Jasper football could've made excuses. Instead, the Wildcats turned their season around

EVANSVILLE — It’s amazing how the outlook of a high school football season can change in a short time.

Just ask Jasper coach Tony Lewis. A few weeks ago, the Wildcats were a shell of their former selves. Three losses in four games. An injury report reaching double digits. The excuses could have piled up.

But with the postseason looming, what is the outlook now? For one, Jasper is improving. A roster nearly at full health. More importantly, the Wildcats are winning. That could be a tough proposition for those on the other sideline going forward.

Jasper has won four of its last five games following a 20-10 victory over North on Friday. Far from perfect – may we never speak of that first half again – but the result still counts the same. The Wildcats are inching closer to their best football.

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“We’ve been handling a lot of hard (situations) better,” said Lewis. “We’ve had a lot of injuries and thank goodness we’ve had enough depth and perseverance. If we do the little things right, play together and be physical then we’ll give ourselves an opportunity in some really tough places to play.”

It bears repeating the position Jasper found itself in. There was a turnover-filled loss to Harrison. A humbling defeat to Reitz. A struggle against Mater Dei. The Wildcats were 2-3 with games against three ranked opponents still on the schedule.

What has transpired since appears to be closer to the actual Jasper team. A shutout win followed by a wild overtime victory at Castle. Now a road triumph featuring a strong defensive effort against one of the top rushing teams in the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference.

The reasoning appears simple. Jasper is close to full strength. With it comes confidence.

“Our full team we have firepower,” said senior Bralen Bair. “We can do great things with our full team. We went through a stretch where we got hurt. We’re back and ready to play.”

The win against North is the perfect case study of how this season has gone for Jasper. The first half was bleak for both sides. The Huskies led 3-0 with only 158 total yards combined. The Wildcats had one first down. Lewis compared it to the Colts-Broncos performance, a 12-9 overtime game, on Thursday night.

But the second-half version of Jasper was a solid, winning team. Bair, who missed four games with an MCL injury, scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. The defense kept North (4-4) off the scoreboard until the final minute and only surrendered 26 yards in the second half. Angelo St. Louis, one of the top runners in the area, only had four yards after the break.

What changed?

“We didn’t want to be the Colts in the second half,” Lewis joked. “We wanted to hit them inside early. Once they start constricting in, then we felt we could get the ball outside. Bralen made some big runs. A lot of credit goes to our offensive line. Sometimes, it takes us a while. Our kids played extremely hard defensively.”

The Wildcats (5-3) are still without their original starting quarterback Grant Young. But the emergence of his backup helped spark this midseason turnaround. He also played a critical role in this victory.

Max Bueltel has now won four of his five games as the Jasper quarterback. His second half against North was near perfect. The freshman sparked the offense with a 67-yard run in the third to set up a Jayce Perkins touchdown. He later found Bair on fourth down, a roll out to his left, during a fourth-quarter drive that effectively put the victory on ice.

Bueltel finished with a team-high 79 yards rushing even though he was never meant to see the field this fall. The injury to Young and early struggles forced the Wildcats’ hand. He’s done his part to get Jasper back on track. The program found its quarterback of the future.

“The game is slowing down for me,” said Bueltel. “It’s getting easier as it goes. We brought good energy (in the second half) and good play-calling. We’re all coming together as a team and getting better.”

“He is really smart for a freshman,” added Bair. “He is the smartest player on the field. We make him feel bigger than he is. (Max) has filled the role great. He’s a really good team player.”

One game on its own doesn't make or break a season. The Wildcats will find plenty to correct upon dissection. But this past month, especially these last two weeks, showed they’re closer than others realized.

If Jasper continues to improve, it shouldn’t be a stretch to consider it a sectional contender. The favorite? No. That designation will rightfully belong to undefeated conference champion Reitz. The Wildcats may not even be the second choice to some. Memorial or Boonville will both have a say depending on the outcome of the sectional draw.

But would anyone want to face Jasper? The longer this stretch of play goes, we may have an answer.

“Our kids’ confidence is going up with each win,” said Lewis. “They understand if we’re physical then we’ll give ourselves an opportunity. We’re improving weekly. We haven’t peaked yet and hopefully, we can play even better next week against Vincennes.”

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Indiana high school football: Jasper wins over Evansville North