***This story was written by Kendall Vincent, a participant in the Kewanee Voice Student Journalism Program funded by the Harry Anderson Memorial Trust.
The Annawan homecoming game on Friday night ended in disappointment as the Annawan-Wethersfield Titans fell 13-26 to the Rushville-Industry Rockets.
Despite the festive atmosphere for Annawan’s homecoming, the team’s defensive collapse overshadowed what was a slow start.
The Titans ignited the crowd with an early 7-0 lead, thanks to a standout drive capped by a touchdown and extra point. Quarterback Maddox Heitzler was quick to make that drive, followed by Jonathan Torres to secure the extra point. However, the Rockets quickly equalized with a touchdown of their own.
The first half continued to be a competitive back-and-forth, but Rushville-Industry managed to pull ahead before halftime. Titan defensive players made several stops, but they struggled to contain the Rockets’ aggressive offense.
The second half proved to be a challenging period for the Titans. Rushville-Industry capitalized on defensive lapses, scoring two more touchdowns to extend their lead. Despite a late touchdown from running back Devon Horrie, the Titans were unable to gain momentum again.
The defeat was a significant setback on a night meant for celebration.
“Against a team that controls the clock like Rushville, we can’t shoot ourselves in the foot and turn the ball over offensively and we did that a couple times Friday,” Coach Tony Gripp said. “We also got them behind the sticks in a couple fourth downs and on one they broke through and scored and on the other they fumbled and picked it up on a broken play which is just bad luck. Nothing was going our way defensively.”
Although the outcome was not what they wanted, Coach Gripp had no doubt that the boys gave their best efforts.
The Titans are set to focus on improvements and bounce back with renewed determination.
