and we did everything we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win the game." The disappointing part for the Stars came from feeling like they beat themselves in key moments. The opening drive of the game ended with a fumble due to miscommunication, and they were unable to execute the fourth down play at the end the way they wanted to. Pelley said part of it comes from playing two quarterbacks who are also playing snaps on defense, so they don't get all the reps in the practice. But that is also something that won't be changing. "That is something we are going to have to work through - being comfortable with the clock, being comfortable with checks and things like that," Pelley said. "It bit us tonight for sure." Lebanon took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a 20-yard pass from Linton to Ace Goodnight. The Stars tied the game on a 3-yard run from Luke Shirley in the second quarter, before Waite scored on an 11-yard run late in the half. Just when it looked like Lebanon was going to go into the locker room with the halftime lead, WeBo struck with a double-reverse flea flicker for a touchdown, with Nicley connecting with Nate Thompson for a 58-yard touchdown. After Lebanon missed a field goal on the opening drive of the second half, Western Boone took a 21-14 lead on a 15-yard run from Quinn Westerfeld to set up the final quarter. Nicley was 5-5 for 76 yards, with Westerfeld going 4-4 for 46. Westerfeld added 30 yards rushing, with Jack Mallory having 14 carries for 42 yards. Linton completed 17 of 24 passes for 201 yards. Tannon Monden caught nine passes for 141 yards. Waite rushed 26 times for 152 yards and two scores. Western Boone starts conference play next Friday at Crawfordsville. Despite the 0-2 start to the year, Pelley said the Stars have learned a lot from the first two weeks. "I want to know where we are, and I think I do," Pelley said. "I thought we rose to the occasion today playing against a county rival. We didn't back down, we were in the game. Our kids played physical, they didn't quit and I would rather play in this game tonight then win a game 50-0." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on X @Will_Willems.