If
you were wanting to write a story about high school football in Ohio,
then Friday nights game in Lewisburg between North and Troy Christian
was the place to be. A player is crowned the homecoming king
then goes on to score the first two touchdowns of the game for the
home team, Next he goes on to intercept not 1 but 2 passes -
the last interception ending any hopes of a comeback by the visiting
team. North's Logan Elmore was the epitome of a home town hero
as he did all of the above in just one nights work. Lane Gunder
took over the scoring for North in the second half as he scored 3
times to cement the North victory 41-28. But we are not
finished - it was a noteworthy night for coach Derringer as well - he
recorded his 100th win and was honored by the school with a plaque at
the end of the game. High school football does not get much
better than this.
Unlike
last week's dismal conditions, it was a crisp, clear fall night.
Both offenses were mirror images of one another – good running
backs that can break out for large chunks of yardage and quarterbacks
that could air it out and chuck the ball downfield. And at first it
looked like the game would be a track meet between the two teams with
offenses barreling up and down the field with ease in the first
quarter.
A
total of 5 touchdowns were scored in the first 12 minutes by the two
teams. The Eagles only needed 3 plays to get their 2 touchdowns
while North had to work only slightly harder. Late in the 1st
quarter, North adjusted their defense and finally held the Eagles and
forced them to punt.
And
that set the tone for the 2nd quarter where surprisingly
neither team scored. Both teams moved the ball, but turnovers
affected both teams. North held on a critical 4th down
play late in the 1st half with the Eagles at about the 6
yard line. When the Eagles attempted to pass the ball was deflected
by the North secondary and thus ended their attempt to tie the game.
Both
offenses adjusted after halftime. The Eagles utilized their air
attack since North was doing a good job of stopping the run. And a
beat up North squad relied on their quarterback, Lane Gunder, to help
provide offense. He moved the ball with his arm and also tucked and
ran the ball several times to keep drives alive. And in the last
quarter a noticeably limping Garrett Woodyard returned to the field
and pounded the ball in between the tackles to eat up clock and
provide yardage for North's last 2 scores.
The
Eagles scored quickly in the third quarter to tie the game. And
after each of their second half scores, they did an onsides kick
which North's special teams covered. So this gave North a short
field to work with. Their offense methodically moved the ball down
the field and scored. Troy Christian had one last gasp late the game
with about 2 minutes left. They had advanced the ball into North
territory and were hoping for a quick score and then to roll the dice
with another onsides kick in hopes of getting the ball back for a
hail Mary pass. But Elmore rose to the occasion once again and
intercepted an Eagles pass to seal the win for the Panthers.
Scoring
Summary for North - Logan Elmore had a tremendous first quarter
scoring 2 rushing touchdowns – both of which were set up by him.
One on a 46 yard catch that put north in scoring positon and the
other on a kick off return to the 22 yard line of Troy Christian.
Garrett Woodyard caught a pass for the 3rd Panther score
and Colton Overholtz caught a 2 point conversion attempt to make up
for a missed PAT earlier. Gunder scored on quarterback keepers for
all 3 2nd half scores.
An
ecstatic coach Derringer spoke after the game, “There wasn't much
defense out there tonight, both offenses just had their way. We just
couldn't stop them. We had to fight for everything we got. It shows
that we have to shore up our pass protection. As the game went on we
got a little better but that something we have to work on for next
week. ”
He
commented on the offense and defense, “On the other hand, we moved
the ball well on them. They couldn't stop us – we did not punt
once. We had some turnovers and that stopped some of our drives.
But if you like a lot of offense, well tonight was a good game to
watch. On defense, our linebackers were able to disrupt their offense
somewhat, but their plan in the second half to pass more worked well
for them. They blocked our line well and that gave them time to find
open receivers.
He
continued, “We have to get healthy. We had some of our starting
guys have to come out. It really alters what we are trying to do
when we have to go to our bench. We knew that this was a big game
coming in here. Not only because of homecoming, but we needed to
bounce back after last weeks devastating loss. We have to keep this
momentum going for the next 3 weeks and then see what happens. ”
The
100th win - “I had one man come up to me and say that he
was here for my 1st win and for my 100th –
that meant a lot to me. I have been blessed to be able to coach a lot
of really good young men over the years. But its more than football
it's about trying to make them into good young men. “
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