Homestead at Northrop
Final Score: 43-6 Homestead
It definitely felt like football season in Fort Wayne last night. A cool, fall-like day led to beautiful evening weather in the area. It was the perfect night for high school football, as teams all over kicked-off for the first time this year.
At Spuller Stadium the festivities got started by celebrating the 1999 Bruins football team that finished 12-2 and won a regional title to go along with a conference title. It was a special team and one that was deserving of being honored with this being its 20th anniversary.
Northrop was hoping they could channel some of the magic of that team on Friday. However, Homestead had its own plans. The visiting Spartan students were loud and active the entire game. Perhaps this gave the away team the energy it needed to win the game.
Homestead’s defense got after it first, forcing Northrop to punt from their own end zone early on. The Northrop punter mishandled a low snap and it bounced into the end zone for a rare safety. After that, the Spartans went on a major run on both offense and defense, allowing only 1 touchdown and getting 4 of their own before the half ended.
In the second half, things got a little heated, but nothing major. Penalties were also abundant in this game for both teams, which is to be expected in just the first game. 4 of Northrop’s 11 first downs were a result of penalties. Homestead would go on to score two more touchdowns and win the game by a score of 43-6.
“This whole process is a stepping stone and this is the first step in our goal. We got to make sure we continue to improve each week and if we can do that we’ll be in good shape,” said Spartans head coach Chad Zolman.
While Homestead will look to get better as the season moves along, they looked very good on Friday. Luke Goode threw for 262 yds. and 4 TDs, completing about 56% of his passes. Braeden Hardwick rushed for 113 yds. and 2 TDs. While Jake Archbold and Cam Rogers were great on defense they were just as effective on offense. Archbold had 2 TDs and Rogers had 1 TD paired with 77 rec. yds.
Speaking of the defense, Homestead was able to limit the production of Northrop’s star players. RB Jeremiah Green only had 32 yds. on the ground and WR Qualen Pettus only had 2 receptions. By taking away Northrop’s main weapons, QB Dylan Hoot had difficulty passing, going 3-for-11 and throwing for 40 yds., 35 coming on a pass to Pettus that ended up being the longest play from scrimmage for the Bruins. Hoot was replaced by Isaa Tchari in the 3rd quarter. Tchari only went 1-for-5. The Spartans picked the ball off twice, with Luke Palmer and Jake Archbold each getting 1. In other words, the defense was just as dominant as it was supposed to be.
“Defense is something we really pride ourselves on, especially here at Homestead,” linebacker Cam Rogers said after the game. “We’re a family on that side of the ball and we hope to carry that throughout the rest of the year. It’s only up from here for us.”
Next week Northrop will play at South Side, while the Spartans will play in their home opener against Concordia. Rogers is looking for another great performance from his team.
“Our goal is to get a W, just like every other week. Hopefully, we can put a goose egg up on ‘em but it’s 1-0 every week.”
Bishop Dwenger at Wayne
Final Score: 41-6 Dwenger
Dwenger picked up right where they left off and beat Wayne in blowout fashion.
Brenden Lytle had a terrific game, passing for 221 yds. and 2 TDs, going 13-for-17. Griffin Eifert had 103 yds. receiving and a touchdown. Wayne RB Keshaun Fields was limited to 44 yds. He ran for Wayne’s only touchdown on Friday. The Saints will welcome North Side to their new stadium next week, while the Generals go on the road and play against the Bishop Luers Knights.
Snider at North Side
Final Score: 51-0 Snider
The Panthers didn’t mess around and took care of business on the road. Snider held North Side QB Ronald Collins III to a 50% completion percentage, as he went 5-10 and had 10 yds. Legends RB Alex Holliday-Robinson only had 36 yds. on the ground. Jon Barnes Jr. had 3 total touchdowns as Snider put up 51 points and gave up nothing. Next for Snider will be a home game against Carroll. North Side will play at Dwenger.
Bishop Luers at Carroll
Final Score: 42-0 Carroll
The debut of Carroll QB Jeff Becker was a successful one as he threw for 224 yds. and 1 TD, completing 16 of his 30 passes. The defense was the deciding factor though for Carroll. They had two turnovers, one being a 95 yd. pick six by fellow sophomore Tucker Steely. Another QB making his first start was Christian Fly. He threw for 64 yds. and went 10-for-18, attempting many short passes. This game will give Carroll confidence going into their big road matchup with Snider. The Knights will play against Wayne at home.
South Side at Concordia
Final Score: 41-14
This game was close going into the second half, until Brandon Davis threw for a big touchdown that put the Cadets up 21-14 in the third quarter. After that the game went Concordia’s way. Davis threw for 235 yds. and 3 TDs. It was a strong effort by South Side that kept this game close, but they came up short of a big victory. South Side will be at home next week, playing against Northrop and Concordia will play against Homestead on the road.
