Winamac head coach Tim Roth joins his players to sing the Warrior fight song.

Warriors win for coach

As quarterback Jack DeGroot took a knee signaling the end of the 2016 regular football season, a flood of emotion cascaded across the Winamac sideline. The final outcome was a victory for the maroon and white, but that was a footnote for those players who left it all on the field in honoring the man who has patrolled the Winamac sideline for 36 years. 
In his final regular season game as a head coach, Tim Roth couldn’t have asked any more from his players who dug deep to beat a very good Delphi team 34-20. In the midst of senior night and losing their head coach at the end of this season, the Warriors overcame plenty of distractions to finish the season on a five-game winning streak heading into the sectional.
Senior Matt Shorter, who rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns, said the game was for the coach. “I don’t think we really played for the seniors as much as we played for coach Roth. Thursday was a real emotional day finding out he was retiring. All of us love him and it is hard to lose him. Our line stepped it up in the second half and we showed what we are made of. We knew we had a game like this in us.”
Winamac finished the regular season on a roll winning its last five games in a row to end the season with a 5-4 record, but it wouldn’t come easy. The grit and determination was put to the test as the hosts fell behind 13-0 with 8:55 left in the first half.
Roth has special memories of his 2017 class of seniors. “A great bunch of kids. They’ve been special since about sixth grade when they started. I hate to see them go but it’s a good class to go out with. I’m proud of what they’ve accomplished over their careers and hopefully they’re not done and we can maybe add a little more to the hardware showcase if we can play well the next three weeks and continue on, we’ll see. But we’ve got to take it one week at a time and make sure they understand that. It’s one week at a time and about taking care of business.”
After joining his team on the sideline for the singing of the Winamac fight song, coach Roth made his way to the north end zone to ring the Tyler W. Roth victory bell. His players watched as the coach grabbed the rope and never has the bell sounded so special, signifying a Warrior victory. With the 34 Winamac point total still glowing on the scoreboard, Tyler’s football number, it couldn’t have been a more fitting way for the coach to end his night.
“It’s the first time since he’s been gone that I’ve rang it,” Roth said of the victory bell. “It was special. He’s with us.”

See the full story in the Pulaski County Journal, available in print and e-edition.

Pulaski County Journal

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