Northridge Shows Us All How It’s Done
December 1, 2021 at 1:23 a.m.
Northridge Shows Us All How It’s Done
By Roger Grossman-
I know, Middlebury is way north of this newspaper’s circulation area. But the lesson they have to offer is too good for geographic boundaries to get in the way.
Northridge started the football season with a new head coach. Former Wawasee star Chad Eppley took over for Tom Wogomon as leader of the Raiders, and he inherited a roster that was in a lot better shape than most new coaches are afforded.
He’d been an assistant there, so his guys already knew him.
He took the job at age 26. Most guys at that age are enjoying the fruits of getting paid to work but not having the commitments of a wife and kids.
Not this guy.
A great start to their season was squashed by an injury to their starting quarterback. It was a huge loss, but it was not their last.
Their backup quarterback also got hurt, so they played Warsaw in Week 4 with their third-string quarterback, who, honestly, did a pretty good job for them.
They lost to the Tigers at the beginning of a stretch where they lost four of the last five games.
Their conference hopes had been dashed, and a meaningful postseason run seemed unlikely.
Then the IHSAA draw came out, and their chances seemed to be reduced to nothing.
They drew NorthWood. The Panthers beat the Raiders the week after the Tigers did by a score of 42-8 at Northridge. It was the TV-46 Game of the Week, which added salt to the wounds.
During that game, the Raiders third-string quarterback got hurt too, so they took their star running back and moved him into the role of quarterback.
That night felt like a disaster for the boys in green.
Now the IHSAA was telling Northridge they had to play the Panthers again in the first round of the playoffs, and they would have to travel to Nappanee for it.
A new coach, impossible injuries at the game’s most important position, and nothing but a bad vibe enveloping them.
The Raiders were having none of it. None.
They stunned NorthWood at Andrews Field 28-7 to start the playoffs, and that lit the fuse.
They went on to beat Columbia City the following week, and then upset second-ranked and previously unbeaten Leo in overtime to win the sectional crown.
They weren’t done.
The Raiders won the regional and semi-state in the Fridays that followed before losing last Saturday in the 4A state final at Lucas Oil Stadium.
We can learn a lot from them, ya know.
First, there are things in life you cannot control. In sports, injuries and the weather are at the head of that list.
I have clung to the motto “injuries build depth” for as long as I can remember. I also hold on to the words of Lou Holtz, who said “adversity is what we look for, because in adversity there is opportunity.”
Both apply here.
Northridge didn’t do anything wrong. Their quarterbacks got hurt—all of them. They were forced to get creative, and instead of pouting about the hand they were dealt they said “ok, what can we do?”
And they set about doing it.
The second thing is that the Raiders refused to let ‘what was’ be ‘what is’. They, by all rights, could have watched their draw and say “we have no chance against NorthWood” and then fulfilled that destiny by showing up and not much more in the first round of the playoffs.
Like I said before, they completely rejected that approach as an option.
We give up too often. We give up in our careers, in our marriages and in our other relationships. We give up too quickly, and what we tell people by doing that is that they just aren’t worth it anymore. It’s too hard, right?
Northridge collectively decided it was worth it. My, was it ever.
Bottom line: if you want to do memorable things you must put forth incredible effort.
I know, Middlebury is way north of this newspaper’s circulation area. But the lesson they have to offer is too good for geographic boundaries to get in the way.
Northridge started the football season with a new head coach. Former Wawasee star Chad Eppley took over for Tom Wogomon as leader of the Raiders, and he inherited a roster that was in a lot better shape than most new coaches are afforded.
He’d been an assistant there, so his guys already knew him.
He took the job at age 26. Most guys at that age are enjoying the fruits of getting paid to work but not having the commitments of a wife and kids.
Not this guy.
A great start to their season was squashed by an injury to their starting quarterback. It was a huge loss, but it was not their last.
Their backup quarterback also got hurt, so they played Warsaw in Week 4 with their third-string quarterback, who, honestly, did a pretty good job for them.
They lost to the Tigers at the beginning of a stretch where they lost four of the last five games.
Their conference hopes had been dashed, and a meaningful postseason run seemed unlikely.
Then the IHSAA draw came out, and their chances seemed to be reduced to nothing.
They drew NorthWood. The Panthers beat the Raiders the week after the Tigers did by a score of 42-8 at Northridge. It was the TV-46 Game of the Week, which added salt to the wounds.
During that game, the Raiders third-string quarterback got hurt too, so they took their star running back and moved him into the role of quarterback.
That night felt like a disaster for the boys in green.
Now the IHSAA was telling Northridge they had to play the Panthers again in the first round of the playoffs, and they would have to travel to Nappanee for it.
A new coach, impossible injuries at the game’s most important position, and nothing but a bad vibe enveloping them.
The Raiders were having none of it. None.
They stunned NorthWood at Andrews Field 28-7 to start the playoffs, and that lit the fuse.
They went on to beat Columbia City the following week, and then upset second-ranked and previously unbeaten Leo in overtime to win the sectional crown.
They weren’t done.
The Raiders won the regional and semi-state in the Fridays that followed before losing last Saturday in the 4A state final at Lucas Oil Stadium.
We can learn a lot from them, ya know.
First, there are things in life you cannot control. In sports, injuries and the weather are at the head of that list.
I have clung to the motto “injuries build depth” for as long as I can remember. I also hold on to the words of Lou Holtz, who said “adversity is what we look for, because in adversity there is opportunity.”
Both apply here.
Northridge didn’t do anything wrong. Their quarterbacks got hurt—all of them. They were forced to get creative, and instead of pouting about the hand they were dealt they said “ok, what can we do?”
And they set about doing it.
The second thing is that the Raiders refused to let ‘what was’ be ‘what is’. They, by all rights, could have watched their draw and say “we have no chance against NorthWood” and then fulfilled that destiny by showing up and not much more in the first round of the playoffs.
Like I said before, they completely rejected that approach as an option.
We give up too often. We give up in our careers, in our marriages and in our other relationships. We give up too quickly, and what we tell people by doing that is that they just aren’t worth it anymore. It’s too hard, right?
Northridge collectively decided it was worth it. My, was it ever.
Bottom line: if you want to do memorable things you must put forth incredible effort.
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