Back

North 18 Mater Dei 13 - Central Stadium Sept 21, 2007

Game Stats    Game Recap   

Offense

      NORTH FOOTBALL VS. MATER DEI                  
      RUSHING            
NO. NAME RUSHES YARDS AVG. FUMBLES FUM. LOST TD'S EXTRA PTS. TOTAL POINTS LONGEST
24 Meriweather 11 76 6.9 0 0 1 0 6 25
2 Pendleton 12 88 7.3 1 1 0 0 0 45
TEAM 3 -4 -1.3 0 0 0 0 0 -1
  26 160 6.2 1 1 1 0 6 45
                   
      PASSING            
NO. NAME COMP. ATT. COMP.% YARDS AVG. COMP TD'S INT. LONGEST  
2 Pendleton 11 23 47.8% 117 10.6 2 0 26  
24 Meriweather 0 1 0.0% 0   0 0 0  
  11 24 45.8% 117 10.6 2 0 26  
                   
      PASS RECEPTIONS            
NO. NAME REC. YARDS AVG. FUMBLES FUM. LOST TD'S EXTRA PTS. TOTAL POINTS LONGEST
6 Parkman 2 33 16.5 0 0 1 0 6 17
12 Rushing 2 32 16 0 0 0 0 0 26
24 Meriweather 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
25 Carlile 1 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 5
80 Parker 5 46 9.2 0 0 1 0 6 20
  11 117 10.6 0 0 2 0 12 26
                   
      KICKS     HAD     TOTAL
NO. NAME TYPE ATT. MADE YARDS AVG. BLKED. FG EX. POINTS POINTS
8 Meador PAT 1 0     1 0 0 0
8 Meador Kickoff 4   190 47.5        
80 Parker Punt 2   61 30.5        
                   
              Defense Scored   0
    TEAM TOTALS              
First Downs 16                
Rushing Yards 160     All Purpose Yards          
Rush Attemps 26     Name Rush Rec. Return Total  TD's/Pts.
Avg. Yds Per Rush 6.2     Meriweather 76 1 15 92 6
Passing Yards 117     Parkman 0 33 1 34 6
Completed 11     Rushing 0 32 10 42 0
Attempted 24             0  
Completion % 45.8%             0  
Avg. Yds Per Comp. 10.6             0  
Total Yards 277                
Plays 50   Returns            
Avg. Yds Per Play 5.5   Name Type of Kick  No. of Returns Yd's Avg. Fair Caught TD's/Pts.
Turnovers 1   Parkman PR 1 1 1 0 0/0
Fumbles 1   Rushing KO R 1 10 10 0 0/0
Fumbles Lost 1   Larry KO R 1 15 15 0 0/0
Interceptions 0   Quarles INT R 2 33 16.5 0 0/0
Total Points 18                
PAT's (att./made) 1 0              
Punts/Avg. 2 30.5              
Kickoffs/Avg. 4 47.5              

Offensive line blocking scores:

Allgood                  Todd                       Douglas                 Borman                 Kuhlenhoelter

91%                        73%                        87%                        88%                        83%

Defense

      Mater Dei Game            
Name Solo Assist TFL SAC C-Fumble R-Fumble Deflection Int Blk Punt Points
Markie Johnson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ryan Bailey 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Marcus Garrett 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 8
Quintez Todd 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
Travis Carlisle 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Brent Williams 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
George Quarles 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 17
Cameron Clements 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Clinton Brown 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
Larry Meriweather 6 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 19
Justin Rushing 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Stephen Jackson 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23
Mitch Parker 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Dion Pendleton 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 12
Ryan Parkman 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Tyler Wilke 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Jonel Hughes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Drew Hawkins 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7
Alan George 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Zac Herman 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ben Green 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
Kit Aldridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ty Carter 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tony Mendoza 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ryan Hufford 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Lucas Kaffenberger 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Randall Tomlin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
James Marion 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cameron Whitler  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Dan Borman 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Ivan Irvine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Game Recap

To describe Friday night’s game with Mater Dei as “pivotal” would be an understatement.

To date, the Huskies had not performed as well as expected against tough competition.  Their lone contest against a team that had a winning record five weeks into the season had not been a sterling effort.

The Mater Dei Wildcats, ranked #3 in 2A coming in, had only a single loss on their record—a narrow 3 point decision against a Central team that at the time was ranked 7th in 4A.  Featuring a quarterback that completed well over 50% of his passes and two bruising running backs, Mater Dei was a formidable matchup for North.  Having humbled the Huskies a year ago in the mud at Reitz Bowl, the Wildcats would be a gauge of how much progress North had made since week three’s turmoil and disappointment.

The answer to the question was, “North is once again a team, playing like a team, and capable of not just scoring from anywhere but taking control of games when need be.”

Three weeks ago, North might not have had enough “T-E-A-M” in it’s makeup to win this game.  Friday night’s 18-13 victory came in a unified fashion that required the best performances from everyone.

Friday night showed that North is a bona fide threat for the City and Sectional titles.

There were tremendous individual efforts on the evening to be sure, but the events of the night would prove that not just one or two players were required to beat back a stubborn opponent,  Instead, this was a night to be shared all around.

THE FIRST DRIVE STALLS

North took the opening kickoff and drove down the field to the Mater Dei 10 yard line in 8 plays.  The return of WR Mitch Parker from an injury gave QB Dion Pendleton a target that physically overpowered the smaller Wildcat defensive backs.  Using a quick pass to the flat that was designed to get Parker a one-on-one matchup with a corner back, Parker’s size differential was apparent as he drove past the corner for a first down near midfield.

RB Larry Merriweather made use of a solid wall of blockers to break free around left end and carried the ball to the Mater Dei twenty.   A couple incomplete passes and an option play that got stacked up on the right side for a loss of two yards resulted in a long fourth down try. 

Pendleton momentarily found some daylight on the left side and carried the ball within a yard of the first down marker, but North turned the ball over on downs deep in Mater Dei territory.

BIG BACKS = BIG TROUBLE

North got its first taste of the Wildcats’ game plan on their first possession—bust the ball up the middle and see if North could stop it.

This tactic had worked well for Henderson County and Castle earlier in the season and it showed signs of working for Mater Dei throughout the first three quarters of the game.  Running mostly guard traps and draws, the Wildcats advanced the ball out from the front of their own goal posts to the thirty-five yard line very quickly.

After a center plunge brought up 2nd and three at the forty-two, Mater Dei’s quarterback broke around right end and moved the ball into North territory.  From there, they battered away at the center of the line but this time with less effectiveness than before.  On third and six, sophomore DT Marcus Garrett made a big play and sacked the Wildcat quarterback to bring up fourth and long.

The drive was stalled but the Mater Dei plan of hammering North up the middle had generated 55 yards in its first opportunity.

MATER DEI SCORES FIRST

This smash mouth style of football paid dividends for the Wildcats midway through the second quarter.  Taking the ball on their own 25 yard line following a North punt, Mater Dei drove down the field 75 yards en route to their first score.  Unlike most Wildcat teams of the past, Mater Dei seldom threw the ball much beyond the line of scrimmage. 

The mood in the stands grew somber as we watched our defense yield ground throughout the onslaught.  There were no blown plays, no bad coverages, no poor tackles.  Mater Dei was winning with power football.

THE ‘LIGHTNING’ STRIKES

Following a squibbed kickoff to WR Justin Rushing, North took the ensuing possession in good field position.   Moments later, QB Dion Pendleton escaped a blitz when Merriweather crushed one would-be tackler with a block.  Pendleton then picked his way between defenders, made his way to the left sideline, and flew 70 yards for an apparent touchdown.

The defensive backfield official, however, had thrown a flag for an illegal block downfield and the play was brought back to the Mater Dei 40 yard line.  (For more on this ‘phantom’ call, see the picture below of the incident—if the infraction did in fact occur, there’s no way it occurred anywhere near the 30 yard line.)  North was not to be denied the endzone and after picking up 24 yards on a pair of runs, Pendleton hit WR Ryan Parkman at the four yard line with a pass that Parkman then turned into a touchdown.

Something went wrong on the extra point attempt and new place kicker Preston Meador found himself kicking straight into what appeared to be the entire Wildcat defense posing for a team picture.  The kick was batted down and North trailed 7-6.  Failed conversion attempts would haunt the Huskies all evening.

ENTER ‘BIG’ GEORGE

North games often center around lightning strikes by the offense, but Friday night was a night in which the defense made its own magic.  This time, the magician was LB ‘Big’ George Quarles.

Having drawn the Huskies up tight to the line of scrimmage with their power running game, Mater Dei’s coach must have felt it was time to air the ball out a bit.  After picking up a first down on the ground, the Wildcat quarterback put the ball up over the middle looking for a wide receiver running a rout in front of the safties.

What he hadn’t counted on was the presence of Quarles playing medium depth over the middle.  The senior linebacker snatched the ball out of the air and made like an NFL fullback-on-a-mission as he returned the interception into Mater Dei territory.  He rambled all the way down to the 20 yard line before several Wildcats joined forces to bring him down.

From there Pendleton recorded a 15 yard jaunt around left end following a pair of text book downfield blocks from OT Dan Borman and FB Travis CarlileMerriweather recorded the 31st touchdown of his varsity career when OT Cory Allgood hooked the defensive end and opened a huge hole into the endzone.  Pendleton’s two-point conversion pass sailed over Carlile’s head when Mater Dei got a huge rush off of the right hand side and North led by just 12-7.

CUE ‘BIG’ GEORGE AGAIN

Following a booming kickoff by Meador, the Wildcats went to work from their own 25 yard line.  Peppering their power running game with swing and possession type passes, they converted two third downs and moved steadily down field as the half neared an end.

Having picked up a first down inside the North thirty, the Wildcats again went back to form and tried to gain the end zone via the air.  North, true to tonight’s script, called upon George Quarles to make the ‘big play’. 

Quarles answered the call by stepping in front of Mater Dei’s big running back (who had hooked out of the backfield as a receiver) and then picked off his second interception of the half.  Returning the ball to the North 35, the threat was stamped out and North went in at the break still leading by five points.

TODD NAMED HOMECOMING KING

Senior DT/OG Quintez Todd was named Homecoming King during halftime and WR/DB Justin Rushing was named runner up.  Christy Martin was selected as Queen.

THIRD QUARTER GETS HAIRY

The game took a difficult turn after the break.  Coming out of halftime, Mater Dei appeared to have found some vitality.  Despite having been thwarted twice by Quarles’ interceptions, the two long drives in the second quarter had given the Wildcats a sense of momentum.

When they took the opening kickoff and moved to midfield, the North faithful began to worry.  The defense, however, came up with an apparent stop at midfield when a Mater Dei runner came up short of the first down marker to make it fourth-and-one. 

The Wildcats earned a delay of game penalty trying to draw North off sides, and on fourth-and-six, it appeared that the Huskies had finally held and forced a punt.

Unfortunately, Mater Dei faked the punt and ran down inside the North 35 yard line.

From there, a draw and an off-tackle run set up first down on the 25 and Mater Dei’s big, burly back took a guard trap play into the endzone.  The Wildcats came up short on the conversion, however, when LB Clinton Brown and S Stephen Jackson stopped the runner short of the goal line.

North was unable to move the ball and punted back to Mater Dei.  It looked as though the Huskies had gotten the break they needed to gain some momentum when S Drew Hawkins recovered a Wildcat fumble, but North quickly turned the ball back over to Mater Dei with a fumble of its own.

STEPHEN JACKSON ANSWERS THE CALL

On a night full of big plays, perhaps the biggest one won’t show up in any box score or statistic but it occurred at a point when the Huskies needed it most.  Senior safety Stephen Jackson made a play that gave North the time it needed to get momentum back in its favor.

Following the fumble, Mater Dei drove inside the North ten yard line.  Two running plays put the Wildcats square in front of the Husky goal posts with a third down opportunity to go up 8 points.  With the North offense having failed to gain a first down since mid-way through the second quarter, momentum was squarely in favor of Mater Dei.  If they scored the outlook for the game would grow increasingly desperate.

When the Wildcat quarterback dropped back to pass, he had an open receiver slanting into the center of the end zone.  When he threw the pass, it appeared to be a sure fire six-points.  Jackson, however, leapt and batted the ball away with his finger tips and forced Mater Dei into a field goal attempt (which they missed).

While Pendleton, Parker, and others would make huge plays in the fourth quarter, it was perhaps this third quarter deflection that stemmed the tide and gave North a chance to come back and win the game.

FOURTH QUARTER HEROICS

Buoyed by Mater Dei’s squandered scoring opportunity, the North offense regained control of the football game.  Steadily gaining first downs, Pendleton led the team on a march to victory.  Alternating runs with Merriweather with short passes to WR Ryan Parkman and opting for carries himself, the senior quarterback demonstrated coolness under fire.

Even when an open receiver dropped a pass at the five yard line, Pendleton remained in control.  Handing the ball off to Merriweather again, the Huskies drove inside the Mater Dei 20.  When a holding penalty called back a touchdown pass to Parker and the Huskies faced third and twenty-three out near the 40 yard line, it was Pendleton who pulled a rabbit out of his hat.

Dropping back to pass, the senior quarterback felt pressure from his right, rolled left, got pinned in against the sideline, eluded the grasp of a defender, reversed his field, stopped up short of another defender, spotted a receiver, and delivered a perfect strike to WR Justin Rushing inches past the first down marker.

Two plays later, WR Mitch Parker faked a post pattern, separated from his defender, and turned toward the corner of the end zone.  Pendleton hit him in stride with a pass that the tall receiver carried in for the decisive score.  North failed in the two point conversion and led 18-13 with only minutes to play in the game.

DEFENSE MAKES ANOTHER STAND

When Mater Dei’s big power back returned the kick off to the 43 yard line, everyone knew that the final minutes of the game would be a nail biter.

The Wildcats were in ‘four-down-mode’ and they made the most of every set of downs.  Twice they converted third or fourth downs to gain a new set of chains.  With the ball inside the Husky 15 and a 90 seconds to play, this was the point at which North’s character was called into question.

Was this the team that had time and again yielded conversions to the Castle Knights or was it a team that had grown from that experience and found a way to win?

Handing the ball to their bruiser, Mater Dei found out about North’s character.  Fire-brand senior captain Clinton Brown muscled the running back to the ground with a thump for a two yard loss.  A second running play met a similar fate when a gang of Huskies wrestled a Wildcat runner to the ground.

Faced with fourth down from the 11 yard line, the Wildcat quarterback stepped back to pass, searched the end zone for an open target, and could only spy Dion Pendleton (now playing defense) between him and his intended receiver.  Having to throw over Pendleton, the pass was too high to be completed and North had held.

There was no doubting the character of this team on this night.  North had beaten a team that had embarrassed them the previous season.  In doing so, the Huskies are off to their best start of a season since 2003, undefeated in city play at 4-0, and, more importantly headed up instead of down.

Regardless of what the remainder of the season holds for them, this is a team that could have folded after weeks three and four.  This is a team that was tested and passed the test with flying colors.

 


BACK TO TOP