North Side High School football coach Mike Brevard was doused by the water bucket, but that’s not why his eyes were watery.
The Legends’ incredible, improbable 52-49 win over Bishop Luers on Friday night at Luersfield finally gave Brevard the scoreboard validation for his relentless work building a North Side program nearly from scratch.
Brevard had coached 14 previous games in his young career and ended up with a loss in each one.
Friday night, it finally changed. It wasn’t easy. It was mentally exhausting. But it was sweet. Yes, tears of joy were definitely acceptable.
“When you consistently lose, it’s easy to lose the morale in the locker room,” Brevard said. “But these guys, they fought.”
I can’t imagine a more exhilarating and gut-wrenching game for a first career win. I can’t imagine a more unlikely scenario, either. North Side had scored a single touchdown in each of its first four games. One touchdown a game in a month of Fridays. They scored seven Friday night.
North junior running back Alex Holliday-Robinson was virtually unstoppable. His numbers were ridiculous: 34 carries, 328 yards and five touchdowns, including the game-winner with 2:29 left. Wayne quarterback Ronald Collins III served as the change-of-pace runner when Holliday-Robinson didn’t have the ball, and Collins rushed 18 times for 126 yards.
If North Side was going to break through for a win – and snap an overall 20-game losing streak – no one would have pegged it as being in a shootout with over 100 combined points.
“We have the athletes to do it if we could just get it rolling and get it on the same page,” Holliday-Robinson said.
“The past weeks, we just haven’t executed,” North Side senior offensive lineman Landon Clark said. “We were one block away, one miscommunication away from breaking a big play. This week, we finally executed and it popped and we went off for 52 points.”
North Side marched 75 yards in five plays for a touchdown on its opening possession, with Holliday-Robinson scoring after Collins’ 49-yard pass to Auntrail Franklin set everything up. It seemed stunningly easy. But sometimes offenses can put a defense on its heels in the first series.
“After that first series, I told them on the sidelines, ‘This is our night. We’re going to do it,’ ” Collins said.
The Legends kept doing it. Another two-yard touchdown run by Holliday-Robinson made it 14-0. A 60-yard Holliday-Robinson run made it 21-6, a Collins run made it 28-13, a 36-yard field goal by Braden West (who joined the team with the season in progress) made it 31-20 at halftime. That was more points for North in one half than the 30 points the Legends had scored, combined, in four previous games.
“They did a heck of a job play-calling and sticking with what was working,” Bishop Luers coach Kyle Lindsay said. “And that seemed to be everything he called.”
Luers’ offense put up its own ridiculous numbers, compiling 639 yards in total offense. Quarterback Norman Knapke completed 18 of 26 passes for 555 yards (yes, 555) and five touchdowns. His receivers: Jordan Presley had nine receptions, 211 yards, two scores; Jamic Johnson had five receptions, 149 yards, two scores; Nate Moore had eight receptions, 125 yards; and Cameron Hedgecock had four catches, 70 yards and a score.
Luers (3-2) took its first lead 49-45 with 6:12 left when Knapke hit Presley, who darted, cut, muscled, twisted and sprinted to the end zone.
“They still had six minutes, a lot of time left,” Lindsay said. “I can’t say I was tremendously confident of getting a stop there.”
North Side drove 65 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
Knapke then led Luers to the North Side 23-yard line in the final minute, but his fourth-down pass fell incomplete.
North Side players doused Brevard and a little water fell from his eyes, too.
“You just have that monkey on your back,” Brevard said. “It’s not like I inherited this up-and-going program. We had to build this from the ground up. We’re still building. A win is a win, but 24-hour rule. (Saturday), we hit the reset button and we’re ready for work.”
Brevard’s work has only just begun, but some weight is lifted with that first win in hand.
BISHOP DWENGER 34, CARROLL 14
The Saints remain unbeaten at 5-0 and while Carroll moved the ball (20 first downs, 290 passing yards), the Chargers managed only two scores.
Carroll scored first on a Gaven Vogt to Nathan Harrah pass, but Dwenger scored the next 21 points on a Alec LeShore fumble recovery, a T.J. Tippmann touchdown run and a Devon Tippmann touchdown run. After Carroll cut the lead to 21-14 in the third quarter on a 36-yard Vogt to Camdyn Childers touchdown pass, Dwenger pulled away with two fourth-quarter scores: a one-yard Hayden Ellinger run and a 39-yard Devon Tippmann run.
Devon Tippmann rushed 26 times for 197 yards to lead the way as Dwenger rushed for 330 yards. Sam Obergfell had eight tackles and two interceptions. Griffin Eifert also had an interception.
Carroll dropped to 2-3. Vogt was 18 of 28 for 235 yards and two scores. Rhett Saylor rushed 23 times for 79 yards. Childers had six catches for 102 yards. Maxton Green had seven tackles.
SNIDER 23, HOMESTEAD 7
When it comes to defense, the Panthers (4-1) are finding their way.
After leading 9-7 at halftime, Snider was able to seal the game by shutting out Homestead in the final two quarters and adding two five-yard touchdown runs by A’Nyis Lockett.
The Snider defense held Homestead to 183 yards and only 77 passing yards. Jake Archbold was 3-for-9 passing for 57 yards and Luke Goode was 3-for-7 pasing for 20 yards. What little success Homestead (2-3) had offensively came on the ground, with Braeden Hardwick rushing 18 times for 98 yards. Archbold’s first-half three-yard touchdown run was Homestead’s only score.
Snider’s Lockett had 28 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Snider quarterback Jon Barnes was 13 of 22 for 143 yards and a touchdown pass to Alonzo Derrick. Barnes also rushed for 61 yards on eight carries. Derrick caught four passes for 58 yards. Gianini Belizaire had eight tackles, with three sacks and three tackles for losses.
WAYNE 35, SOUTH SIDE 8
The Generals (4-1) remained tied for second with Snider after another solid win.
This is efficient: Craig Young caught four passes for 93 yards and they all went for touchdowns. Brandan Young was 12 of 20 for 201 yards and those four scores. Chris Thomas scored the Generals’ other touchdown on a 36-yard run. Tristan Pernell had eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Cameron Johnson also had 1.5 sacks.
South Side receiver Caleb Aquino caught five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown from quarterback Demere Clark. The Archers (0-5) were led on defense by Dylan Perryman, who had 10 tackles with four tackles for losses.
CONCORDIA 42, NORTHROP 30
Northrop jumped on top 14-0 in the first quarter, but Concordia found its rhythm as the game wore on to snare a much-needed win.
The Cadets (2-3) showed they are capable of producing big-time offense as Jake Byrd completed 14 of 27 passes for 255 yards and four touchdowns to four receivers: Kamari Anderson-Drew, Jeren Kindig, Amir Drew and Tyler Grossman. Grossman had seven receptions for 125 yards to lead the receivers. Amir Drew rushed for 74 yards.
Concordia also scored on a pick-sixes by Kameron Johnson and Luke Speckhard. Liam Fletcher had 14 tackles (12 solo) with four tackles for loss and a sack. Logan Cox also had an interception.
Northrop dropped to 2-3. Bailey Meerzo completed 10 of 22 passes for 197 yards and touchdowns to Amarion Green and Qualen Pettus. Davieun Berry caught six passes for 106 yards and Pettus had three receptions for 91 yards. Jeremiah Green rushed 15 times for 93 yard and two touchdowns. Jaden Smith led the team with seven tackles.
