Panthers Reach The State Finals
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
MERRILLVILLE - And then there were 10.
The NorthWood Panthers are now members of an elite group of players who have advanced to the state football finals after defeating Andrean 14-12 Friday.
The Panthers, who went into the playoffs with a 6-3 record, traveled to Andrean High School to play the 59ers in the semistate game and stepped on the field with high hopes.
"This is the toughest game of the year," said NorthWood assistant coach Jim Snider. "Semistate is the game where you're sad there has to be a loser."
After the first quarter of the game, the score remained 0-0, but with 1:14 left in the second quarter, Aaron Huber ran for a 21-yard gain to move the ball to the 59er 4-yard line.
Huber then caught a 4-yard pass from Charlie Roeder to score the first touchdown of the game to put NorthWood up 7-0.
The 59ers were knocking on the door in the final seconds of the second quarter when Huber intercepted a pass from Marko Zientara. With 16 seconds left in the quarter, the Panther defense shut down the Andrean drive.
As the Panthers and the 59ers went into the locker room, the score stood at 7-0 in NorthWood's favor.
"The team showed a lot of composure," said Snider. "Our guys' composure in the last two ballgames has been tremendous."
The 59ers came out to play in the second half of the game, and they scored the only points of the third quarter when Edward Young ran one yard for a touchdown to cap off a 13-play drive.
NorthWood breathed a sigh of relief as Jeremy Stockwell's extra point sailed wide left of the uprights and the Panthers held on to a 7-6 lead.
However, NorthWood was not satisfied with a one-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, Roeder connected with Brock Doty for another Panther touchdown. After Mitschelen's extra point kick split the goalposts, the Panthers held a 14-6 lead.
With only 3:06 left in the game, Zientara completed a touchdown pass to John Barney to bring the 59ers within two points of the tie.
On the two-point conversion attempt, the Panthers knocked down Zientara's pass, and the score stood at 14-12.
NorthWood took over on the Andrean 49-yard line with 3:06 left in the final quarter of the game after the 59ers attempted an onside kick.
With 1:35 left in the game, the officials stopped the clock for a first-down measurement. The Panthers got the first down on their own 41-yard line.
Andrean's coaches did not agree with the official's call and earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after arguing with the referee.
After Roeder downed the ball, the final seconds of the semistate game ticked away, and the NorthWood Panthers finished the game on top of the Andrean 59ers 14-12.
"We played with as much heart as we did last week," said Snider. "Our defense was not as stellar, but we did what we needed to do."
The Panthers will travel to Indianapolis, where they will face Indianapolis Chatard in the Class 3A state championship game next Saturday at noon.
Indianapolis Chartard defeated Franklin County 24-18 to earn a spot in the state finals.
Snider summed up the excitement of next week in a few words.
"It's a thrill, there's no thrill like stepping on the field for the championship game."
NorthWood 14, Andrean 12
No. 10 NorthWood 0 7 0 7-14
No. 9 Andrean 0 0 6 6-12
NW A
First downs 15 13
Rushes-yards 40-193 33-186
Passing 58 55
Comp.-Att.-Int. 5-13-1 5-15-1 Total offense 251 241
Penalties-yards 1-0 5-65
Second Quarter
NW - Aaron Huber 4 pass Roeder (Mitschelen kick) 7-0
Third Quarter
A - Young 1 run (Stockwell kick failed) 7-6 NW
Fourth Quarter
NW - Doty pass from Roeder (Mitschelen kick) 14-6 NW
A - Barney pass from Zientara (run failed) 14-12
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing - NorthWood: Huber 17-103, Roeder 15-54, Knisley 8-36; Andrean: McGuan 15-122, Barney 9-35, Young 6-24.
Receiving - NorthWood: Doty 2-30, Greenlee 2-16; Andrean: 2-25 Barney, 3-30 Escalante.
Passing - NorthWood: Roeder 5-13, 58 yards 1 INT 1 TD; Andrean: 5-15, 55 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD. [[In-content Ad]]
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MERRILLVILLE - And then there were 10.
The NorthWood Panthers are now members of an elite group of players who have advanced to the state football finals after defeating Andrean 14-12 Friday.
The Panthers, who went into the playoffs with a 6-3 record, traveled to Andrean High School to play the 59ers in the semistate game and stepped on the field with high hopes.
"This is the toughest game of the year," said NorthWood assistant coach Jim Snider. "Semistate is the game where you're sad there has to be a loser."
After the first quarter of the game, the score remained 0-0, but with 1:14 left in the second quarter, Aaron Huber ran for a 21-yard gain to move the ball to the 59er 4-yard line.
Huber then caught a 4-yard pass from Charlie Roeder to score the first touchdown of the game to put NorthWood up 7-0.
The 59ers were knocking on the door in the final seconds of the second quarter when Huber intercepted a pass from Marko Zientara. With 16 seconds left in the quarter, the Panther defense shut down the Andrean drive.
As the Panthers and the 59ers went into the locker room, the score stood at 7-0 in NorthWood's favor.
"The team showed a lot of composure," said Snider. "Our guys' composure in the last two ballgames has been tremendous."
The 59ers came out to play in the second half of the game, and they scored the only points of the third quarter when Edward Young ran one yard for a touchdown to cap off a 13-play drive.
NorthWood breathed a sigh of relief as Jeremy Stockwell's extra point sailed wide left of the uprights and the Panthers held on to a 7-6 lead.
However, NorthWood was not satisfied with a one-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, Roeder connected with Brock Doty for another Panther touchdown. After Mitschelen's extra point kick split the goalposts, the Panthers held a 14-6 lead.
With only 3:06 left in the game, Zientara completed a touchdown pass to John Barney to bring the 59ers within two points of the tie.
On the two-point conversion attempt, the Panthers knocked down Zientara's pass, and the score stood at 14-12.
NorthWood took over on the Andrean 49-yard line with 3:06 left in the final quarter of the game after the 59ers attempted an onside kick.
With 1:35 left in the game, the officials stopped the clock for a first-down measurement. The Panthers got the first down on their own 41-yard line.
Andrean's coaches did not agree with the official's call and earned a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after arguing with the referee.
After Roeder downed the ball, the final seconds of the semistate game ticked away, and the NorthWood Panthers finished the game on top of the Andrean 59ers 14-12.
"We played with as much heart as we did last week," said Snider. "Our defense was not as stellar, but we did what we needed to do."
The Panthers will travel to Indianapolis, where they will face Indianapolis Chatard in the Class 3A state championship game next Saturday at noon.
Indianapolis Chartard defeated Franklin County 24-18 to earn a spot in the state finals.
Snider summed up the excitement of next week in a few words.
"It's a thrill, there's no thrill like stepping on the field for the championship game."
NorthWood 14, Andrean 12
No. 10 NorthWood 0 7 0 7-14
No. 9 Andrean 0 0 6 6-12
NW A
First downs 15 13
Rushes-yards 40-193 33-186
Passing 58 55
Comp.-Att.-Int. 5-13-1 5-15-1 Total offense 251 241
Penalties-yards 1-0 5-65
Second Quarter
NW - Aaron Huber 4 pass Roeder (Mitschelen kick) 7-0
Third Quarter
A - Young 1 run (Stockwell kick failed) 7-6 NW
Fourth Quarter
NW - Doty pass from Roeder (Mitschelen kick) 14-6 NW
A - Barney pass from Zientara (run failed) 14-12
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing - NorthWood: Huber 17-103, Roeder 15-54, Knisley 8-36; Andrean: McGuan 15-122, Barney 9-35, Young 6-24.
Receiving - NorthWood: Doty 2-30, Greenlee 2-16; Andrean: 2-25 Barney, 3-30 Escalante.
Passing - NorthWood: Roeder 5-13, 58 yards 1 INT 1 TD; Andrean: 5-15, 55 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD. [[In-content Ad]]