WARSAW – Warsaw football coach Phil Jensen has never been one to back down from a challenge.

That’s exactly the message that he conveyed to his team as he headed to the practice field this week to prepare for an opportunity to make history.

“Relish it, embrace it, don’t fear it,” said Jensen of his message as his squad readies to face No. 4 and perennial power Penn Friday night in a Class 6-A sectional finale.

“We have a great opportunity. We get to go out and practice in November and that’s special. We get to play another football game this Friday night, which half of the teams in the state do not get to do.

“It’s an opportunity to make history and win the first sectional for Warsaw football. That’s special. That’s an opportunity that has only presented itself a very few times for this program.”

Warsaw, sporting a 6-4 record, will have to play the role of David to slay Goliath Friday night. The Tigers are 0-10 all-time versus Penn, including 0-6 in playoff meetings. The Kingsmen, which are 9-1 overall, beat Warsaw 42-21 in their last meeting at Warsaw back in a 2012 sectional game.

Penn has piled up 23 sectional championships, tied for the fourth most in state history. The Kingsmen have won four straight sectional and regional titles and lost a 21-10 final to Carmel in a semistate game in 2016.

“None of our kids have ever played Penn,” noted Jensen, who is a 1983 Penn graduate and played tight end for legendary coach Chris Geesman at Penn. “This is all new to them. They are excited and want to play. This game has nothing to do with our past history with them. It’s 11 kids versus 11 kids out on the field Friday night.”

Penn coach Cory Yeoman, who has guided his team to nine straight wins this fall, also downplays the past.

“What’s happened in the past is in the past,” noted Yeoman, who also played for Geesman at Penn. “This is a new group on both sides. I can tell you that our kids will be focused on Warsaw come Friday night.”

Warsaw overcame a brutal start last week to rally past Chesterton 26-16 at home. The Tigers trailed 16-2 at halftime before scoring the game’s final 24 points. Penn avenged its lone loss of the season last Friday night as the Kingsmen blanked No. 5 Valparaiso 13-0 at Valparaiso. Penn had lost 12-7 at Valpo in the season opener.

The Tigers, who have won four of its last five games, are averaging 19.1 points-per-contest and have scored 20 or more in their last five games. Penn is allowing just 5.9 points-per-game and has given up a high of just 17 this season with four shutouts.

“Their defense is unbelievable,” said Jensen. “They are very aggressive. They make teams go sideways and then fly to the ball. They are also really aggressive in attacking the ball.”

“They are well coached and deep.”

Yeoman, who was an All-State defensive tackle at Penn and then later played at Miami of Ohio, is impressed with Warsaw’s skill people, starting with quarterback Tristan Larsh.

“The first thing is that their quarterback is a big kid who can fly,” said Yeoman of the Tigers. “He had great track speed. Both of their running backs are impressive and so is No. 5 (receiver Zach Riley).

The star piece of the Penn defense is Paul Moala. The standout defensive back made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame just last week. Moala, who is a beast on special teams, had a 36-yard touchdown reception in last week’s victory.

“Paul is special,” noted Yeoman, who graduated from Penn in 1980. “He’s a leader and a captain for us. A three-year starter. He just has great playmaking ability.”

“Everyone has bought in on our defense. They have the right fit. They play fast and they play team defense.”

Warsaw has faced the Kingsmen six prior times in the playoffs with the closest game being a 10-7 Kingsmen win in 2000. That year the Kingsmen went on to win their fifth state championship. Warsaw is also 0-4 in sectional title games, including a 52-27 loss to Homestead last year.

“We can’t turn the ball over,” said Jensen, who is 0-3 all-time in sectional finals at WCHS. “We can’t allow the big plays by them and we have to put points on the board when we have chances to do that.”

Jensen became the all-time winningest coach in Warsaw history with last week’s win. He is now 104-84 in his 18th season in two coaching stints (1996-2003, 2008-present) at WCHS. George Fisher, who coached from 1925-51, had 103 wins.

Warsaw is led by speedster Tristan Larsh. The senior signal caller is 68-132 passing for 730 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Larsh is the top rusher for the Tigers with 162 carries for 708 yards and nine touchdowns. Will McGarvey has 77 carries for 377 yards and four touchdowns and Bryce Garner has 101 carries for 359 yards and two scores. Zach Riley has 36 receptions for 456 yards and five touchdowns and Eli Owen 13 grabs for 124 yards.

McGarvey rushed for 77 yards and a pair of touchdowns last week. He returned to the lineup after being out since Sept. 15 due to a foot injury that required surgery.

Sophomore kicker Harrison Mevis is a key weapon for Warsaw. He has hit on 5-7 field goals and made 24 PAT kicks.

The Tiger defense, which is giving up 18.9 ppg., is paced by linebacker Lane McClone. Other top tacklers for Warsaw included Kendal Miller, Braden Weaver, Jack Tucker, Trenton Sands and John Culbertson. Riley and Blake Marsh each have three interceptions for the Tigers.

Yeoman, who is 163-31 in his 15th season as head coach,  has really liked how his team has responded from its loss in week one.

“My big concern this year was how would our senior leadership be,” said Yeoman, who lost 14 starters from last year’s 12-1 squad. “You never know what will happen until you have adversity. We had adversity in losing our first game this season, but our seniors got everyone on board.

“I’ve been very, very pleased with how this team has handled adversity. It’s been a day-to-day process, especially for our offense. But our kids have continued to improve.”

Sophomore Ryan Lynch directs the Penn offense, which is averaging 32.1 points-per-game. The 6-2 southpaw, who has committed to play baseball at Notre Dame, has flourished lately after suffering a concussion in the opener versus Valpo. Lynch was a key cog for the Penn baseball team this past spring as a freshman as he hit .350 with 26 RBI and went 7-0 on the mound with a 2.86 ERA as the Kingsmen were Class 4-A state runner-up.

The balanced Penn offense, which relies heavily on the run, is led by Ryan Whitman. The junior has 73 carries for 550 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lynch has 60 carries for 287 yards and is 66-110 passing for 963 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Senior Zach Usenick leads the receiving corps with 26 catches for 519 yards and six touchdowns.

Moala has returns two punts for touchdowns and a pair of kickoffs for scores this season. Defensive tackler James Morris, a 6-0, 230-pound junior, paces Penn in quarterback sacks (8.5), along with tackles for loss and quarterback pressures.

The Warsaw at Penn game, which kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. at TCU Freed Field, is the WHME-TV (Channel 46) Game of the Week. The contest will be shown at 11 p.m. Friday and again at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

The Warsaw-Penn winner plays Portage (5-5) or Crown Point (6-4) in a regional game on Nov. 10. Warsaw would host Portage or play at Crown Point. Penn would be at Portage or at Crown Point.