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North Huskies vs Reitz Panthers - at Bundrant Stadium Sep 11, 2020

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Game Recap

HUSKIES REWARDED WITH RUNNING-CLOCK IN 42-14 VICTORY OVER PANTHERS

And just like that, the world changed.

At approximately 9:20pm Friday night, with 9:44 to play in the fourth quarter of North’s 42-14 whupping of the Reitz Panthers, the game reverted to a “running clock” event.

That is a statement that bears some historical context.

In 66 prior meetings between the two teams, North had won just thirteen of those contests.  Only one of those games had resulted in a 20-point margin of victory for the Huskies--a 27-7 win at Reitz Bowl on September 30, 1994.  That contest had marked the first win in a string of three consecutive victories against the Panthers by a club that was bound for the State Finals in ‘95.  The only other time North had won consecutive Reitz games was in the final two seasons under Coach Ed Wessel—in 1979 and ’80.

To further put the moment in perspective, consider this:

Just two seasons ago, when freshman quarterback Ethan Brawdy was inserted in the second half to try and bring energy to North’s offense, the Huskies trailed 49-0 at HALF TIME in Reitz Bowl.

True to form, Brawdy did spark the offense against but the final score was 62-21.

The chasm between the two programs and their comparative levels of competitiveness yawned like an abyss.

Two seasons of incredibly hard work and dedication by the team and the staff closed that chasm and Friday night the turnaround was evident to anyone in Bundrant Stadium.

This stronger, bolder, better prepared Husky team in 2020 has grown in ways that could only have been dreamed of on September 28, 2018.

WELCOME TO HUSKY-NATION!

The difference between the two teams could not have been starker than each of their first possessions.  Senior Delavion Crenshaw returned the opening kickoff to the North 39 giving the Huskies excellent field position.  North’s offense then drove 61 yards on 8 plays, generating five first downs in the process.

Senior Capelton Presswood, who would run for a career high 216 yards in the game and top 1,000 yards rushing for his career, scored the first of his three touchdowns on a five-yard run.  Junior Mitchell Renfro converted the first of six perfect extra point kicks and North led 7-0.

When Reitz got the ball, senior Cage Sales and sophomore Cale Johnson combined to drop a runner for no gain on first down, senior linebacker Luke Willis sniffed out a screen pass and held a receiver to no-gain on second down, and sophomore safety Ethan King played perfect defense on a third down pass.  Reitz would go “three and out” six of their first seven possessions.

GOING AHEAD 14-0

Later in the first quarter, a Reitz punt rolled dead at the North 14 and the offense prepared to work its way out of a hole.  After a couple plays went nowhere, junior Ethan Brawdy worked a little magic on third down and long.

On the snap he rolled to his left into open space near the hashmark.  The offensive set had three receivers running routes down the field in front of him.  Sophomore Jaylonn Mitchell had the short rout of the three and was sliding towards the sideline.  With an open field in front of Brawdy, the defender hesitated for a split-second to be certain that Brawdy was not going to run the ball.  In that split-second, Brawdy raised his left hand to indicate to Mitchell that he should turn up field and run hard.

Mitchell hit the burners, the defender was left hesitating in his tracks, and Brawdy tossed the ball perfectly over the defender and hit Mitchell in stride.  The Huskies gained 21 yards on the play and were out past the 35.

On first and ten, the Huskies called an inside zone run play.  On the snap, junior Zane Hatt moved the opponent tackle squarely to his right.  Senior guard Gage Sales pancake blocked the linebacker into the ground and Presswood had room to run.  Another 21-yard pickup had North deep in Reitz territory.

The Huskies sat at the 21-yard line a few plays later and lined up in “Trips Right” with three wide receivers on that side.  Brawdy faked a handoff to Presswood on the snap and gave ground as he stepped back to the 28-yard line.

This time Mitchell had drawn man-to-man coverage as the slot receiver, and he was up against an opponent who would later catch a 54 yard touchdown pass of his own.  His defender was not a slouch athlete, rather he was the best player that the Panthers could put in coverage.

Regardless, Mitchell’s great speed allowed him to get a full step of separation as he reached the goal line.  Brawdy from the 28-yard line had trusted that Mitchell would develop the separation and thrown the ball as the receiver crossed the ten-yard line.  The pass arrived perfectly as the gap opened between Mitchell and the defender and North led 14-0.

If any drive articulated the degree to which the North program has grown since 2018 and the Panther program has declined, this was it.

THE DEFENSE COMPELS THE PANTHERS TO PUNT—REPEATEDLY

If that scoring drive spoke volumes about the sophistication of the Husky offense, the next FIVE Reitz possessions described the utter dominance of the North scheme and execution on defense.  In the second quarter alone, the North defense dismantled the Panther offense. 

• First 2^nd quarter possession:  Brody Tichenor stops receiver for no gain; Sales and Aidan Mercer combine for a quarterback sack; Tichenor hurries the quarterback into an incompletion on third down; punt

• Second 2^nd quarter possession:  T.J. Hankins stops runner for one-yard gain; Cale Johnson hurries quarterback into an incompletion; Jordan Hunt defends a pass on third down; punt

• Third 2^nd quarter possession:  Luke Willis stops runner for no gain; Tichenor brings down receiver after three-yard gain; Jewlez Hailey defends a pass on third down; punt

• Fourth 2^nd quarter possession:  Tichenor tackles runner for 4-yard loss; Crenshaw stops receiver for no gain; Tichenor sacks quarterback for nine-yard loss; punt

• Fifth 2^nd quarter possession: After yielding Reitz’ only first down of the quarter at the North 34, Willis defends a pass; Mercer sacks the quarterback for a five yard loss; Mercer and Tichenor combine to sack the quarterback for a 6 yard loss; punt

That is a play-by-play description of the desolation of an offense that had ENTERED the game averaging nearly 30 points per contest.  Brody Tichenor played inspired defense against his former teammates and the intensity was contagious.

MEANWHILE, PRESSWOOD RAN WILD

North high school has seen more than its share of sensational running backs.  The history books are flowing with the names of impact runners through the decades.  Mike Madriaga and Doug Atherton in the 50’s and 60’s, cousins Cornell and Mark Garrett in the 70’s, Karl Armstead and David Stewart in the 80’s, Deke Cooper and Kareem Neighbors in the 90’s, Derenzo Bushrod and Kendall O’Donnell in the 00’s, and more recently Dylan McKinney and Shawn Coane have all born the title All-City, All-Metro, or All-Conference running back.  Perhaps the image of a fleet footed tailback streaking down the sidelines in a green and white jersey is the enduring poster of North football.

Capelton Presswood deserves to be mentioned in that group.

While the defense was dismantling Reitz’ offense, Presswood simply ran away from the Reitz defense.  His mix of balance, acceleration, strength, and desire make him a formidable runner.  In combination with the best Husky offensive line since arguably 2006 (when three starters were selected either All-City, All-Conference, or All-Metro), Presswood has proven to be nearly unstoppable.

9:27 remained in the half and North led 14-7 when Brawdy handed the ball off to ‘Cape’ on an inside zone run at the Husky 32-yard line.  Junior Caleb Lowe combined with Gage Sales to relocate the defensive tackle to a location many, many yards from where he was supposed to be.  Gunnar Sales kicked out the end and Presswood was off to the races.  He used senior receiver Robert Pollard for a screening block on the cornerback and #28 was simply “gone”.  He accelerated so quickly and was still running so hard that you got the impression if they had been giving away free pizzas in the opposite end zone, he could have turned around and run through the defenders again in order to get to those pizzas.

DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN

Less than two minutes later, the defense forced another Reitz punt and North had the ball at their 33.  In the immortal words of baseball Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra, “it was like déjà vu all over again.”  Only this time, it was all Presswood.

On the snap the, right side of the offensive line pulled to the left.  The left side of the line surged straight forward.  Presswood took the ball following freshman Timothy Dixon and cut back into the middle of the line after the big guard took out one defender.

And he ran smack into the man that Gage Sales was blocking.  The defender, to escape manipulation by Sales, had spun wildly back to his left and Presswood’s right—exactly where the hole was supposed to be.  ‘Cape’ ran square into a man that outweighed him by over one-hundred pounds.

‘Cape’ won the battle.

He accelerated away from the contact before three other defenders could react to his escape, cut outside, and then got a screening block from junior Cameron Gelhausen.  Presswood was off to the races and could have run all the way to the North gymnasium without a defender catching him.  67 yards were sufficient, however, and North went up 28-7.

SECOND HALF

The defense continued its stellar mauling of a suddenly unworthy opponent.  Reitz’ third quarter possessions went as follows:

• First possession:  Panthers 5-yard penalty; Johnson throws runner for loss; Panthers complete a short pass; junior Mitchell Happe stops runner after two-yard gain; Crenshaw defends pass; punt

• Second possession: Willis and Tichenor stop runner for two-yard gain; Sales throws runner for loss; sophomore Jordan Hunt defends pass; punt

• Third possession: Sophomore Angelo St. Louis stops runner for loss; A facemask penalty against North gives Reitz a first down; St. Louis AGAIN stops runner for loss; Robert Pollard stops runner short of first down marker; Reitz 5 yard penalty; Mercer and Happe tackle runner for loss; punt

FRUSTRATION BUILDS, HUSKIES SCORE

North’s next score was benefited by a pair of Panther penalties that each yielded first downs.  In the drive the Huskies would go 70 yards in eight plays but gain critical first downs when Reitz’ players began to show their frustration and committed fouls on runners and receivers.  When the left side of the Husky offensive line bulldozed Reitz down the goal line like a road-grader, junior T.J. Hankins took a handoff to the left from a ‘full house’ backfield formation and sprinted untouched into the end zone.  North led 35-7 and the whispers began about the unthinkable: “a running clock”.

THE UNTHINKABLE BECOMES REALITY

On this night that began with the seniors bearing U.S. Flags in remembrance of the events of 9/11 and a moment of silence in honor of those who died, everyone was reminded of certain important moments in their lives.

For long time Husky football fans, folks who have followed the green and white through thick-or-thin, good-times and bad, and continued to support the program with time, talent, advertising, contributions, work, generosity, and affection, one of those moments occurred at 9:20pm with 9:44 to play in the fourth quarter on Friday night.

Fittingly, it fell to Ethan Brawdy to ‘close out the show’ with three consecutive gains that displayed all his talents in one fell swoop.  The ball was at the Reitz 18 when a pass play fell apart due to excellent coverage by the Panthers.  There was simply no one open to throw to and many quarterbacks would have either flung the ball harmlessly out of bounds or been tackled for a loss.

Not Brawdy.

The young man who had played so bravely as a freshman in the Reitz Bowl, pitted against a Panther squad so loaded with talent that they led by 49 points, displayed the same sort of bravery as he pulled the football down and ran into the teeth of the defense.  He had used his legs to gain 70 yards rushing against the blue and gray in that game as a freshman.  On this play he surged into the line, bulled his way through it, scrambled into the secondary, and it took three defenders to take him down at the six-yard line.

That set up first and goal from the six.

Brawdy also possesses the experience of a multi-year starter and his ability to manipulate the defense into false start encroachment penalties is becoming legendary.  For the FIFTH time in this game, the quarterback altered his cadence, clapped his hands, and barked the necessary commands in a fashion that drew the opponent offsides.

That set up first and goal from the three.

The first thing that is expected of a quarterback is his ability to lead his comrades with confidence.  A close second is his ability to throw the ball where it needs to be when it needs to be there.  Brawdy showed he had both requirements covered.

With Mitchell as a slot receiver to his left, Brawdy lined up in shotgun formation.  He could see that the young wide receiver had one defender lined up on his outside shoulder.  Only the safety in the middle of the field could stop a pass rout by Mitchell if he stepped inside of the defender. 

On the snap the quarterback faked a handoff to Presswood and as he did so, Brawdy could see the safety “bite” on the fake and take a step forward.  The safety’s forward momentum would prevent him from recovering in time to stop a pass to Mitchell, but only if Brawdy threw it nearly as soon as he recognized the opportunity and could thread the ball through the eye of a needle to his target.

Brawdy did just that.  Mitchell caught his second touchdown pass of the game.  The Huskies led by 35 points over Reitz in the second half and by IHSAA rules, the clock began to run non-stop with the following kickoff.

To fall victim to a running clock has happened to some teams more than others.  For Reitz, it has occurred with the frequency of Halley’s Comet returning.

North football had entered a new era.

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