Back

North Huskies vs Reitz Panthers - at Reitz Bowl Sep 10, 2021

Game Stats    Game Recap   

Offense

Team Stats

Defensive Stats

Game Recap

TWO 4TH QUARTER COMEBACKS IN 29-26 WIN FOR NORTH

In a dramatic victory on the road, the Huskies overcame a pair of fourth quarter deficits to defeat Reitz 29-26 Friday night.  Senior T.J. Hankins battered the Panthers for 211 yards rushing and senior Ethan Brawdy performed the stuff of legends by leading the Huskies on a pair of 80-yard touchdown drives in the fourth quarter.

A PERFORMANCE FOR THE AGES

Decades from now, when the current players are alumni and revisiting old times at class reunions, it is likely that Friday night’s performance against the Reitz Panthers will be a hot source of memories.  It was a game in which a number of players had inspiring performances and rallied twice to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.

A BEAUTIFUL OPENING DRIVE

The first test of the evening occurred with North facing third down and six at their 39-yard line.  On the snap, sophomore tackle Timothy Dixon stood the Reitz defensive end up backwards.  Freshman left guard Ben Brasher manhandled the tackle in front of him and senior Garrett Mooney wedged the other defensive tackle to his right.  Hankins took a handoff to the left but found a safety coming up to close the gap between Dixon and Brasher.  Spotting the defender, Hankins altered his path and squeezed into the space between Brasher and Mooney.

That was all he needed and then big number 3 had a head of steam and was rolling.  He bowled over one defender and then hurdled a second.  Hankins couldn’t ‘stick the landing’ and was tripped up after a 22-yard gain.

The next play featured more of the same treatment.  A read option play allows the quarterback to choose whether to keep the ball or hand off to the running back.  Sophomore Sam McKinney ‘read’ the end perfectly, froze the defender in his tracks, and then slipped the ball into Hankins’ hands.  Brasher nailed the defensive tackle and both Mooney and Dixon stepped out to maul the linebackers.  With these three blocks in place, Hankins had a seam that allowed him to run untouched into the Reitz secondary.  It took a desperation tackle at the five-yard line to prevent a touchdown. 

With the offensive line unbalanced to the right side, Dixon was now playing at right tackle beside senior Zane Hatt.  With sophomore Kaleb Harris at H-back lined up behind the right guard, there was little doubt where the Huskies were going to run on first-and-goal.  Hatt and Mooney demolished the nose tackle, Harris stood up the linebacker and pushed him backwards, and Dixon stood the end up and turned him around.  McKinney kept the ball and followed junior Angelo St. Louis into the end zone.

Junior Mitchell Renfro’s extra point kick completed a beautiful opening drive that showed North’s dominance of the offensive line.

THE DEFENSE STANDS TALL

One of the impacts of Covid19 has been the variety of new faces who have been called upon to play in the defensive backfield for the Huskies.  It is difficult for a unit to gel when every week sees new faces playing due to quarantine rules.  One reliable performer for North has been the emergence of senior Achilles Johnson.  Standing 6’1”, he often draws a matchup against the opponent’s tallest receiver.  His ability to transition and provide run support from the cornerback spot has been important to the defense. 

The Panthers came out throwing the ball on Friday night and Husky coverage was very good considering how little time this particular unit has played together.  The quartet of Johnson, juniors Ethan King and Jordan Hunt, and sophomore Keonta Barton were tested throughout the night.  Like Johnson, King excels in run support and is a ferocious hitter.  If Friday night was any indication, Barton and Hunt have the stuff to make this a very special unit with more experience.

After a first play pass gained 19, the defense settled in and begrudgingly yielded short gains.  Once the Panthers reached North’s 30, they got the first real taste of the Husky defense.  On first down, sophomore Delvan Davis’ bull-rush forced a hurried pass by the quarterback to avoid a sack.  On second down, seniors Angus Davis and Mitchell Happe dropped a runner after a short gain.  On third down, King defended a pass in the flat to force a fourth down and eight.

With the Panthers running a “Statue of Liberty” trick play, the North defenders were unshaken by the ruse.   King covered a receiver racing to the end zone and had to pull up when the receiver tripped over his own feet as he turned around to track the ball.  The receiver fell to the ground after he tripped and the ball sailed over his head.

And then a penalty flag flew and King was called for interference—something film review showed was an unwarranted penalty.

Undeterred, the Husky defenders again stood their ground.  Davis and junior linebacker Deshaun Horne stopped a runner at the nine.  Dixon, now playing defense, shucked off a blocker and stormed into the backfield to drop a runner for loss.  On both third and fourth down, Barton expertly covered a receiver resulting in incomplete passes and the Husky defense held.

THE NEXT RESULT NOT SO GOOD

Young teams are sometimes inconsistent.  The next time the Panthers got the ball, North’s inexperience showed.  Despite forcing a pair of third downs, this series saw a pair of missed assignments that resulted in big gains for the Panthers.  Barton’s quick recognition of someone else’s missed coverage prevented a touchdown with an excellent open field tackle.  Three plays later, a quick dive into the line on third and one saw tackles missed and it was up to Barton to force a runner out of bounds at the North 15.  Three plays later Reitz tied the score at 7-7.

THIS OFFENSIVE LINE CAN DOMINATE

It was to be a night of long drives for the Huskies.  Four times in the game, North would score as a result of drives 65 yards or longer.   Unlike the last two seasons in which electrifying Husky backs and receivers would break free for long scores, this Husky club must work for touchdowns.  The ensuing North possession was no exception.  North converted three third downs and overcame a holding call as they drove relentlessly downfield. 

That is not to say that North is without weapons.  As McKinney completed short passes and the team moved its way into Reitz territory, the Huskies gave Hankins a breather and inserted junior running back Angelo St. Louis into the game.  On first and ten at the Reitz 46, he squeezed through a hole to pick up five yards to the 41.  On second down, the crowd got to see some ‘lightning strike’.

Harris lined up at H-back behind Brasher on the left side.  On the snap, Brasher and Dixon slammed down hard to their right and walled off the Reitz line.  Harris stood the defensive end up and McKinney handed the ball to St. Louis to run through the hole.

Run he did.

He “Heisman-trophied” one linebacker with a stiff arm and then shucked off another with his hip and broke away into the secondary.  A shoestring tackle brought him down at the seven yard line and a few plays later the North line can-openered the middle of the Reitz defense and Hankins bulled in for a touchdown.  North led 14-7.

THE PANTHERS RESPOND

Reitz is not without weapons of their own and their quarterback finds ways to exploit any weakness.  Such was the case when it appeared that the Huskies had them stopped near midfield and facing fourth and three.  Sophomore Jayden Hazelwood had teamed up with Dixon to drop a runner for loss in the backfield and Reitz appeared to be stalled.  When Reitz chose to go-for-it rather than punt, Hazelwood’s bull rush up the middle forced the quarterback to throw sooner than he wanted.  His pass found a seam in the coverage and the drive continued.  Twice more the Huskies would force a third and long, twice more the Panthers converted them and soon the score was tied at 14-14.

SECOND HALF

Reitz gifted the ball to North on their opening possession with a bad snap from center being recovered by Zane Hatt.  The Huskies were unable to move the ball and a punt return to midfield had the Panthers threatening.  On third and 8 at the 48, Jordan Hunt made an excellent play to break up a pass.  Yet again, film review would show no contact with the receiver before the ball arrived.  Yet again, the officials whistled North for a penalty.  Ultimately, the Panthers, rather than being forced to punt, were awarded a first down and later scored to take a 20-14 lead. 

FOURTH QUARTER—THE STUFF OF LEGENDS

When senior Ethan Brawdy’s career is over and he looks back upon his accomplishments, this game in Reitz Bowl will certainly be among the brightest.  Brawdy broke multiple fingers on his non-throwing hand in the Memorial game and since then has worn a full cast on the lower part of his left arm.  As the game neared the final stanza, he was inserted at quarterback and gamely played with literally one hand.

On his first possession, the Huskies took off from their 17-yard line and rapidly moved to midfield on the strength of runs by Hankins and a short pass to junior Cale Johnson.  Ultimately a holding penalty would stall the drive, but it was evident the Huskies were responding to Brawdy’s charisma.

After a defensive stand, the Huskies again got the ball back inside their 20-yard line and again Brawdy went to work.  He quickly got the ball to junior Jayvonn Mitchell to set up second and short.  To prove to the crowd and himself that he was “back”, Brawdy picked up the first down on his own with a five-yard run.  He then kept the ball himself on a zone-read option and barreled around end and into direct contact with three defenders to gain another six.  After the play he implored the crowd and the sideline to stand up and cheer for the Husky comeback effort.

When Brawdy was dropped heavily to the ground on a quarterback sack by the defense, the crowd collectively held their breath.  Would his battered left hand hold up to the beating it was taking?

Brawdy leapt to his feet following the savage hit and coolly led the team back to the line of scrimmage, took the ensuing snap, spotted his favorite target, senior Cameron Gelhausen at the 41, delivered the ball on the money, and Gelhausen picked up fourteen more yards after the catch.

The senior quarterback was unflappable as he led the offense to five third down conversions on what would prove to be a 16 play, 82-yard scoring drive that overcame 25 yards in offensive penalties.  Fittingly, it was Brawdy who followed Hankins through a hole opened by Dixon and senior Gunnar Sales into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.  Renfro’s kick put the Huskies ahead 21-20 with 4:53 to play.

REITZ ISN’T DONE

As can happen in storybook endings, sometimes the dragon refuses to play along with script.  Such was the case as the Panthers, desperate to re-write the ending, pulled out a miracle.  Facing second and long at their 45, the quarterback dropped the snap from center.  He did not do it on purpose, but it had the affect of freezing the North defensive backs for a split second.  The quarterback recovered the ball and his receivers, with their backs to him, were unaware of his plight and continued their patterns. 

The brief hesitation allowed a receiver to get past a defender and then, in a continuing theme for the evening, the official failed to observe what film review would show was a push-off by the offensive player to separate himself from the North defender as the ball arrived.  Given his advantage, the receiver broke free into the end zone and Reitz led 26-20 with just 3:33 left in the game.

THE DRIVE

It is one thing to create a storybook ending.  It is another thing to have to do it twice within minutes of each other.  Such was the Huskies’ destiny on this night at Reitz Bowl.

The Panthers kickoff carried into the end zone and eighty yards separated North from victory.  Brawdy lined up in the shotgun with St. Louis beside him.  On the snap, the quarterback pulled the ball down and took off to run.  Sales made short work of the defensive end in front of him and Hatt, playing the most dominant game of his career, turned the tackle to the inside.  St. Louis led Brawdy through the hole and way laid the safety.  For his part Brawdy shook off the linebacker and darted into the secondary.  Cutting behind St. Louis’ block, he broke back into the center of the field and made it to the 43-yard line before being brought down.

There was a palpable sense of dread emanating from the Panther sideline at this turn of events.  The North student section, however, was chanting Brawdy’s name loud enough to be heard across the west side of the city.

When Reitz buckled down and dropped Hankins short of the first down marker on third and four at the 49, it again fell to Brawdy to ‘fix’ North’s problem on fourth down and three yards to go.  Failure to convert here would end the game and all the bravado and the dynamic efforts would be for naught.

Given the brilliant play of Hankins on this night (he already had gained 200 yards rushing) it would be natural to assume that he would carry the ball on this ultimate show down.   There are certain players who insist on having the ball in their hands when the game is on the line.  It is a trait that ‘the great ones’ possess.

Friday night, it was Brawdy who joined ‘the great ones’.

There was no fake or play action on the snap.  There was no effort to hide what was coming.  On the snap, the quarterback pulled the ball down and tucked it under ‘his good arm’.  This play was going to end however Brawdy made it end.

To his good fortune, he plays behind a line with seasoned veterans.  Muli-year starters on the right side, Zane Hatt and Gunnar Sales dismantled the defenders in front of them.  Hankins, deployed as a blocker on this play, barreled into the line and slammed into the first body he could find and rolled him backwards.

Brawdy cut behind him and it took three defenders to bring him down.

Five yards past the first down marker.

With a fresh set of downs, Hankins bounced a running play outside and ran as though he was covered in butcher knives—defenders bouncing off him as though they were sliced to ribbons.  He rambled to the 28 before being forced out of bounds.

Brawdy then connected with Cale Johnson on a pass to the right side that picked up another seventeen yards when Johnson bowled over one defender to add eight yards to his catch.  The script was all Brawdy after that.

Caught in the backfield on first and ten, he simply refused to go down instead shaking out of the grasp of one defender and lowering his shoulder on another as he drove to the outside and down the sideline to the Reitz two-yard line.  The Huskies overloaded the line to the right and Brawdy followed Hankins into the end zone for North’s second come-from-behind touchdown of the quarter.

On the extra point, North chose to go for two and Brawdy rolled to his right and found Gelhausen in the end zone for the conversion.  North led 29-26 with 1:09 to play.

HANKINS HAS ONE MORE PLAY IN HIM

Reitz made it interesting in the closing minute when a trick play resulted in a hook-and-ladder route with a Panther streaking along the sideline.  Coming from behind the play, Hankins had lined up at defensive end on the snap but was still able to run down the receiver along the sideline and bring him down at the North 18-yard line.  With three defenders in front of him, it’s doubtful the Panther could have scored, but Hankins’ play was the finishing touch on a sterling night for him as well.

THE HUSKIES HEAD HOME WITH MOMENTUM

There are many reasons to be optimistic about the coming weeks.  Both lines appear to be developing a level of dominance not seen in many years at Bundrant Stadium.  The defensive backfield is young but maturing quickly—despite the officials somewhat questionable assessment of the rules Friday night.  The quarterback play—regardless of who is in the game—has been exceptional and the running back corps is deep.  At this juncture, if the Huskies can remain injury free, the book has yet to be written on the SIAC season.

BACK TO TOP