Andrean, NorthWood Face Off - Again
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
NAPPANEE - The NorthWood Panthers are one of 20 teams battling for the opportunity to play in the state championship next week.
However, the path to Indianapolis and the RCA Dome will not be an easy one for the Panthers because they must face last year's Class 3A semistate champion, Andrean High School, in order to get there.
NorthWood (10-3) and Andrean (11-2) will square off in Merrillville at 8 p.m. Friday, and the winner will travel to Indianapolis the following week to compete in the Class 3A ISHAA state football championship.
"NorthWood is a lot like us," said Ted Karras, Andrean's head coach. "They play a difficult schedule, and they are a traditional power.
"NorthWood has a solid offense, and defensively they are the best team we'll face this season."
"Andrean has is a solid defensive team, and they have not given up many points," said NorthWood head coach Rich Dodson. "They try to shut down the run by putting a lot of guys up along the line of scrimmage. They will try to throw us off balance by controlling the ball. Offensively, they will run a lot of power-type plays and play action to move the ball."
If these coaches seem to know a lot about each other's teams, it's not a fluke. This game is not the first time the 59ers and the Panthers have stepped on the field for battle.
"In the '96 regional championship, they whipped us 42-7," said Karras.
Andrean will try to avenge that loss this week with a new cast of players.
The Andrean 59ers are led by Marko Zientara, a senior defensive back and quarterback who has rushed 64 times for 330 yards and nine touchdowns and passed 64 times for 948 yards and 11 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. Last week Zientara intercepted three passes and threw a touchdown pass against Twin Lakes in the 13-10 59ers' victory.
John Barney has rushed 149 times for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns, and George McGuan has added 858 yards on 124 rushes with six touchdowns to lead the Andrean running attack.
Mike Escalante has caught 13 passes for 275 yards and six touchdowns, and Phil Prisby has caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns to lead the 59er receivers.
NorthWood is hoping to have a repeat of that 1996 game, with new blood leading the Panthers to a chance at the state title.
For the Panthers, quarterback Charlie Roeder leads the air attack, completing 109 of 212 passes for 1,674 yards and 12 touchdowns. Roeder also adds to the NorthWood running attack with 143 rushes for 1,046 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Aaron Huber leads NorthWood's running attack with 1,439 yards on 196 rushes and 20 touchdowns. Huber also leads NorthWood in receiving with 35 catches for 563 yards and six touchdowns.
Chad Knisley gained 400 yards on 86 rushes and four touchdowns, while Brad Greenlee caught 17 passes for 269 yards and one touchdown to add to the Panther offensive attack.
"We'll try to stop the quarterback (Charlie) Roeder and (Aaron) Huber," said Karras. "Stopping them and shutting down their offense will be key to a successful game. Defensively, we want to fly to the ball and be aggressive.
"We plan to press Roeder. If we don't, he'll have time to throw the ball and we'll be in trouble."
Both coaches also have an idea of what the key to success in this semistate game will be.
"A key to this game will be ball control," said Karras. "We controlled the ball 30 minutes last week, and that will definitely be key."
"Field position will dictate success this week," said Dodson. "Field position means a lot in this game. We can't let them get a short field or they will score. On the other hand, we need a short field to score against their strong defense."
Dodson and the Panthers feel they are ready to play in this game, but they are keeping a solid head on their shoulders.
"Like every week, we want to play well in all three areas of the football game, especially in the offense and defense," said Dodson.
"Basically we are focusing on taking care of the business at hand. We just need to forget about last week and next week and focus on the game at hand."
1998 FOOTBALL SEMISTATE
NorthWood at Andrean
8 p.m. in Merrillville
Andrean
Points per game - Andrean 24.8, opponents 7.7
Andrean leaders
Rushing (carries-yards, average) - John Barney 149-1004, 6.7; George McGuan 124-858, 6.9; Jeff Hadt 76-504, 6.6; Marko Zientara 64-330, 5.2
Passing - Marko Zientara 64-153-11, 948 yards, 11 TD
Receiving (catches-yards, average) - Mike Escalante 13-275, 21.2; Phil Prisby 12-225, 18.8; Andre Hill 11-144, 13.1
Touchdowns - Zientara 20 (9 rushing, 11 passing); McGuan 6; Barney 6; Escalante 6
Punts (attempts-yards, average) - Prisby 40-1287, 32.2
Punt returns (attempts-yards, average) - Barney 11-193, 17.5; McGuan 3-50, 16.7; Hill 3-36, 12
Andrean Scores
Regular Season Record 7-2
Overall Record 11-2
Hobart 23, Andrean 3
Andrean 14, Bishop Noll 0
Griffith 15, Andrean 14
Andrean 20, Munster 0
Andrean 56, Horace Mann 0
Andrean 20, Highland 9
Andrean 22, Hammond 15
Andrean 28, Kankakee Valley 0
Andrean 42, Lowell 0
SECTIONAL
Round 1: Andrean 42, Culver Military 15
Round 2: Andrean 21, St. Joe 0
Round 3: Andrean 28, Mishawaka Marian 14
REGIONAL
Andrean 13, Twin Lakes 10
SEMISTATE
NorthWood at Andrean 8 p.m. Friday.
NorthWood Team Stats
Points per game - North Wood 31.9, Opponents 14.7
NorthWood Leaders
Rushing (carries-yards, average) - Aaron Huber 196-1439, 7.3; Charlie Roeder 143-1046, 7.3; Chad Knisley 86-392, 4.6
Passing - Roeder 109-212-12, 1674 yards, 12 TD
Receiving (catches-yards, average) - Huber 35-562, 16.1; Brad Greenlee 17-269, 15.8; Brock Doty 12-242, 20.2; Blair Baumgartner 12-200, 16.7; Ian Reed 10-135, 13.5
Touchdowns -ÊHuber 29; Roeder 17; Knisley 4
Punts (attempts-yards, average) - Nick Juday 23-932, 40.5; Huber 7-264, 37.7
Punt returns (attempts-yards, average) - Huber 10-186, 18.6; Justin Lantzer 5-38, 7.6
Kick returns (attempts-yards, average) -ÊHuber 15-280, 18.7; Cory Brown 8-208, 26.0; Andy Sheets 4-42, 10.5
NorthWood Scores
Regular Season Record 6-3
Overall Record 8-3
Jimtown 21, NorthWood 20
NorthWood 39, Bremen 6
NorthWood 32, Concord 15
Goshen 30, NorthWood 7
NorthWood 34, Wawasee 14
NorthWood 42, Northridge 10
NorthWood 28, Dowagiac, MI 0
NorthWood 34, Warsaw 28
Plymouth 17, NorthWood 13
SECTIONAL
Round 1: NorthWood 42, Angola 21
Round 2: NorthWood 40, Northridge 7
Round 3: NorthWood 49, Whitko 14
REGIONAL
NorthWood 18, FW Harding 7
SEMISTATE
NorthWood at Andrean 8 p.m. Friday. [[In-content Ad]]
NAPPANEE - The NorthWood Panthers are one of 20 teams battling for the opportunity to play in the state championship next week.
However, the path to Indianapolis and the RCA Dome will not be an easy one for the Panthers because they must face last year's Class 3A semistate champion, Andrean High School, in order to get there.
NorthWood (10-3) and Andrean (11-2) will square off in Merrillville at 8 p.m. Friday, and the winner will travel to Indianapolis the following week to compete in the Class 3A ISHAA state football championship.
"NorthWood is a lot like us," said Ted Karras, Andrean's head coach. "They play a difficult schedule, and they are a traditional power.
"NorthWood has a solid offense, and defensively they are the best team we'll face this season."
"Andrean has is a solid defensive team, and they have not given up many points," said NorthWood head coach Rich Dodson. "They try to shut down the run by putting a lot of guys up along the line of scrimmage. They will try to throw us off balance by controlling the ball. Offensively, they will run a lot of power-type plays and play action to move the ball."
If these coaches seem to know a lot about each other's teams, it's not a fluke. This game is not the first time the 59ers and the Panthers have stepped on the field for battle.
"In the '96 regional championship, they whipped us 42-7," said Karras.
Andrean will try to avenge that loss this week with a new cast of players.
The Andrean 59ers are led by Marko Zientara, a senior defensive back and quarterback who has rushed 64 times for 330 yards and nine touchdowns and passed 64 times for 948 yards and 11 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. Last week Zientara intercepted three passes and threw a touchdown pass against Twin Lakes in the 13-10 59ers' victory.
John Barney has rushed 149 times for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns, and George McGuan has added 858 yards on 124 rushes with six touchdowns to lead the Andrean running attack.
Mike Escalante has caught 13 passes for 275 yards and six touchdowns, and Phil Prisby has caught 12 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns to lead the 59er receivers.
NorthWood is hoping to have a repeat of that 1996 game, with new blood leading the Panthers to a chance at the state title.
For the Panthers, quarterback Charlie Roeder leads the air attack, completing 109 of 212 passes for 1,674 yards and 12 touchdowns. Roeder also adds to the NorthWood running attack with 143 rushes for 1,046 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Aaron Huber leads NorthWood's running attack with 1,439 yards on 196 rushes and 20 touchdowns. Huber also leads NorthWood in receiving with 35 catches for 563 yards and six touchdowns.
Chad Knisley gained 400 yards on 86 rushes and four touchdowns, while Brad Greenlee caught 17 passes for 269 yards and one touchdown to add to the Panther offensive attack.
"We'll try to stop the quarterback (Charlie) Roeder and (Aaron) Huber," said Karras. "Stopping them and shutting down their offense will be key to a successful game. Defensively, we want to fly to the ball and be aggressive.
"We plan to press Roeder. If we don't, he'll have time to throw the ball and we'll be in trouble."
Both coaches also have an idea of what the key to success in this semistate game will be.
"A key to this game will be ball control," said Karras. "We controlled the ball 30 minutes last week, and that will definitely be key."
"Field position will dictate success this week," said Dodson. "Field position means a lot in this game. We can't let them get a short field or they will score. On the other hand, we need a short field to score against their strong defense."
Dodson and the Panthers feel they are ready to play in this game, but they are keeping a solid head on their shoulders.
"Like every week, we want to play well in all three areas of the football game, especially in the offense and defense," said Dodson.
"Basically we are focusing on taking care of the business at hand. We just need to forget about last week and next week and focus on the game at hand."
1998 FOOTBALL SEMISTATE
NorthWood at Andrean
8 p.m. in Merrillville
Andrean
Points per game - Andrean 24.8, opponents 7.7
Andrean leaders
Rushing (carries-yards, average) - John Barney 149-1004, 6.7; George McGuan 124-858, 6.9; Jeff Hadt 76-504, 6.6; Marko Zientara 64-330, 5.2
Passing - Marko Zientara 64-153-11, 948 yards, 11 TD
Receiving (catches-yards, average) - Mike Escalante 13-275, 21.2; Phil Prisby 12-225, 18.8; Andre Hill 11-144, 13.1
Touchdowns - Zientara 20 (9 rushing, 11 passing); McGuan 6; Barney 6; Escalante 6
Punts (attempts-yards, average) - Prisby 40-1287, 32.2
Punt returns (attempts-yards, average) - Barney 11-193, 17.5; McGuan 3-50, 16.7; Hill 3-36, 12
Andrean Scores
Regular Season Record 7-2
Overall Record 11-2
Hobart 23, Andrean 3
Andrean 14, Bishop Noll 0
Griffith 15, Andrean 14
Andrean 20, Munster 0
Andrean 56, Horace Mann 0
Andrean 20, Highland 9
Andrean 22, Hammond 15
Andrean 28, Kankakee Valley 0
Andrean 42, Lowell 0
SECTIONAL
Round 1: Andrean 42, Culver Military 15
Round 2: Andrean 21, St. Joe 0
Round 3: Andrean 28, Mishawaka Marian 14
REGIONAL
Andrean 13, Twin Lakes 10
SEMISTATE
NorthWood at Andrean 8 p.m. Friday.
NorthWood Team Stats
Points per game - North Wood 31.9, Opponents 14.7
NorthWood Leaders
Rushing (carries-yards, average) - Aaron Huber 196-1439, 7.3; Charlie Roeder 143-1046, 7.3; Chad Knisley 86-392, 4.6
Passing - Roeder 109-212-12, 1674 yards, 12 TD
Receiving (catches-yards, average) - Huber 35-562, 16.1; Brad Greenlee 17-269, 15.8; Brock Doty 12-242, 20.2; Blair Baumgartner 12-200, 16.7; Ian Reed 10-135, 13.5
Touchdowns -ÊHuber 29; Roeder 17; Knisley 4
Punts (attempts-yards, average) - Nick Juday 23-932, 40.5; Huber 7-264, 37.7
Punt returns (attempts-yards, average) - Huber 10-186, 18.6; Justin Lantzer 5-38, 7.6
Kick returns (attempts-yards, average) -ÊHuber 15-280, 18.7; Cory Brown 8-208, 26.0; Andy Sheets 4-42, 10.5
NorthWood Scores
Regular Season Record 6-3
Overall Record 8-3
Jimtown 21, NorthWood 20
NorthWood 39, Bremen 6
NorthWood 32, Concord 15
Goshen 30, NorthWood 7
NorthWood 34, Wawasee 14
NorthWood 42, Northridge 10
NorthWood 28, Dowagiac, MI 0
NorthWood 34, Warsaw 28
Plymouth 17, NorthWood 13
SECTIONAL
Round 1: NorthWood 42, Angola 21
Round 2: NorthWood 40, Northridge 7
Round 3: NorthWood 49, Whitko 14
REGIONAL
NorthWood 18, FW Harding 7
SEMISTATE
NorthWood at Andrean 8 p.m. Friday. [[In-content Ad]]