Wayne High School senior Craig Young was up, he was down, he was thrilled, he was agitated and – in the end – he was in the right place at the right time.
Young moved from his usual defensive end spot to outside linebacker on Northrop’s late-game two-point conversion attempt and helped thwart Bailey Meerzo’s pass attempt to Adrian Sewell.
“Coach needed me at outside backer to lock up the No. 2 receiver and play the zone, and we shut the play down there and won the game,” Young said.
The result: Wayne escaped with a 41-40 win at home Friday and improved to 2-1 in the biggest early-season logjam in the Summit Athletic Conference in recent memory.
Bishop Dwenger sits at the top at 3-0, with Wayne, Carroll, Bishop Luers, Homestead and Snider at 2-1.
All the teams at the top have playmakers capable of dominating a highlight reel. All the teams at the top have flaws.
Chances are, this season’s SAC race will end up turning on a single play from a single game. The fact is, we don’t know which game or which play will be the one that tips the balance.
Northrop coach Jason Doeffler thought that play might have been there for the taking for the Bruins. They had survived some big-time Wayne plays – including two Brandan Young to Craig Young 54-yard touchdown passes. They had come back from three touchdowns down. They had delivered the defensive plays to give their offense one last drive in the final five minutes.
So after Meerzo hit Davieun Berry for a touchdown with 90 seconds to play, Doerffler called for the two-point conversion.
“There was never any doubt,” Doerffler said of the call. “We came here to win the game and we told them that all week. There was no hesitation.”
Sewell went in motion, left to right. Meerzo rolled right and tried to hit Sewell but Craig Young’s 6-foot-5 frame forced Meerzo to try to throw over him and the pass failed.
“We got the look we wanted,” Doerffler said. “Craig Young was out there, he’s usually a defensive end and they played him at outside linebacker and he made a great play. That’s a tough loss for us.”
Wayne coach Derrick Moore said he called for Young to shift positions before the play.
“We saw on film they run that boot, that pick play, and I know (Young) is probably the only guy athletic enough to stay outside and make a play on the ball,” Moore said.
The Generals finally exhaled from a wild ride that displayed the team’s resilience and balanced offense, with periodic displays of big-play defense.
Craig Young, the Ohio State recruit, caught three passes for 113 yards with the two scores.
He hadn’t reached the end zone in the first two games.
“I was very excited,” Young said. “I had the mindset it was Game 3 and I had no touchdowns. I had to come out with a breakout game, and that’s what I did.”
KeShaun Fields rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown. Brandan Young also ran for a score, and was 5-of-9 passing for 129 yards and three scores. His other TD pass was to Dre Walton. Ronald Elliot had a 78-yard kick return score. Tristan Pernell had 15 tackles (seven solo), 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss.
After losing 22-0 to Dwenger in the slop in Week 1, Wayne’s offense has been gaining momentum.
“I think we saw another phase of our offense tonight,” Moore said.
Northrop (1-2) doesn’t seem that far behind. The Bruins put up 332 total yards, with Meerzo completing 15 of 32 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns (two to Berry, one to Qualen Pettus). Berry caught nine passes for 140 yards and returned a kickoff 80 yards for a score. Jeremiah Green scored twice on the ground.
“Our line tonight was the best I’ve ever seen them play,” Meerzo said. “It all revolves around them.”
Meerzo acknowledged what seems to be the predominant theme this season: The SAC is up for grabs, and predicting it could be futile.
“I feel like everybody has a chance,” Meerzo said. “It’s anybody’s game this year.”
BISHOP LUERS 38, HOMESTEAD 36
The Knights have a history of using their SAC battles to prepare for bigger things in the postseason when they play schools their own size.
With wins this year over Carroll and now Homestead, they are well on their way to great fine-tuning, as well as the heart of the SAC race.
Leading 35-17 entering the fourth quarter, Luers saw its lead evaporate completely as Homestead scored 19 fourth-quarter points and consecutive touchdown runs by Jake Archbold put the Spartans ahead 36-35.
Luers’ game-winner came on a 29-yard field goal by Carter Drake, a 5-foot-8, 139-pound junior, on the final play.
Maybe that kick will be the play that sways the SAC.
Big individual nights for the Knights: Norman Knapke completed 15 of 22 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns. Jordan Presley rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 67 yards and a score. Jamic Johnson caught seven passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
Homestead’s quarterback duo of Archbold and Luke Goode lit it up again, combining for 414 yards passing (Archbold 18 of 29 for 259 yards and Goode 11 of 16 for 155 yards). Archbold also rushed for 126 yards. Three Homestead receivers broke 100 yards receiving: Conrad Keszei (10 receptions, 102 yards), Griffin Little (9 receptions, 166 yards, one touchdown) and Trevin Taylor (7 receptions, 113 yards). Cam Shannon had a 93-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Homestead compiled 622 yards (414 passing, 208 rushing) and lost. That might be a first.
SNIDER 37, CONCORDIA 7
After perennial SAC favorite Snider was thumped by Carroll last week, some attitude adjustments were in order.
It was, to say the least, a rousing success.
Snider put up 498 total yards on the Cadets, who battled Homestead to the wire a week earlier.
The big Snider numbers were everywhere, especially in dominating the line of scrimmage for five rushing touchdown. A’nyis Lockett rushed 23 times for 131 yards and two scores, Lenny Bennett rushed 11 times for 96 yard and a score. Jon Barnes had a 44-yard touchdown run and Jasuan Lambert had a one-yard touchdown run.
On defense, defensive end Tavareon Scott led the way with two sacks and two tackles for loss. He helped harass Concordia quarterback Jake Byrd into a 5-for-20 passing night for 95 yards with two interceptions. Byrd threw one touchdown, a 40-yarder to Kamari Anderson-Drew, who was held to two receptions for 46 yards.
BISHOP DWENGER 47, SOUTH SIDE 20
Bishop Dwenger just keeps taking care of business.
The individual numbers aren’t necessarily flashy, but the team as a collective gets the job done. The Saints were up 34-0 at halftime on five touchdown runs: Two by TJ McGarry and one apiece by T.J. Tippmann, Lucas Krohn and Brenden Lytle. Tippmann led the team in rushing with eight carries for 62 yards. Patrick O’Keefe was 8-of-14 for 66 yards.
South Side finally got on the scoreboard this season with a 94-yard kickoff return touchdown by Greg Humphrey. They also generated some late offense, with Demere Clark throwing touchdown passes to Everett Merritt (30 yards) and Omar Jackson (14 yards). Clark was 9-of-16 passing for 134 yards.
Dwenger’s defense held South to minus-11 yards rushing.
CARROLL 51, NORTH SIDE 8
You could say Carroll gained a lot of confidence in its win over Snider a week ago.
The Chargers’ offense delivered the goods, and more, against North Side. Quarterback Gaven Vogt completed 15 of 18 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns and he also rushed for 49 yards and a score.
Vogt’s top target: Camdyn Childers with 10 receptions for 253 yards and all four of those touchdown passes. Nine of Childers receptions went for first downs or touchdowns. His TD catches were 49, 6, 29 and 17 yards.
Maxton Green had eight solo tackles, including a sack, for the Chargers and Terell Griffin had four sacks.
North Side’s Ronald Collins III threw a touchdown pass to Auntral Franklin for the Legends’ score. Alex Holliday-Robinson rushed 17 times for 63 yards and Daniel Olds 10 times for 61 yards. Jalen Harris and Quincy Moore had six tackles apiece.
