Back

North Huskies vs Harrison Warriors - at Romain Stadium Sep 12, 2014

Game Stats    Game Recap   

Offense

Sep 12 NORTH vs Harrison VARSITY Offensive Stats  
2014                
Passing                
Player Att Com % Yards TD INT Notes:  
PATE 8 4 50% 129 2 0 1-42yd TD (Whitler); 2-75yd TD (B.Johnson)  
      ####          
TOTAL 8 4 50% 129 2 0    
               
Rushing                
Player Att Yds Avg TD Long Fum Notes:  
WHITLER 5 44 8.8 1 15 0    
PATE 15 27 1.8 2 15 0 1-5yd TD; 2-15yd TD  
McDOWELL 6 11 1.8 0 4 0    
WARGEL 1 11 11.0 0 11 0    
JENKINS 3 5 1.7 0 3 0    
JOHNSON, F 2 3 1.5 0 2 0    
MARTIN 1 0 0.0 0 0 1    
TOTAL 33 101 3.1 3 15 1    
               
Receiving                
Player Rec To " Yds Avg TD Long Notes:  
JOHNSON, B 1 3 75 75.0 1 75 1-75yd TD (Pate)  
WHITLER 2 2 46 23.0 1 42 1-42yd TD (Pate)  
McDOWELL 1 1 8 8.0 0 8    
JOHNSON, F   1   ####        
HIRSCH   1   ####        
TOTAL 4 8 129 32.3 2 75    
  * thrown to          
               
Returns                
Player Type No. Yds Avg. TD Long Notes:  
JOHNSON, F KO 2 41 20.5 0 25    
WHITLER Punt 2 48 24.0 0 26    
TOTAL   4 89 22.3 0      
               
Kicks                
Player Type No. Yds Avg. Long   Notes:  
TURI KO 5 283 56.6 60   3-touchbacks; 2-squibbed  
WHITLER Punt 4 147 36.8 55   2-inside 20 yd line  
TOTAL   9 430 47.8        
               
Scoring                
Player Total TD rush TD rec TD ret 2pt XP XP kick Special  
WHITLER 12 1 1 0 0 0    
PATE 12 2 0 0 0 0    
TURI 7 0 0 0 0 4 1-25yd FG  
JOHNSON, B 6 0 1 0 0 0    
TOTAL 37 3 2 0 0 4 0  
               

Team Stats

Sep 12 NORTH vs Harrison Team Stats  
2014        
  NORTH   HARRISON  
8 FIRST DOWNS 15  
6 Rushing 4  
2 Passing 10  
0 Penalty 1  
101 RUSHING YARDS -53  
33 Rushing attempts 40  
3.1 Avg yds per rush -1.3  
129 PASSING YARDS 165  
8 Attempts 32  
4 Completions 16  
50% Completion % 50%  
32.3 Avg yds per completion 10.3  
1 / 6 Sacked / Yards Lost 6 / 52  
230 TOTAL YARDS 112  
41 Plays 72  
5.6 Avg yds per play 1.6  
1 TURNOVERS 2  
1 Fumbles lost 1  
0 Passes HAD intercepted 1  
7 Points scored off turnovers 0  
8 / 78 PENALTIES / YARDS 5 / 30  
2 / 9 3rd down conversions 3 / 16  
2 / 3 4th down conversions 2 / 7  
       
SCORING        
QTR TIME PLAY SCORE  
1st 7:42 Whitler 42yd TD reception (Pate) 6 - 0  
    Turi XP kick 7 - 0  
  1:55 Cardwell 16yd TD reception (Hales) 7 - 6  
    XP kick failed due to snap 7 - 6  
2nd 4:47 B.Johnson 75yd TD reception (Pate) 13 - 6  
    Turi XP kick 14 - 6  
  0:57 Pate 5yd TD run 20 - 6  
    Turi XP kick 21 - 6  
3rd 0:30 Pate 15yd TD run 27 - 6  
    Turi XP kick 28 - 6  
4th 8:39 Turi 25yd field goal 31 - 6  
  4:24 Whitler 15yd TD run 37 - 6  
    XP kick missed 37 - 6  
       

 

Defensive Stats

  NORTH VS HARRISON  9/12/2014 - DEFENSIVE STATS  
                   
PLAYER SOLO ASST. T-FL SACK C FUM R FUM INT BK POINTS
RYAN WARGEL 9 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 21
MASON JENKINS 6 1 0.5 3 0 0 0 0 20
CAGE STREET 5 1 4 0.5 0 0 0 0 20
ZAC TURI 5 2 2.5 1 0 0 0 0 19
TRE NEIGHBORS 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 14
RILEY FIDLER 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10
TREVOR McDOWELL 1 2 0 1.5 0 1 0 0 9
BUDDY WAELDE 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6
AUSTIN CURTIS 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6
CODY SMITH 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
CHASE WHITLER 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4
BRYCE BROWN 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
TRAIS LOWE 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4
ZACH PATE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
JIMMY HOANG 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
FORD JOHNSON 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
TASHAWN HAZELWOOD 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
TOTALS 49 8 13 6 0 1 1 0 148

 

Game Recap

HUSKIES OVERWHELM WARRIORS 37-6

North’s bevy of seniors finally got the victory that they were waiting for in a 37-6 trouncing of Harrison Friday night.  On a club laden with talented seniors who grew accustomed to winning when they were younger, this night had been longer in coming than they anticipated.  This particular night it was senior Chase Whitler who had a game like few others have managed to ever play.

THE DEFENSE COMES ‘TO PLAY’

The Husky defensive Front Seven brought their ‘A’ game this week.  Harrison’s first possession was a disaster from their perspective and a pair of underclassmen set the tempo.  ‘Cagey’ sophomore linebacker Cage Street and junior defensive end Trevor McDowell busted up an opening play ‘Flea Flicker’ and sacked the quarterback for a five yard loss.  Street sniffed out a quarterback draw on second down and stopped the runner for a loss.  McDowell blew in for a quarterback sack on third down and 21 to go and Harrison had to punt the ball away.

WHITLER BEGINS HIS HIGHLIGHT FILM

Taking over at the Harrison 42 yard line, it only took one play for North to jump out on top.  Lining up Whitler wide to the right, a straight drop back pass was the call with the diminutive senior running a post route.  Whitler developed two steps of separation on the route and senior quarterback Zach Pate hit him mid-stride with the ball.  Ten steps later North led by a touchdown.  Senior Zac Turi put his 109th career kicking point square between the uprights.

Turi entered the game just six kicking points behind 2006 graduate Brant Seibert for the All-Time lead in the category.  Seibert kicked 114 points for North during the ’03 to ’05 football seasons. 

DEFENSE BENDS BEFORE COMING UP BIG

The Warriors managed to punch the ball across midfield and down to the Husky 30 on their next possession.  North corner backs were playing well back in deference to Harrison’s speed and the Warriors took advantage of the loose coverage.  The Huskies countered with crisp open field tackles to limit the damage and the coaching staff brought blitzes to put heat on the quarterback.

The strategy worked out beautifully.  On first down, junior Trais Lowe stopped an option play for a four yard loss.  On second down, the rush forced the quarterback out of the pocket and Pate deflected a hurried pass from a well-covered receiver.  On third and 14, the pass rush again pressured the quarterback and junior Austin Curtis was able to slap a poorly thrown ball away. 

Harrison went for it on fourth and 14 and senior captain Mason Jenkins stormed in on a blitz and sacked the quarterback for a twelve yard loss.  The defense had bent but not broken and the Huskies got the ball back at their 46.

TROUBLES WITH THE O-LINE CONTINUE

The only aspect of the Huskies’ game that didn’t appear to click on this evening was the offensive line.  On a night when North would win by 32 points, they would only manage 101 yards on 33 rushes and the next possession typified the troubles.

By virtue of a first down penalty, North only had to overcome five yards for a first down.  A jet sweep right was forced deep and senior Ford Johnson could manage just two yards.  On second and three at the North 48, the Warrior defensive tackles penetrated up the middle, flushed Pate out of the pocket on a pass play, and sacked him for a six yard loss.  On third down, Pate had to roll out to his right to avoid the center rush of the defense and hit McDowell for an eight yard gain to set up fourth-and-one at the Harrison 45.

A fourth down quarterback sneak to the left of center lost yardage and North failed to convert a "1st-and-5” situation against a team with defensive linemen who were outweighed by 25 pounds each.

PENALTIES KILL

Harrison was overmatched by North’s defensive front seven.  On the scoreboard, the game was not close.  On the field it was a different story but not due to big plays by the Warrior offense. 

Harrison is a team that depends on big plays to be successful.  North denied Harrison runners and receivers the ability to ‘break out’ all night long.  But that is not to say Harrison didn’t get some big gains.  It was just that the ‘gains’ came thru North penalties.

Four times on the evening the Huskies would commit 15 yard penalties on defense.  Each of them would put Harrison in position to threaten the Husky goal and the first led directly to Harrison’s only score. 

With Harrison taking over at their 45 following the fourth down stuff by their defense, a swing pass to the right picked up ten yards in front of their sideline.   A North player drew an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty and suddenly the Warriors were inside the 30 and knocking on the door.  Three consecutive solo tackles by senior captain Ryan Wargel weren’t enough to stop Harrison from getting a first down at the 16.  A screen pass to the right designed to counter the North blitz yielded an open field for a runner and Harrison was back in the game trailing just 7-6.  A bad snap denied them a chance at an extra point.

WHITLER TO THE RESCUE

Ford Johnson gave the Huskies decent field position with a kickoff return that set the ball at the North 36.  Interior pursuit from the defensive tackle ran down a runner from behind on first down.  The defensive tackle stymied a fullback dive on second down and set up third and long.  Pate rolled out right and could find no open receiver.  Scrambling, he gained six and North was forced to punt.

On their last two possessions North’s offense had been unable to gain a first down and running the ball was becoming increasingly difficult.  Harrison had momentum and looked to be getting the ball back with good field position.

Until Whitler changed all that.

With the ball snapped from just inside the Husky 45, Whitler punted the ball high and deep to the 19 yard line where it bounced high and angled left.  The ball rolled towards the end zone flag and senior Riley Fidler fell on it inside the Harrison one yard line.

WHITLER TO THE RESCUE, part II

As the game rolled into the second quarter, it was apparent that North defensive backs were going to give Harrison receivers plenty of space.  The idea was to not get beat deep and the goal was met.  Unfortunately, the unintended byproduct was the Harrison began to creep downfield.  With next to no running game—they were held to just three yards rushing on five carries in the drive—the Warrior quarterback was able to complete five of his six passes.  The ample room in which receivers had to operate was yielding first downs with each completion.

Until Whitler change all that…again.

Junior Bryce Brown burst through a double team on third down at the North 25 and forced the Harrison to hurry his throw.  Whitler took advantage of a high throw, played it like a baseball centerfielder, and picked off the pass at the North six yard line.

Once again the Husky defense had bent without breaking and Whitler had made another big play.

COACH SZABO’S GAMBIT

Whitler again played a critical role in the ensuing possession.  The offense continued to struggle.  North lost two on a first down run and then committed a false start.  Backed up against the goal line, Pate’s second down pass was batted down at the line by a defensive tackle who bolted through and grabbed his arm.

Facing third and 14 on their two yard line, the Huskies called on Whitler to get them out of trouble.  The senior responded again.  Running a jet sweep from his customary wingback position, Whitler took the pitch six yards deep in the end zone and hustled to his left.  Ford Johnson screened off the cornerback just long enough for Whitler to cut up field and that was all he needed.  He drove forward with tacklers about his waist for the last five yards and gained thirteen yards.  The big run gave Coach Szabo a chance to call the gutsiest play of the night.

On fourth-and-one at the North FIFTEEN yard line, Szabo rolled the dice.

He put the ball in another senior’s hands.

He called for a fake punt with Ryan Wargel running the ball.  Wargel, one of the finest in a long line of quality middle linebackers for North, spent portions of his sophomore and junior seasons as the Huskies back-up full back.  Coming into the season he had rushed 33 times for 206 yards and averaged over 6 yards per carry.

All Coach needed him to get was one.

He got eleven.

North had a first down at the 25.

Two plays later, with North lined up “Trips Right” to the wide side of the field, Pate threw a three yard screen pass to senior Brock Johnson lined up on the short side of the field.  Johnson, however, shook off the defender who had hit him at the 28.  With all the other defensive backs on the opposite side of the field to cover the “Trips Right” formation, Johnson turned on the jets and headed up field.  75 yards later North went up a touchdown on the scoreboard.  Turi put his 110th career kicking point thru the uprights to make it 14-6.

WHITLER’S RETURN

Turi booted his first of three “touchback” kickoffs on the night and effectively took Harrison’s speedy “return” men out of the equation.  North’s defense held the Warriors to negative yardage on the ensuing possession, and the clock was running down inside of three minutes to go in the half.  As Whitler lined up near midfield and awaited a punt, there was energy in the air.

When the punt came down, he fielded the ball cleanly, took two steps to his right to throw off the Warrior defenders, and then cut back sharply to his left.  He picked up a good block from junior Tre Neighbors and rocketed past him.  Harrison could not bring him down until he was inside the 20 yard line.  Four plays later, Zach Pate took a bootleg around left end and put North up two scores.  Turi shot his 111th career kicking point low but good for a 21-6 halftime lead.

SECOND HALF

If Harrison was going to get back in the game, they needed to make a statement on their first possession of the second half.  Familiar faces denied them that opportunity.  Wargel dropped a runner on first down, Street threw a runner for loss on second down, and Whitler batted away a third down pass.  The only statement made was that the Husky defense was putting on an exhibition.

OFFENSE STRUGGLES, PENALTIES KILL…2

A short pass to Whitler gained five on first down, but a bad read on a ‘Mid-line’ play netted little on second down.  The Warrior middle linebacker went unaccounted for on third down and North lost four yards on an option play.  Harrison returned the punt out to their 33

The front seven on defense continued to have their way with their Warrior counterparts.  Three of Harrison’s next four running plays lost yards.  Jenkins got his second quarterback sack of the night.  The Warriors were just one of two passing for ZERO yards on the drive. 

However, they moved the ball well into North territory and appeared to be on the verge of regaining momentum.  The culprit?  Penalties.

A fourth down pass interference call added 15 yards and a new set of downs.  An encroachment call turned a third and ‘forever’ into a makeable play.  A second fourth down pass interference penalty put the Warriors at the North 40 with a first down.

Trevor McDowell shut down the threat when the Warriors attempted a rare ‘double reverse’ on first down that had more in common with a Chinese fire drill than a football play.  The ball squirted free when two runners collided and McDowell fell on the loose ball.

OFFENSE STRUGGLES, WHITLER PUNTS AWAY TROUBLE part II

With the ball at the North 45, the Huskies were in position to put the game away.  Unfortunately, they did not seize the chance.  A pitch went awry on second down and an option play up the middle on third and thirteen only gained two yards.  It appeared that the recovered fumble would go for naught.

There’s a football term for something that punters try to accomplish.  The term is ‘Coffin Corner’ and it refers to a punt that angles out of bounds inside a team’s 20 yard line and gives them no opportunity to return the kick.  It changes the game for the offense as they have to remove certain plays from their playbook until they work their way out from in front of the goal line.

Whitler kicked the Coffin Corner to perfection on the ensuing punt and the “end game” strategy began for the Huskies.

TURI PLAYS DEFENSE, TOO!

Since joining the defensive line in the second half of week two, senior captain Zac Turi has become one of the best defensive ends in town.  He plays the position with uncommon speed for a lineman and his hard-nosed type of play helps make up for his comparatively small stature for an end.

With Harrison already in bad field position, Turi made matters worse for them on first down by shedding the Warriors best offensive lineman.  Despite the 140 pound difference in their weights, Turi refused to be controlled, slid past the blocker into the backfield, and dropped the runner for a three yard loss.  A bad situation just got dramatically worse for Harrison.

When Mason Jenkins dropped a runner short of the first down marker on third down, it set up a fourth-and-one situation for the Warriors deep in their territory.  Harrison’s coach may have remembered Szabo’s gambit earlier in the game and tried to repeat it.

Lining up in the Shotgun formation to ‘go for it’, a bad snap handcuffed the quarterback and Turi zoomed in from his end position to tag the runner down.

North had the ball at the fifteen and the game was in hand when Pate executed his second perfect naked bootleg run for a touchdown on the very first play.  Turi’s 112th career kicking point made it 28-6.

TURI SETS THE RECORD

Jenkins recorded his THIRD quarterback sack of the night to stall Harrison’s next drive and a bad snap from center caused the punter to be tackled on the nine yard line.  Three runs into the middle of the line gained about as much as they had the rest of the game and Turi came out to attempt a 25 yard field goal. 

The senior already holds North’s career record for most Field Goals with ten (double that of the second place kicker) and his eleventh went into the books to make it 31-6.  The kick also marked his 115th career kicking point to give him that record as well.

WHITLER FINISHES OFF THE SHOW

The Warriors were going through the motions with eight minutes to play and the defense forced them to punt again.  Unfortunately for Harrison, Whitler was still in the game.  He fielded the punt in North territory, sprinted right towards the Warrior sideline, and danced down the edge of the field to the Harrison 30 yard line.  On the ensuing possession, he gained 29 of the 30 yards on running plays including the last 15 on a toss to the weak side of the offensive line.  Picking up a block from Brock Johnson as he neared the goal, Whitler raced in for the final score of the night. 

SUMMARY

Without doubt, Whitler’s game was one of the classic displays of all round football talent in recent North history.  Running, receiving, kicking, returning, making open field tackles to stop runners short of first downs, and picking off passes to kill drives, he answered every call every time his team needed him.

Make no mistake, though, the Warriors were not a premier opponent.  This was not a powerhouse team.  Coming up against Mater Dei next week, North will need to establish some sort of inside running game if they are to be able to dictate their own destiny.  Playing error free football was a good start at curing the ailments of the Huskies from the first three weeks.  The defense’s opportunistic and aggressive play was a welcome progression in what has been continued growth since the second half of week two.

If North is unable to address its difficulty in dictating tempo on offense, Whitler may need more than a superman cape on his back next week.  He will need reinforcements.

 

 

 

 

 


BACK TO TOP