Wawasee Falls To Northridge Raiders
October 22, 2016 at 6:38 a.m.
By Steve Krah-
So Warrior head coach Josh Ekovich and his staff were confident in going for a two-point conversion when Wawasee pulled to within one late in a Class 4A sectional football game at Northridge Friday night.
Moments after Wawasee quarterback Tyler Smith scored on a 9-yard touchdown run and the Raiders were flagged for a penalty, the Warriors sent running back Noah Wadkins into the line and Northridge stacked him up and held on for a 21-20 victory.
“We weren’t moving the ball very well in the second half,” Ekovich said. “That was our chance to go up.”
Wawasee, which had beat Northridge 21-20 in double overtime in Syracuse in Week 3, picked up 199 of its 268 total yards before intermission.
Smith’s score was set up when Paul Mendoza took a kickoff following a Northridge touchdown all the way back to the Raider 18.
Wawasee (4-6) led 14-0 in the second quarter and was up 14-7 at intermission.
On a night when he gained 157 rushing yards, Wadkins ran for 139 and both Warrior scores in the first half.
Wadkins broke loose for a 25-yarder to cap the game’s first possession and a 7-yarder after Wawasee bottled up the Raiders in their own end.
Smith’s punt to the 2-yard line was downed by Rylan Kuhn and Alec Rosbrugh, and moments later the Warriors got the ball back on a punt and turned it into Wadkins’ second touchdown.
Northridge (3-7) cut the lead in half with a drive that featured a 35-yard halfback pass from Brad Schwartz to Payton Carson, a pass interference penalty on Wawasee and a 15-yard pass to the Warrior 1 from quarterback Julius Graber to Connor Graber prior to a 1-yard scoring plunge by Conner Graber.
The Raiders would string together 21 unanswered points. Julius Graber tossed a 20-yard TD pass to Connor Utley and a 24-yarder to Zack Welker to take a 21-20 lead.
“They just made more plays than we did,” Ekovich said.
Graber completed 13 passes for 165 yards and the two scores. He was able to put the game away when he turned a bad snap into a first-down pass near the end of the game.
“He was able to find something out of nowhere,” Northridge coach Tom Wogomon said. “That’s something that has been tremendous help for us.”
The Raiders gained just 90 yards on the ground but 200 through the air – 165 of that coming from the arm of Graber.
“He’s just a sophomore,” Wogomon, the former Wawasee head coach, said. “He did a good job of running the offense tonight.”
The second round of the playoffs will feature Northridge at No. 2 NorthWood (10-0) on Friday.
NORTHRIDGE 21, WAWASEE 20
W 7 7 0 6 – 20
N 0 7 7 7 – 21
W N
1st downs 14 17
Rushing yds 234 90
Passing yds 34 200
Comp-Att-Int 2-6-1 14-25
Total yds 268 290
Fumbles/lost 4-0 1-0
Penalties/yds 2/20 3/33
Punts/avg. 2/42.5 4/36.5
First Quarter
W – Noah Wadkins 25 run (Ryan Edington kick), 9:34, 7-0.
Second Quarter
W – Wadkins 7 run (Edington kick), 6:08, 14-0.
N – Conner Graber 1 run (Camm Nickell kick), 4:25, 14-7.
Third Quarter
N – Brad Schwartz 20 pass from Julius Graber (Nickell kick), 7:14, 14-14.
Fourth Quarter
N – Zack Welker 24 pass from J. Graber (Nickell kick), 7:25, 14-21.
W – Tyler Smith 9 run (run failed), 5:22, 20-21.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Wawasee, Noah Wadkins 18-157, Tyler Smith 23-91, Paul Mendoza 2-17, Team 3-(minus) 31; Northridge, Conner Graber 15-52, Julius Graber 17-40, Tug Modglin 1-(minus) 2.
Passing – Wawasee, Smith 2-6-34 yards 0 TD, 1 Int.; Northridge, J. Graber 13-24-165 yards 2 TD, 1 Int.; Brad Schwartz 1-1-35 yards 0 TD, 0 Int.
Receiving – Wawasee, Jacob Hand 1-28, Mendoza 1-6; Northridge, Schwartz 7-84, Kyle Carson 3-53, Zack Welker 1-24, Connor Utley 3-39
So Warrior head coach Josh Ekovich and his staff were confident in going for a two-point conversion when Wawasee pulled to within one late in a Class 4A sectional football game at Northridge Friday night.
Moments after Wawasee quarterback Tyler Smith scored on a 9-yard touchdown run and the Raiders were flagged for a penalty, the Warriors sent running back Noah Wadkins into the line and Northridge stacked him up and held on for a 21-20 victory.
“We weren’t moving the ball very well in the second half,” Ekovich said. “That was our chance to go up.”
Wawasee, which had beat Northridge 21-20 in double overtime in Syracuse in Week 3, picked up 199 of its 268 total yards before intermission.
Smith’s score was set up when Paul Mendoza took a kickoff following a Northridge touchdown all the way back to the Raider 18.
Wawasee (4-6) led 14-0 in the second quarter and was up 14-7 at intermission.
On a night when he gained 157 rushing yards, Wadkins ran for 139 and both Warrior scores in the first half.
Wadkins broke loose for a 25-yarder to cap the game’s first possession and a 7-yarder after Wawasee bottled up the Raiders in their own end.
Smith’s punt to the 2-yard line was downed by Rylan Kuhn and Alec Rosbrugh, and moments later the Warriors got the ball back on a punt and turned it into Wadkins’ second touchdown.
Northridge (3-7) cut the lead in half with a drive that featured a 35-yard halfback pass from Brad Schwartz to Payton Carson, a pass interference penalty on Wawasee and a 15-yard pass to the Warrior 1 from quarterback Julius Graber to Connor Graber prior to a 1-yard scoring plunge by Conner Graber.
The Raiders would string together 21 unanswered points. Julius Graber tossed a 20-yard TD pass to Connor Utley and a 24-yarder to Zack Welker to take a 21-20 lead.
“They just made more plays than we did,” Ekovich said.
Graber completed 13 passes for 165 yards and the two scores. He was able to put the game away when he turned a bad snap into a first-down pass near the end of the game.
“He was able to find something out of nowhere,” Northridge coach Tom Wogomon said. “That’s something that has been tremendous help for us.”
The Raiders gained just 90 yards on the ground but 200 through the air – 165 of that coming from the arm of Graber.
“He’s just a sophomore,” Wogomon, the former Wawasee head coach, said. “He did a good job of running the offense tonight.”
The second round of the playoffs will feature Northridge at No. 2 NorthWood (10-0) on Friday.
NORTHRIDGE 21, WAWASEE 20
W 7 7 0 6 – 20
N 0 7 7 7 – 21
W N
1st downs 14 17
Rushing yds 234 90
Passing yds 34 200
Comp-Att-Int 2-6-1 14-25
Total yds 268 290
Fumbles/lost 4-0 1-0
Penalties/yds 2/20 3/33
Punts/avg. 2/42.5 4/36.5
First Quarter
W – Noah Wadkins 25 run (Ryan Edington kick), 9:34, 7-0.
Second Quarter
W – Wadkins 7 run (Edington kick), 6:08, 14-0.
N – Conner Graber 1 run (Camm Nickell kick), 4:25, 14-7.
Third Quarter
N – Brad Schwartz 20 pass from Julius Graber (Nickell kick), 7:14, 14-14.
Fourth Quarter
N – Zack Welker 24 pass from J. Graber (Nickell kick), 7:25, 14-21.
W – Tyler Smith 9 run (run failed), 5:22, 20-21.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing – Wawasee, Noah Wadkins 18-157, Tyler Smith 23-91, Paul Mendoza 2-17, Team 3-(minus) 31; Northridge, Conner Graber 15-52, Julius Graber 17-40, Tug Modglin 1-(minus) 2.
Passing – Wawasee, Smith 2-6-34 yards 0 TD, 1 Int.; Northridge, J. Graber 13-24-165 yards 2 TD, 1 Int.; Brad Schwartz 1-1-35 yards 0 TD, 0 Int.
Receiving – Wawasee, Jacob Hand 1-28, Mendoza 1-6; Northridge, Schwartz 7-84, Kyle Carson 3-53, Zack Welker 1-24, Connor Utley 3-39
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