17-7 Lead disappears in one quarter Waukee loses 20-17 to rival Northwest

Waukee coming off a massive 35-7 victory against Ames walked into Northwest expecting a victory in the first varsity matchup between these local rivals. It made sense to expect a Waukee victory especially considering Northwest was coming off a defeat in their opening game against Johnston in week one 23-17. Walking into the stadium there was a clear feeling of a rivalry game as both Waukee and Northwest fans packed the stands in preparation for the first varsity matchup between inter-city rivals. Before the game even began the crowd was roaring with excitement on both sides. 

When the game started it felt like there were nerves taking hold for both teams as the offenses for Waukee and Northwest looked sloppy but ultimately by the end of the first half, Waukee had the better of the Wolves taking a lead into halftime. Coming out of halftime things were looking very good for the Warriors, but multiple crucial errors and even Sunny Salkic getting ejected from the game ultimately contributed to Waukee’s downfall and defeat 20-17. 

Salkic’s ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct, along with other calls from the officials, prompted criticism from Warrior fans. “Waukee vs. the Refs, honestly,” said a Waukee supporter in the student section, believing that the officials were to blame for the defeat against Northwest. While yes there were harsh calls it is unfair to say that the whole defeat is on the officials. If you go into the 4th Quarter up 17-7 and then lose 20-17 then there are multiple things contributing to that defeat not just the refs.

We also reached out to Waukee head coach Gabe Bakker for a comment regarding the game. We asked Bakker who or what was to blame for the defeat, and he had this as a response: “First of all, we have to give Northwest credit for making the plays necessary to win in the fourth quarter of our game.  It was a great football game between two good teams who fought until the end.  The biggest thing our team needs to do is finish the game the way we played in the first half.  We’ll learn from it!”

We also asked Bakker for comments regarding the officiating during the game. “We communicate with our team that we can not let officiating be the reason we win or lose a game,” he said. “We try to focus on ourselves and not worry about what the officials do or do not call.  We had some opportunities during that game that we need to capitalize on in the future in order to win close ballgames.”