By Brandon Jones
Staff Writer
The outcome — a complete reversal of the 49-0 whuppin’ Chatard laid on NorthWood just two years ago in this game — presents a series of firsts:
* The first championship game loss for Chatard (12-3), now 7-1 in the finals
* The first championship game win for NorthWood, now 1-5 in the finals
* The first title team with six losses for NorthWood
NorthWood freshman quarterback Skyler Titus hit junior wide receiver Brant Ehret on a 10-yard TD pass with just 35 seconds left in the first half for the game’s only points. The Panther defense came up big not only on the final play, but also on third downs throughout the game as NorthWood held the Trojans to a feeble 1-of-10 success rate.
Holding No. 3-ranked Chatardâ??s offense to only 166 total yards, the unranked Panthers came to play on the defensive side of the ball. Both teams entered the contest wanting control by running the football, but it would be the defenses that would be the gameâ??s deciding factor.
Both offenses started the opening quarter with a fairly conservative game plan. Chatard received the opening kickoff, but coach Vince Lorenzanoâ??s offense could get nothing going as three straight running plays netted only eight yards, and the Trojans were forced to punt. NorthWoodâ??s offense followed suit on its opening drive as the Panthers gained only seven yards, and they, too, were forced to punt.
The theme of the afternoonâ??s first game was established.
Chatardâ??s next drive began on its own 24-yard line, but runs by junior Joe Holland and sophomore Tyler Kleinschmidt could not move the chains. The Trojans gave the ball back to NorthWood midway through the first quarter with the contest still scoreless.
The Panthers chose to mix it up on their next possession as they threw the gameâ??s first pass. The attempt, however, was unsuccessful, and only 57 seconds after gaining control of the football, NorthWood was forced to punt.
Chatard next managed to pick up the afternoonâ??s first moving of the chains, but penalties stalled the drive with just over three minutes remaining in the first period. The Trojans, once again, would be forced to surrender the football.
NorthWoodâ??s next drive showed some promise as the Panthers maneuvered their way down the field, highlighted by a 38-yard connection between Titus and senior running back Kodi Diemer. After faltering on third down, however, it appeared the Panthers would have to settle for a field goal, and senior Ryan Burkhart connected from 37 yards out.
But the Panthers were forced to try again after an illegal-procedure penalty, and they would not be as lucky the next time around. Chatard junior Nik Beery got a hand on the 42-yard attempt, and it fell to the turf. The game remained tied at zero with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half.
Chatard, as it had all season long, turned to its horse in the backfield. Holland touched the football five times on the ensuing drive, yet could manage only 19 yards on those carries. The Trojans still picked up two first downs on the drive, one by Holland and the other on a 24-yard sweep play by Kleinschmidt. But Kleinschmidtâ??s next carry would be the Trojansâ?? last of this drive as he was dropped for a six-yard loss, and Chatard punted from its own 28.
The kick gave NorthWood its best field position of the afternoon, and a nine-play, 47-yard drive put the Panthers in position once again to score the gameâ??s first points with less then a minute before the half. They did when Titus (7 for 10 for 98 yards) connected with Ehret (four receptions, 44 yards) on the 10-yard touchdown pass on the left side of the end zone. Burkhartâ??s point after was good, and NorthWood — everyoneâ??s choice as the underdog in this contest â??? had taken a 7-0 lead over Chatard.
â??He (Titus) has played in a few wars playing in our conference (the tough eight-team Northern Lakes, where NorthWood amazingly finished tied for sixth at 2-5), and obviously played some very good football teams throughout the tournament,â? Dodson said. â??Heâ??s a great kid with a lot of composure, and heâ??s grown up quite a bit.
â??I tried to relate to him that itâ??s no different than playing in the backyard. Iâ??m not sure if he really bought it or not.â?
Very rarely is seven points enough to win a football game, but this time it would be.
â??We had just enough offense, but we brought a lot of defense and that was the difference,â? said NorthWood coach Rich Dodson. â??â??Anytime you can pitch the ball to Joe Holland there is always the threat of a big play.â?
No foolinâ??. Chatardâ??s 6â??2â?, 190-pounder entered the game averaging 155 yards a contest and had scored 30 touchdowns through 14 games. His numbers against the NorthWood D: 22 carries for 89 yards and zero TDs. Kleinschmidt fared little better, toting the rock seven times for 38 yards.
In fact, the Trojans as a team came in averaging 252 yards per game on the ground. They left with only 122, a serious testament to the NorthWood defense.
â??Defensively they were faster than we were on offense — thatâ??s the bottom line,â? said Lorenzano. â??Overall as a team, they were faster than we were. They were reading and running on defense, and that disrupted our offense.â?
To the second half! NorthWood received the opening kickoff and used a heavy dose of smashmouth football. The Panthers ran the ball on their first seven plays of the quarter and looked as if they were poised to make the contest a two-possession game. On the driveâ??s eighth play, however, Titus was sacked for a nine-yard loss, and the next play was an incomplete pass. The Panthers punted the ball back to Chatard with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter.
But the Trojans could not capitalize. NorthWood had figured out the offensive formations used by Chatard and, though they would add another first down to their total, the Trojans were forced to give the ball back.
NorthWoodâ??s next drive was a statement of sorts. The Panthers methodically moved the ball down the field to run out the third quarter of play. A 37-yard run by sophomore Kent Biller (NorthWoodâ??s leading rusher with 48 yards on seven carries) was the key play as it got the Panthers into Chatard territory. With a chance to put the game away with another score, though, the Panthers got sloppy as the fourth quarter began.
Biller could not handle a pitch from Titus, and the ball fell to the turf. Chatard junior defensive back Ben Buhler pounced on the pigskin at the 24-yard line, and it appeared the Trojans were in business. But three consecutive runs by Holland netted the Trojans only six yards, and they gave it right back to NorthWood.
The Chatard defense stiffened as well, and the Trojans gained the ball right back after a Panther three-and-out. NorthWood only chewed 1:41 off the clock, and the game was still within reach for Chatard.
With 7:41 to go, Chatard changed its game plan and decided it was time to go to the air. Senior quarterback Matt Lubbers was unsuccessful on two consecutive attempts, though, and with 6:37 to go, senior punter Todd Leone (seven punts for a 36-yard average on the day) used his foot once again to give possession back to the Panthers.
NorthWood once again failed to run much time off the clock. The Panthers gained only four yards on their drive and with 4:07 to go, Chatard had one more chance to find paydirt. And on the gameâ??s final drive, Chatard finally found some rhythm.
The Trojans took over at their own 15, knowing exactly what was ahead of them. Like in college football, the clock stops every time the chains are moved, so Chatard did not abandon the ground game quite yet — runs by Holland and Kleinschmidt got the ball to midfield with under a minute to go. Sophomore QB Matt Doyle, the teamâ??s passing specialist, got the nod over Lubbers on this drive.
â??We might have needed to throw the ball earlier to open things up,â? said Lorenzano, whose quarterbacks combined to go 6 for 12 for just 34 yards. â??We normally run the football, and they stopped us from doing that.â?
A series of short passes advanced the ball to the NorthWood 27 with 27 seconds remaining. But a sack of Doyle did not help the Trojan cause, and the clock ran down to :06 with the ball resting at the 32-yard line before the Trojans called timeout to diagram one final play.
It was a jump-ball pass to the left corner of the end zone, intended for tight end Kyle Dietrick, but the sophomore could not haul it in over two Panther defenders. The clock read :00, and the gameâ??s decision was final.
â??Iâ??ve been involved in a lot of these first-time ball games,â? Lorenzano said. â??Congratulations to coach Dodson — they showed why they made a great run in the tournament.â?
Despite the loss, it should be noted that Chatard did a solid job of containing the NorthWood offense. Leading the way for the Trojans were three players: sophomore defensive linemen John Drury (12 tackles, including nine solos), sophomore linebacker Mike Dum (10 and eight), and Buhler (eight and five).
Leading a balanced NorthWood defensive attack were junior linebacker Jed Beer and junior defensive end Kent Schaffer, who each recorded seven tackles with five solos.
NorthWood Panthers, yourâ?? worst-everâ?? state champion!
At 9-6, Northwood gladly accepts the moniker of â??state champion with the worst-ever record.â? Coach Ott Hurrle’s Indianapolis Scecina team, a 28-27 victor over River Forest in the 1990 Class 2A final, previously held that honor after finishing its run at 9-5.
â??We tried to convince the kids all year long that we were not a terrible team, we just werenâ??t playing the way I thought we could,â? said Dodson, whose Panthers finished as state runner-up in 1980 (Class 2A), â??86, â??93, â??98, and 2003. â??We started believing in ourselves a little bit better, changed our attitude, and we were able to get here.
â??(This is) just a great group of kids. We really donâ??t have any true Division I kids, but they sure played like a bunch of Division I kids today.â?
Chatardâ??s Ball wins Mental Attitude Award
Kevin Ball of Indianapolis Chatard was selected as the winner of the Phil N. Eskew Mental Attitude Award by members of the IHSAA Executive Committee. The Trojansâ?? placekicker and a backup wide receiver as well, Ball also is a three-year member of the schoolâ??s baseball team as a second baseman.
Academically, he ranks fourth in his class of 188 students. He has been a student council representative all four years, including class president as a freshman, and has done volunteer work with St. Lukeâ??s Youth Ministry, St. Augustineâ??s Home for the Aged, and youth baseball.
The son of Dr. Michael and Mary Ellen Ball of Indianapolis plans to study Pre-Med in college, where he is deciding between Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and Notre Dame.
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