Snider at Bishop Dwenger
Final Score: 17-7 Dwenger
On an unseasonably warm autumn night, two familiar teams met on the gridiron yet again. At one time, before Homestead and Carroll, it was just Snider and Dwenger ruling the SAC. Their annual meeting would often decide the conference, with the occasional Luers or North Side team challenging for a bid. This year, the stakes were a little different with Snider hanging on to a winning record and Dwenger on the outside looking in for another conference title, but with that being said, it was another terrific game between these two foes.
Defense is each these teams’ strength and it showed on the field. Neither offense could get much going aside from an incredible catch by quarterback-turned-receiver Deron Swanson that allowed the Panthers to punch it in for the only touchdown of the first three quarters.
There were 6 turnovers forced between these two teams. Snider forced two huge ones down near their own end zone to keep the Saints out of the end zone and stay in front on the scoreboard. However, in the fourth quarter it was the Dwenger defense making big plays.
It started with a forced fumble that Dwenger recovered in Snider territory. From there, senior Devon Tippmann took it in for a 20 yard touchdown run to give the Saints the lead. Two more turnovers and another touchdown put this game on ice and gave Dwenger back-to-back wins over Snider
“We leaned on our seniors,” Coach Jason Garrett said following the win. “It started with Devon Tippmann in the backfield, a couple of our guys up front decided that after that turnover it was time to go and I think that was a big momentum change. We finally hit our groove on offense and it was because of our seniors, sparked by our defense and those turnovers.”
One such senior who may not have had his best game, but still made an impact on offense was QB Brenden Lytle. He finished with 169 yards through the air which was ultimately good enough to give him the record for career passing yards at Bishop Dwenger High School.
“You talk about his maturity, you talk about his leadership,” Garrett said. “Even on a night like tonight where we didn’t protect him real well. Some of the plays he made early on just helped up flip the field. Not a lot of things went well for him but he hung in there. Congratulations, it’s been a long standing record and I’m very proud of him.”
With sectional matchups already announced, these two teams have to be happy with what they saw from each of their teams at certain points throughout this game. For Snider, the way this young team kept their energy level up and rallied on defense to get key stops to keep themselves in the game was promising. Their fight allowed them to stay with Dwenger for the majority of the game. For Dwenger, they have to be pleased with the way their team responded to the adversity and took advantage of mistakes in the fourth quarter, something they know they’ll need to do again at some point in a close game in the coming weeks. Heading into the final week of the regular season, Garrett would like to see his team play better in both halves and take control of the game early.
“We all talk about the process and I guess what we need to rely on is what we’ve learned in the first half the last two weeks. We’ve got to be better and I take full ownership of that. We’ve got to be better in the first half. We got to come out more ready to go. That said, I’m very proud of how we’ve played in the second half the last two weeks. It shows a lot of grit and determination, we’ve just got to get off to a better start.”
Concordia at Carroll
Final Score: 24-14 Carroll
Carroll was another favorite this week that found themselves in a dogfight. The Chargers trailed 14-9 at halftime and it took a determined effort of their own in the fourth quarter to score 15 points and get the win on senior night. Jeff Becker was only able to complete 9 of his 20 passes on the night for 118 yards and 1 touchdown against the vaunted Concordia defense. Instead it was really his effort on the ground that gave the Chargers the win. Becker rushed for 70 yards and 1 touchdown, good for 5.4 yards per carry. RB Luke Carmody helped the cause by gaining 84 yards on 12 carries. It was an uncomfortable win for the Chargers to say the least, but they’ll take it as they head into their final game of the regular season at Wayne.
Homestead at Wayne
Final Score: 42-12 Homestead
One, step, closer. Sparty made sure to take care of business on the road and keep themselves in the driver’s seat for the SAC. Last night, it was Evan Ormsby, again, with 216 yards and 5 touchdowns! That makes it 21 touchdowns for him over the course of four weeks and four straight games with 5 or more touchdowns! The future Ball State Cardinal Braeden Hardwick also did what he needed to do on the ground with a touchdown and 78 yards on 6 carries, a 13 yard average. Homestead can now clinch the SAC with a win at South Side next week.
North Side at Northrop
Final Score: 28-27 Northrop
A heartbreaking loss for the Legends on a failed two point conversion drops them to 3-5 on the year. Duce Tayor threw for 178 yards, sending him to a North Side record 2,261 on the year, and had a completion percentage of 63.6%, however he didn’t come up with any touchdowns. All 4 of North Side’s scores came from RB Jasuan Lambert who also managed 159 yards on the ground. But the real star of the game was Northrops’s runner, Damarius Cowen. The Bruins’ bellcow had 257 yards for 3 touchdowns and 9.6 yards a carry on 26 attempts. That’s an insane number of yards and carries but it’s what Cowen has done all season, now bringing Northrop back to an even 4-4 record.
Bishop Luers at South Side
Final Score: 41-27 Luers
Big plays all around made this a fun game to watch, but it was the Knights who came out on top with a 14 point victory. Despite a 170 yard, 3 touchdown performance by South Side QB Quincy English, Luers found ways to stay in front. QB Carson Clark had 154 yards and 1 touchdown in this game, with Brody Glenn being his favorite target with 7 receptions for 119 yards and a score. This is now Luers’ seventh win in a row over the Archers and it gives them their third win of the year.
