Panthers One Step From State
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
NAPPANEE - The 90-degree two-a-days of early August have come and gone, as have the mild Fridays of September and October. Now the only thing that separates Class 3A No. 5 NorthWood from its fourth trip to the climate-controlled RCA Dome in Indianapolis are 48 minutes with sixth-ranked Zionsville in the bitter November air.
The possibility of snow and near 20-degree temperatures doesn't seem to bother NorthWood football coach Rich Dodson, whose 11-2 Panthers host the Eagles (10-3) tonight at 7:30 for the right to play either top-ranked Heritage Hills (13-0) or No. 9 Indianapolis Roncalli (10-3) next Saturday in the 3A state championship game.
"We're not going to let the weather bother us," Dodson, owner of a 97-17 record in nine years at NorthWood, said. "If lousy weather is an advantage for us, the lousier the better."
One thing is for sure, if the weather is lousy, both teams would be more than happy to keep the ball on the ground.
Five-foot-10 junior Ryan Wagner spearheads the Eagle rushing attack with his 1,753 yards and 25 touchdowns on 285 carries. He averages 6.2 yards per touch of the ball.
"The tailback is what you've gotta stop in our offense," Larry McWhorter, owner of a 51-12 record in five seasons at Zionsville, said. "He (Wagner) has had an outstanding year, particuarly in the playoff run."
Junior Austin Smith has carried the ball 31 times this season for 228 yards and five touchdowns, while senior Chris Ransdell has tallied 227 yards and six scores on 54 carries.
"Offensively, we may be bigger," McWhorter said, "but the most difficult games we've played in have been against smaller, quicker defenses, and that seems to be what NorthWood features right now. That may nullify any advantage we have there."
Zionsville's offensive line averages 6-2, 251 pounds per man and is anchored by 6-6, 335-pound senior tackle Zach Starkey; NorthWood's defensive front four averages 5-11, 202.
Playing in the Northern Lakes Conference, NorthWood has seen large offensive lines in Warsaw and Goshen. Against a Warsaw team that featured three 300-pounders, NorthWood raced out to a 14-0 lead before falling in overtime.
NorthWood's ground game is led by the two-headed monster of juniors Jesse Fink and Ben Lehman.
Fink has rushed the ball 134 time this year for 938 yards, an average of 7.0 yards per carry, and 18 touchdowns. Lehman has tucked the pigskin 141 times for 904 yards, an average of 6.4 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns. Senior signal caller Mike Blosser is third on the team with 451 yards on 110 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per carry.
NorthWood averages 193.6 yards of offense per game on the ground and outscores its opponents 35-15.
Zionsville averages 138.8 yards of offense per game on the ground and outscores its opponents 31-17.
"The thing that draws attention to them is that they beat Roncalli at Roncalli," Dodson said.
Zionsville started the season ranked No.1 and has spent most of the year in the top 10. The Eagles' three losses have come to North Montgomery, Western Boone and McCutcheon. The setbacks to Western Boone and McCutcheon came by a combined three points.
NorthWood's two losses came to Warsaw and Jimtown, two teams that finished this season with a combined 21-3 record.
On paper, the two teams appear evenly matched. So evenly matched, Dodson doesn't call playing at Andrews Field, a place the Panthers very seldom lose at, an advantage.
"I don't think it's an advantage at this point in the season," Dodson said. "We're playing in a game where two teams think they can win. This kind of game you could play in the parking lot. The field is 100 yards long, it doesn't matter where you're playing. It might be our advantage if we had 70,000 fans and they had 3,000, but that doesn't happen in high school football."
This is the inaugural meeting of these teams. The two coaches have a 148-29 record between them.
Dodson has coached NorthWood since the 1992 season. In that time the Panthers have won seven sectionals, four regionals and two semistate championships.
McWhorter has been with the Eagles since 1996, winning a state championship his first year. McWhorter's resume also features three sectional, two regional and one semistate championship.
No. 5 (3A) NORTHWOOD PANTHERS
Coach - Rich Dodson
Record - 11-2
NorthWood scores (home team in caps)
JIMTOWN 30, NorthWood 21
NorthWood 56, Bremen 0
NORTHWOOD 42, Concord 21
NorthWood 16, GOSHEN 13
NorthWood 40, WAWASEE 12
NORTHWOOD 42, Northridge 7
NORTHWOOD 39, Dowagiac (MI) 20
Warsaw 29, NORTHWOOD 28 (OT)
NorthWood 32, PLYMOUTH 21
Sectional
NorthWood 34, New Haven 7
NORTHWOOD 49, Angola 6
NORTHWOOD 35, Lakeland 18
Regional
NORTHWOOD 21, Rochester 14
NorthWood Team Stats
Points per game - NorthWood 35.0, Opponents 15.3
Offense per game - NorthWood 361.5, Opponents 262.0
NorthWood Leaders
Rushing (carries-yards, per carry average) - Jesse Fink 134-938 (7.0), Ben Lehman 141-904 (6.4), Mike Blosser 110-451 (4.1)
Passing - Blosser 114-189, 2,078 yards, 60.3 percent completion, 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Receiving (catches-yards, per catch average) - Willy Will 50-1,164 (23.3), Fink 29-387 (13.3), Ryan Mast 13-151 (11.6), Jeremy Greenlee 8-128 (16.0)
Touchdowns - Blosser 28, Fink 24, Will 13, Eric Flickinger 2
Punts (attempts-yards, average) - Blosser 24-723 (30.1)
Punt returns (attempts-yards, average) - Will 20-343 (17.2)
Kick returns (attempts-yards, average) - Scott Hill 12-229 (19.1), Lehman 7-150 (21.4)
Tackles - Josh Cook 109, Will 93, Jeff Baumgartner 92, Tim Schmucker 82, Justin Titus 75, Todd Blanton 54
Sacks - Baumgartner 2.5 (several others with 1)
Interceptions - Tim Barrett 3, Will 3, Schmucker 2, Hill 2
Fumble recoveries - Titus 3, Josh Snyder 2
No. 6 (3A) ZIONSVILLE EAGLES
Coach - Larry McWhorter
Record - 10-3
Zionsville scores
Zionsville 29, North Montgomery 6
Western Boone 27, Zionsville 25
McCutcheon 21, Zionsivlle 20
Zionsville 24, Harrison 13
Avon 35, Zionsville 13
Zionsville 16, Indianapolis 15
Zionsville 30, Lake Central 14
Zionsville 33, Culver Military Academy 18
Zionsville 47, Westfield 19
Sectional
Zionsville 44, Frankfort 20
Zionsville 38, West Lafayette 11
Zionsville 43, Benton Central 13
Regional
Zionsville 35, Culver Military Academy 7
Zionsville Team Stats
Points per game - Zionsville 31.2, Opponents 17.1
Offense per game - Zionsville 272.2
Zionsville Leaders
Rushing (carries-yards, per carry average) - Ryan Wagner 285-1,753 (6.2), Austin Smith 31-228 (7.4), Chris Ransdell 54-227 (4.2)
Passing - Corey Richmond 109-182, 1,372 yards, 59.9 percent completion, 12 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
Receiving (catches-yards) - Billy Slama 44-646, Kyle Hall 41-391, Steve Laffoon 15-166
Touchdowns - Wagner 26, Ransdell 7, Slama 7, Smith 6, Hall 3
Tackles - Chris Stevens 125, Slama 70, Smith 68, Aaron Davis 67, Damien Decker 66, Mark Shortz 63, Bobby Carnicella 53
Sacks - Shortz 7, Nick North 4, Smith 4, Davis 3, Scott Martin 2
Interceptions - Slama 9, Richmond 2
Fumble recoveries - Smith 4, Greg Boutchard 2, Decker 2, Slama 2 [[In-content Ad]]
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NAPPANEE - The 90-degree two-a-days of early August have come and gone, as have the mild Fridays of September and October. Now the only thing that separates Class 3A No. 5 NorthWood from its fourth trip to the climate-controlled RCA Dome in Indianapolis are 48 minutes with sixth-ranked Zionsville in the bitter November air.
The possibility of snow and near 20-degree temperatures doesn't seem to bother NorthWood football coach Rich Dodson, whose 11-2 Panthers host the Eagles (10-3) tonight at 7:30 for the right to play either top-ranked Heritage Hills (13-0) or No. 9 Indianapolis Roncalli (10-3) next Saturday in the 3A state championship game.
"We're not going to let the weather bother us," Dodson, owner of a 97-17 record in nine years at NorthWood, said. "If lousy weather is an advantage for us, the lousier the better."
One thing is for sure, if the weather is lousy, both teams would be more than happy to keep the ball on the ground.
Five-foot-10 junior Ryan Wagner spearheads the Eagle rushing attack with his 1,753 yards and 25 touchdowns on 285 carries. He averages 6.2 yards per touch of the ball.
"The tailback is what you've gotta stop in our offense," Larry McWhorter, owner of a 51-12 record in five seasons at Zionsville, said. "He (Wagner) has had an outstanding year, particuarly in the playoff run."
Junior Austin Smith has carried the ball 31 times this season for 228 yards and five touchdowns, while senior Chris Ransdell has tallied 227 yards and six scores on 54 carries.
"Offensively, we may be bigger," McWhorter said, "but the most difficult games we've played in have been against smaller, quicker defenses, and that seems to be what NorthWood features right now. That may nullify any advantage we have there."
Zionsville's offensive line averages 6-2, 251 pounds per man and is anchored by 6-6, 335-pound senior tackle Zach Starkey; NorthWood's defensive front four averages 5-11, 202.
Playing in the Northern Lakes Conference, NorthWood has seen large offensive lines in Warsaw and Goshen. Against a Warsaw team that featured three 300-pounders, NorthWood raced out to a 14-0 lead before falling in overtime.
NorthWood's ground game is led by the two-headed monster of juniors Jesse Fink and Ben Lehman.
Fink has rushed the ball 134 time this year for 938 yards, an average of 7.0 yards per carry, and 18 touchdowns. Lehman has tucked the pigskin 141 times for 904 yards, an average of 6.4 yards per carry, and 12 touchdowns. Senior signal caller Mike Blosser is third on the team with 451 yards on 110 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per carry.
NorthWood averages 193.6 yards of offense per game on the ground and outscores its opponents 35-15.
Zionsville averages 138.8 yards of offense per game on the ground and outscores its opponents 31-17.
"The thing that draws attention to them is that they beat Roncalli at Roncalli," Dodson said.
Zionsville started the season ranked No.1 and has spent most of the year in the top 10. The Eagles' three losses have come to North Montgomery, Western Boone and McCutcheon. The setbacks to Western Boone and McCutcheon came by a combined three points.
NorthWood's two losses came to Warsaw and Jimtown, two teams that finished this season with a combined 21-3 record.
On paper, the two teams appear evenly matched. So evenly matched, Dodson doesn't call playing at Andrews Field, a place the Panthers very seldom lose at, an advantage.
"I don't think it's an advantage at this point in the season," Dodson said. "We're playing in a game where two teams think they can win. This kind of game you could play in the parking lot. The field is 100 yards long, it doesn't matter where you're playing. It might be our advantage if we had 70,000 fans and they had 3,000, but that doesn't happen in high school football."
This is the inaugural meeting of these teams. The two coaches have a 148-29 record between them.
Dodson has coached NorthWood since the 1992 season. In that time the Panthers have won seven sectionals, four regionals and two semistate championships.
McWhorter has been with the Eagles since 1996, winning a state championship his first year. McWhorter's resume also features three sectional, two regional and one semistate championship.
No. 5 (3A) NORTHWOOD PANTHERS
Coach - Rich Dodson
Record - 11-2
NorthWood scores (home team in caps)
JIMTOWN 30, NorthWood 21
NorthWood 56, Bremen 0
NORTHWOOD 42, Concord 21
NorthWood 16, GOSHEN 13
NorthWood 40, WAWASEE 12
NORTHWOOD 42, Northridge 7
NORTHWOOD 39, Dowagiac (MI) 20
Warsaw 29, NORTHWOOD 28 (OT)
NorthWood 32, PLYMOUTH 21
Sectional
NorthWood 34, New Haven 7
NORTHWOOD 49, Angola 6
NORTHWOOD 35, Lakeland 18
Regional
NORTHWOOD 21, Rochester 14
NorthWood Team Stats
Points per game - NorthWood 35.0, Opponents 15.3
Offense per game - NorthWood 361.5, Opponents 262.0
NorthWood Leaders
Rushing (carries-yards, per carry average) - Jesse Fink 134-938 (7.0), Ben Lehman 141-904 (6.4), Mike Blosser 110-451 (4.1)
Passing - Blosser 114-189, 2,078 yards, 60.3 percent completion, 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Receiving (catches-yards, per catch average) - Willy Will 50-1,164 (23.3), Fink 29-387 (13.3), Ryan Mast 13-151 (11.6), Jeremy Greenlee 8-128 (16.0)
Touchdowns - Blosser 28, Fink 24, Will 13, Eric Flickinger 2
Punts (attempts-yards, average) - Blosser 24-723 (30.1)
Punt returns (attempts-yards, average) - Will 20-343 (17.2)
Kick returns (attempts-yards, average) - Scott Hill 12-229 (19.1), Lehman 7-150 (21.4)
Tackles - Josh Cook 109, Will 93, Jeff Baumgartner 92, Tim Schmucker 82, Justin Titus 75, Todd Blanton 54
Sacks - Baumgartner 2.5 (several others with 1)
Interceptions - Tim Barrett 3, Will 3, Schmucker 2, Hill 2
Fumble recoveries - Titus 3, Josh Snyder 2
No. 6 (3A) ZIONSVILLE EAGLES
Coach - Larry McWhorter
Record - 10-3
Zionsville scores
Zionsville 29, North Montgomery 6
Western Boone 27, Zionsville 25
McCutcheon 21, Zionsivlle 20
Zionsville 24, Harrison 13
Avon 35, Zionsville 13
Zionsville 16, Indianapolis 15
Zionsville 30, Lake Central 14
Zionsville 33, Culver Military Academy 18
Zionsville 47, Westfield 19
Sectional
Zionsville 44, Frankfort 20
Zionsville 38, West Lafayette 11
Zionsville 43, Benton Central 13
Regional
Zionsville 35, Culver Military Academy 7
Zionsville Team Stats
Points per game - Zionsville 31.2, Opponents 17.1
Offense per game - Zionsville 272.2
Zionsville Leaders
Rushing (carries-yards, per carry average) - Ryan Wagner 285-1,753 (6.2), Austin Smith 31-228 (7.4), Chris Ransdell 54-227 (4.2)
Passing - Corey Richmond 109-182, 1,372 yards, 59.9 percent completion, 12 touchdowns, 4 interceptions
Receiving (catches-yards) - Billy Slama 44-646, Kyle Hall 41-391, Steve Laffoon 15-166
Touchdowns - Wagner 26, Ransdell 7, Slama 7, Smith 6, Hall 3
Tackles - Chris Stevens 125, Slama 70, Smith 68, Aaron Davis 67, Damien Decker 66, Mark Shortz 63, Bobby Carnicella 53
Sacks - Shortz 7, Nick North 4, Smith 4, Davis 3, Scott Martin 2
Interceptions - Slama 9, Richmond 2
Fumble recoveries - Smith 4, Greg Boutchard 2, Decker 2, Slama 2 [[In-content Ad]]