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North Huskies vs Memorial Tigers - at Bundrant Stadium Aug 28, 2020

Game Stats    Game Recap   

Offense

August 28 NORTH vs Memorial VARSITY Offensive Stats
2020              
Passing              
Player Att Com % Yards TD INT Notes:
BRAWDY 16 12 75% 67 1 0 1-6yd TD (Hankins)
MITCHELL 1 1 #### 61 1 0 1-61yd TD (Gelhausen)
TOTAL 17 13 76% 128 2 0  
             
Rushing              
Player Att Yds Avg TD Long Fum Notes:
PRESSWOOD 22 165 7.5 1 30 0 1-25yd TD
HANKINS 4 26 6.5 1 11 0 1-5yd TD
BRAWDY 4 12 3.0 1 4 0 1-6yd TD
MITCHELL     ####        
      ####        
TOTAL 30 203 6.8 3 30 0  
             
Receiving              
Player Rec To " Yds Avg TD Long Notes:
GELHAUSEN 2 3 59 29.5 1 61 1-61yd TD (Mitchell)
PRESSWOOD 4 4 32 8.0 0 19  
MITCHELL 2 4 13 6.5 0 7  
HAILEY 2 2 8 4.0 0 5  
HANKINS 1 1 6 6.0 1 6 1-6yd TD (Brawdy)
KING 2 3 10 5.0 0 5  
POLLARD       ####      
               
TOTAL 13 17 128 9.8 2 61  
  * thrown to        
             
Returns              
Player Type No. Yds Avg. TD Long Notes:
Int     ####      
CRENSHAW KO 1 45 45.0 0 45  
MITCHELL KO 1 17 17.0 0 17  
CRENSHAW Punt 1 1 1.0 0 6  
TOTAL   3 63 21.0 0    
             
Kicks              
Player Type No. Yds Avg. Long   Notes:
RENFRO KO 4 158 39.5 52   2-Out of bounds
BRAWDY Punt 4 125 31.3 55   2-inside 20 yd line
TOTAL   8 283 35.4      
             
Scoring              
Player Total TD rush TD rec TD ret 2pt XP XP kick Special
HANKINS 12 1 1 0 0 0  
GELHAUSEN 6 0 1 0 0 0  
BRAWDY 6 1 0 0 0 0  
PRESSWOOD 6 1 0 0 0 0  
KAMALI 3 0 0 0 0 3  
WILLIS 2 0 0 0 0 0 1-SAFETY
RENFRO 2 0 0 0 0 2  
TOTAL 37 3 2 0 0 5  

Team Stats

August 28 NORTH vs MEMORIAL Team Stats
2020      
  NORTH   MEMORIAL
13 FIRST DOWNS 11
7 Rushing 2
4 Passing 8
2 Penalty 1
203 RUSHING YARDS 10
30 Rushing attempts 24
6.8 Avg yds per rush 0.4
128 PASSING YARDS 215
17 Attempts 36
13 Completions 24
76% Completion % 67%
9.8 Avg yds per completion 9.0
0 / 0 Sacked / Yards Lost 3 / 33
331 TOTAL YARDS 225
47 Plays 60
7.0 Avg yds per play 3.8
0 TURNOVERS 0
0 Fumbles lost 0
0 Passes HAD intercepted 0
0 Points scored off turnovers 0
9 / 79 PENALTIES / YARDS 11 / 95
6 / 10 3rd down conversions 4 / 15
0 / 0 4th down conversions 3 / 6
     
SCORING      
QTR TIME PLAY SCORE
1ST 1:24 Willis SAFETY 2 - 0
2ND 11:53 Hankins 6yd TD reception (Brawdy) 8 - 0
    Kamali XP kick 9 - 0
  8:36 Gelhausen 61yd TD reception (Brawdy) 15 - 0
    Renfro XP kick 16 - 0
  1:23 Hankins 5yd TD run 22 - 0
    Kamali XP kick 23 - 0
3RD 5:16 Norman 34yd TD reception (Pence) 23 - 6
    2pt pass attempt failed 23 - 6
4TH 9:25 Brawdy 6yd TD run 29 - 6
    Renfro XP kick 30 - 6
  7:33 Rogers 1yd TD run 30 - 12
    2pt pass attempt failed 30 - 12
  5:17 Presswood 25yd TD run 36 - 12
    Kamali XP kick 37 - 12

Defensive Stats

  NORTH VS MEMORIAL  8/28/2020 - DEFENSIVE STATS  
                   
PLAYER SOLO ASST. T-FL SACK C FUM R FUM INT BK POINTS
90 AIDAN MERCER 4 5 3 0.5 0 0 0 0 20
42 DELAVION CRENSHAW 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 17
02 BRODY TICHENOR 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10
53 MITCHELL HAPPE 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 10
33 LUKE WILLIS 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 10
09 CALE JOHNSON 1 2 1 1.5 0 0 0 0 9
61 GAGE SALES 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 8
01 ROBERT POLLARD 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
11 JEWELZ HAILEY 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
30 JORDAN HUNT 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
04 ETHAN KING 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
03 T.J. HANKINS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
08 JAYLON MITCHELL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
13 MATT JONES 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
51 GARRETT MOONEY 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
27 JEREMIAH THOMAS 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
07 ANGELO ST.LOUIS 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
20 SETH PHILLIPS 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
28 CAPELTON PRESSWOOD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
52 ZANE HATT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
                  0
TOTALS 36 24 6 3 0 0 0 0 114

Game Recap

NORTH TURNS TABLES ON TIGERS IN 37-12 VICTORY

Featuring big plays on offense and defense, the North Huskies over ran the Memorial Tigers by a score of 37 – 12 Friday night.  While the Huskies accumulated over 200 yards on the ground, they held Memorial to just 10 yards rushing on 24 attempts.  The full force of North’s lines was apparent on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

 Not since Mike Wilson was patrolling the sidelines for North had the Huskies matched up so well against the Tigers.  North’s last victory against the Tigers had occurred in Wilson’s final season of 2012.  Several members of the former coach’s staff had helped to provide the infrastructure for Memorial’s success the last seven seasons.  Friday evening the tables were turned, finally, as it was North who had the winning scheme.

IT FALLS TO THE DEFENSE TO SET THE TONE

Under cloudy skies that produced a constant mist following an afternoon of rains, the Husky dominance of Memorial’s offensive line was most visibly apparent in the first quarter of the game.  A bruising stop by senior linebacker Luke Willis on third and one forced a punt on Memorial’s first possession.

A twelve-play drive by North deep into Memorial territory was stalled by a block-in-the-back penalty and the first of three Ethan Brawdy punts inside the Tiger 20-yard line gave Memorial poor field position.

After yielding a first down on a third-and-eight pass that required a measurement to be certain, the Huskies demolished the Tigers in just two plays.  The first involved senior Aidan Mercer and sophomore Cale Johnson combining for a quarterback sack that cost Memorial 13 yards.  On the following play, the nervous Tiger center snapped the ball too high for the quarterback to catch and a swarm of Husky defenders chased the ball and the quarterback into the Memorial end zone.  After a hectic scramble, it was ultimately Willis who dropped the quarterback to the ground for a safety and North led by a score of 2-0.

SHORT FIELD, BIG SCORE

In what would become a recurring theme for the evening, North set up near midfield and would choose to run left behind the Sales Brothers Moving And Storage Company.  Putting the ball into the reliable hands of senior Capoleton Presswood on an outside zone run play, the younger Sales brother, Gunnar, pulled to his left and eliminated the outside containment.  The elder brother, Gage, stood his opponent up and walked him backwards.

For his part, Presswood turned what would have likely been a five-yard gain for a first down into a dramatic highlight reel of persistence.  When the safety came up to make the tackle, ‘Cape’ (as he is referred to by his teammates) wrapped up the ball in both arms, put down his shoulder, spun to the outside, broke the tackle, and streaked past the Memorial sidelines for a 30 yard gain.

Two plays later after a penalty nullified a great catch and run touchdown by junior receiver Jewellz Hailey, Presswood was back at it again.  When an unblocked defender from the right side arrived in the backfield as ‘Cape’ took the ball, he perfectly executed a ‘jump cut’ and quick stepped behind the left side surge to at least make it back to the line of scrimmage.

For most backs the play would have ended there with no gain and been an excellent example of how to avoid a loss with a defender in your face when taking the handoff.

Not Presswood.

With not one, not two, but three defenders in his path, ‘Cape’ took hits from all three and shed them as though they did not matter before being wrestled down by a fourth defender who saved a touchdown.

The horn sounded to end the first quarter with North knocking on the door at the one-yard line.  North dominance was on full display in the stat sheet.  For the quarter, the Huskies had 113 yards of Total Offense.  The Tigers, by contrast, had a net of just two yards of Total Offense.  That is domination of both lines of scrimmage.

THREE SECOND QUARTER SCORES

After a false start penalty set the ball back to the six-yard line, quarterback Ethan Brawdy got another chance to shine.  Perfectly faking a handoff to the left to Presswood, he misled the defense into moving that direction.  Concealing the ball on his hip and taking advantage of his well-practiced footwork, he maintained his balance as a defender responsible for right side containment came towards him. 

Brawdy deftly gave ground and executed a small jump pass that put the ball over the outstretched hands of the defender.  For his part, junior T.J. Hankins had lined up at “H-back” prior to the snap and weeded his way through the wall of defenders collapsing toward Presswood.  Finding open space at the two-yard line, he flattened out his rout and ran parallel to Brawdy with his hand up.

Brawdy’s toss landed gently in his hands and Hankins ran into the end zone unopposed for the score.  Following Zander Kamali’s extra point, North led 9-0.

MERCER’S ‘COMING OUT’ PARTY

On a night when so many would play at their highest level, it was apparent in the second quarter that senior transfer Aidan Mercer was in full ‘Beast Mode’.  On the ensuing possession, he effectively stopped the Tigers with an assisted tackle on first down and a monster tackle-for-loss on second down.  In the game, it would be Mercer who led the Huskies with nine tackles (including four solos), three tackles for loss, and a shared quarterback sack.  His emergence at end in combination with Gage Sales and T.J. Hankins splitting time at nose-tackle yielded an exceedingly difficult front for Memorial to handle.

LIGHTNING STRIKES—THE GOOD KIND

Following a week in which lightning delayed a game for an hour, lightning would seem to be a bad thing.

Not this week.

After the Mercer-led defense forced a punt, it took just over a minute for the Huskies to put more points on the board.

On third and five from the North 39, sophomore receiver Jaylon Mitchell came in motion from his left on what was apparently going to be a version of a jet-sweep that graduated legend Dylan McKinney ran so successfully last season.  The Tiger defense reacted predictably as they began shifting prior to the snap to converge on the Huskies' right.  When Mitchell took the handoff, the corner back and the safety both committed to containing the anticipated run.

Except the sophomore pulled up and stopped in his tracks.

Mitchell had played quarterback in junior high school and possesses enough arm to launch a pass from the North 30 to the Memorial 30 with both speed and accuracy.

When the Memorial safety and corner both committed to the run, junior Cameron Gelhausen was left alone on a post pattern down the center of the field and he only had to hesitate for a second for Mitchell’s missile to catch up with him.  He brought the ball in and then used his long gait to outrun the trailing pursuers.

This time Mitchell Renfro split the uprights for the extra point and North led 16-0.

PENALTIES SUSTAIN THE TIGERS

When Cale Johnson opened the next Tiger possession with a seven-yard sack of the quarterback, it appeared that Memorial was in for more of the same.  Unfortunately, thirty yards in penalties by North helped produce the Tigers’ only sustained drive of the first half.  Even those yards would not prove to be enough for the defending 4A State Champions when Mercer correctly sniffed out a third down screen pass and dropped a receiver for a loss in the backfield on third down.  A fourth down and long pass attempt from North’s 33 sailed harmlessly over a well-covered receiver and out of the end zone.

PRESSWOOD SETS THINGS UP—AGAIN

Facing third and three at the North 40 with a little over three minutes to play in the half, the North brain-trust called a time out.  During the first two plays of the drive, Memorial’s defense had chosen to pack tight on the line of scrimmage and blitzed their linebackers.  Coming out of the timeout in a formation with a trio of wide receivers split wide right, a pass play appeared to be looming.

On the snap Brawdy gave ground as though dropping back to pass and slipped the ball to Presswood who immediately sprinted toward the left side of the line.  Freshman right guard Timothy Dixon pulled and moved down the line to his left with right tackle Garrett Mooney behind him.  The Sales brothers and junior center Zane Hatt effectively formed a pivot point on which to push the defense to the right.

Dixon got a screening block on the end and Mooney demolished the linebacker on the left side.  Presswood arrived at the line just behind these two and pulled away from a defender’s outstretched arm and into the clear.  One defender waited at the 45 and ‘Cape’s forearm neutralized the threat.

Another defender waited at the 50 but fell prey to a merciless juke step that threatened to remove his socks from his feet.

The juke step allowed another defender to catch up to Presswood from behind and he clutched the senior around the shoulders.

You cannot tackle ‘Cape’ up high.

You have to get low.

He spun out of the grasp and made it to the Memorial 32 before a defender grabbed his facemask to bring him down or the play would have yielded another touchdown.

HANKINS GETS ANOTHER SCORE

With first and ten at the 15 and the North offensive line acting like a steamroller, a touchdown appeared eminent.  It took four plays.

A repeat of North’s first touchdown play with Gelhausen playing the role of Hankins set up first and goal at the five yard line.

Hankins came in to play running back and, on the handoff, took a dive play into the line.  Gunnar Sales relocated the defender in front of him to somewhere near Hwy 41 and Gage Sales drove his man backwards three yards.  That meant Hankins had a full head of steam before the defensive backs hit him at the one-yard line.  Hankins with a full head of steam has the equivalent force of a diesel truck and is not easily reckoned with.  He bulled his way into the end zone and North now led 23-0.

SECOND HALF STARTS MEMORIAL’S WAY

Hallmarks of well coached teams are that they adjust at halftime to counter an opponent’s success.  Memorial’s defensive line is well coached.  When they got the opportunity, the Tigers’ staff came up with a means to counter North’s dramatic first half performance.

All three of North’s third quarter possessions ended with a “three and out”.  No first downs and only 23 yards gained.

In the meantime, Memorial’s offense pretty much abandoned the run (just two attempts in the quarter) and they began to rely exclusively on their passing attack.  What the North faithful witnessed was the emergence of a player that they already knew in one fashion who now can dominate the field in another.

Time and again, senior Delavion Crenshaw was able to slow the Memorial passing attack by closely covering defenders from his cornerback position.  Long known for his kick return skills, in the second half he would alternately tip, deflect, or defend five passes that, without his perfect execution, would have gone for long gains.  In this game, Crenshaw exemplified the persona of a “shut-down” corner.

BRAWDY’S FOOT HAS AN ANSWER

The North faithful have become accustomed to watching Ethan Brawdy find a way to win games.  He plays as though he is much older than his years would suggest.  He ‘thinks’ the game.

And he impacts it any way he can.

After Memorial put together a nine-play touchdown drive (all through the air and having converted a pair of fourth downs), their defense held the Huskies to another three and out. 

As Brawdy lined up in punt formation, it is not an exaggeration to say the game may have hung in the balance.  In 2019, a North first half lead had been turned around by a Memorial second half surge.  At this particular moment, the Tigers had all the momentum and appeared to have stymied the Huskies offense.  A short punt or a penalty would give Memorial a short field and an opportunity to score a quick touchdown and cut the Huskies’ lead to a single score.

Brawdy answered his team’s call for help with his foot.

The punt was a bit of a line drive that hit the ground with it’s full momentum headed toward the Memorial end of the field.  Landing at the 25 it skittered and hopped until finally being downed at the two yard line.

The terrible field position forced Memorial into a situation where their play calling was limited.  Crenshaw defended a first down pass and Mooney collapsed a second down run for no gain.  Mercer caught up with a wide receiver by showing some tremendous inside pursuit and dropped the runner short of the first down.

FOURTH QUARTER

The game entered the fourth quarter with North being held to another punt near midfield.  Once again a Brawdy punt died at the Memorial seven yard line.  Twice in a row, when the offense was unable to muster its former power or gain an advantage, the junior quarterback turned punter forced Memorial’s hand.

Crenshaw twice defended passes that might have gone for long gains and then tackled a receiver on second and ten for just a one-yard gain.  A third down run was stopped short of the first down marker by senior Robert Pollard.

Facing fourth and one at their 28-yard line, the effects of Brawdy’s punts showed their final result.  Having been forced to spend precious time trying to get out from front of their goal posts, Memorial was faced with desperate measures.  Despite their defense having found its footing, an entire twelve minutes of play had devolved into a series of punt-exchanges.  They still trailed by 17 points and there was less than one quarter to play.

They decided to go for a first down from their 28 with ten minutes remaining.  Having had no success running against the Husky defense, they opted to pass.

Senior Brody Tichenor essentially ended Memorial’s night when he batted down their pass at the line of scrimmage.

 FOR EVERY ACTION THERE IS A REACTION

All credit to Memorial for having made the necessary halftime adjustments on defense to make the game competitive.  All credit to the North staff for finding the necessary re-adjustments on offense to make the fourth quarter one of the most exciting in recent history. 

The Huskies regained their ‘mojo’ on an inside zone run play to the right that Presswood busted inside out and ran for 21 yards.  Two plays later, on second and goal from the five, North pulled the left side of the line to run a quarterback draw into the right side of the line.

It has been mentioned here before that the Brothers Sale are a handful for an opponent to deal with.  If you see one coming at you running full tilt, you best buckle up your chin strap  because there is a mighty show of force about to happen.  If you see both coming at you, you better call for reinforcements because you are going get hit.  Hard.

Memorial’s defensive end was the recipient of Gage Sale’s full force and his reaction was to fall backward as though pancaked.  Brawdy, having faked a handoff to Presswood, stepped behind Gunnar into the opening cleared by Gage.  Gunnar produced a similar reaction from the middle linebacker and the nimble quarterback drove forward with his shoulder to produce a touchdown.  North went ahead 30-6 with just 9:25 to play.

PRESSWOOD CLOSES THE SHOW

While Memorial produced a score of their own, due in large part to a 15 yard penalty for a late hit on their quarterback, there was one player who had yet to taste the end zone and was obviously very, very thirsty for that taste.

Up eighteen points with 7:30 to go, North no longer felt the need to try to throw the ball.  Instead, they handed it to number 28.

And Presswood put on a show.

Four consecutive running plays covered 52 yards—and they were all Presswood.  A Memorial personal foul 20 yards from the play after yet another gain showed their frustration had boiled to the top.  With first and ten from the 25, ‘Cape’ closed out the show.

North lined up in the shotgun and Presswood came forward to take the handoff on another inside zone run.  Gage Sales neutralized the tackle while Zane Hatt and Gunnar Sales disposed of the middle linebacker.  Presswood used the official in the middle of the field as a blocker and then zig-zagged 20 more yards to get his first score of the season.

The domination of the defending State Champions was completed, and North won 37-12.

FINAL NOTES

When a team is up against an opponent that has been to three State Finals in the last few years, it can expect that opponent will find answers to its best efforts.  What Husky fans witnessed on Friday night was the verification that North once again has a staff capable of scheming and developing strategies designed to counter an opponent’s best tactics.

Combined with their ability to prepare a ball club in the strangest of off-seasons, keep a team focused on the prize, and adjust when necessary, the Huskies are in very capable hands.

All praise to the players for executing on the field.  To them belongs the victory and their successes are praised and noted above.

But this one was just as much a validation of North’s coaching staff as it was its team.  The Husky football program is ready to take on the best in the Conference on equal terms.

  


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