Vina survives Waterloo 16-14 to secure fifth win of season

The Vina High School football team picked up its fifth win of the 2024 campaign on Friday night, surviving a tough battle at home against region rival Waterloo Cougars 16-14 to improve to 5-2 and 3-2 in Class 1A Region 7 play.

A 42-32 victory over Waterloo to finish the 2023 season was the catalyst and the first of a five-game winning streak the Red Devils carried over to start the year. Vina, still in the hunt for a playoff spot, knew going into the game that the result against Waterloo would again be vital.

“Before the game I was letting them know what was at stake,” Vina head coach Cody Renfrow said. “We feel like we’re on the doorstep of having one of the most successful seasons this program has had in decades.

“We’re still fighting for the playoffs and every game is important if we’re going to have a chance to earn one of those spots. We really treated this game like a must-win,” Renfrow added.

The all-important victory would not be a gimme, though—Vina had to earn it in what turned out to be a defensive battle between the Red Devils and Cougars. Unable to keep offensive momentum or find the endzone in the opening 24 minutes, Vina trailed 8-0 at the halftime break.

“We were getting into the redzone, but we just couldn’t sustain drives,” Renfrow said. “We ended up with three 100-yard rushers (Christian McCarley, Trevor Baker, and Cai Lawler), but in the first half we just couldn’t finish.

“Credit to Waterloo. They came ready to play. They scored on their first possession and then we kinda settled in defensively,” Renfrow added. “Offensively, we would get into the redzone but whether it be penalties or whatever it may be, we just couldn’t finish drives off.”

As is typically the case in tight games, the halftime intermission played a crucial role. The Red Devils regrouped during the break and readjusted to what they were seeing from the Cougars.

“At halftime we made some adjustments offensively to our running game and run blocking and it paid off,” Renfrow said. “That’s a credit to our staff and our kids for making those adjustments going into the second half.”

Vina only had three possessions in the second half, but the Red Devils made them count, scoring touchdowns on two of them. Senior Trevor Baker scored both.

“We were still able to move the ball effectively in the second half, but the difference was we were able to finish off drives,” Renfrow said.

Up 16-8 the Vina defense continued to play its part and kept the Cougars from scoring again until late. Waterloo’s touchdown cut Vina’s advantage to 16-14 after the failed two-point conversion. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Vina to seal the win for the hosts.

Beating Waterloo, Vina sits at 3-2 in Region 7 and is currently tied with its next opponent, Addison, in the region standings. The upcoming game against the Bulldogs is Vina’s penultimate region contest and the outcome could very well decide the Red Devils’ playoff fate.

“Our message is really to just keep going and playing our game,” Renfrow said. “We play on the road at Addison next, which is a really solid program. We know it’s going to be a tough game, but we feel like if we continue to play our game then we can be successful.”