Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 128, Number 48, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 1 December 2005 — Page 6

Advance News • Thursday, December 1/2005

Page 6

Panthers claim title with 7-0 win over Chatard .

By Anthony Godson Editor Of the 101 Indiana football state champions, only one has six losses —the 2005 North Wood Panthers. After entering the postseason with a 3-6 record, many may have thought the sooner the season is over, the better. The North Wood football team was not among those naysayers. "When you're 1-4, you're just trying to be 2-4. You're not thinking about (a championship)," North Wood coach Rich Dodson said. "We didn't think about this, until really after the Plymouth game. We just said, 'Okay, that's the end of that season. Now we have a new season, and let's see how far we can take this thing.' We made some plays through the next season, knd brought us right down here where we could continue to make plays. I couldn't imagine being more proud of a football team." When he speaks about down here, he refers to North Wood's 7-0 victory over the Indianapolis Bishop Chatard Trojans in the 2005 Class 3A State Championship at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. After losing state championship games to Chatard in 1998 and 2003, the Panthers returned the favor on Nov. 26. "I've been involved in a lot of these first-time ball games," Chatard head coach Vince Lorenzano said. "Congratulations to coach Dodson. They showed why they made a great run in the tournament." The victory gives North Wood its first state championship in six tries, and Dodson was emotional afterwards, reflecting on the man who set the foundation for the championship—the late Jim Andrews.

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Junior Kent Schaffer takes a seat after victory.

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Junior Brant Ehret and senior Austin Hamsher (hidden) break up the last play of the game, securing North Wood’s first ever state championship.

"I just know all the work that went into all those years, to get to where we are at, to have the program we have," Dodson said. "I know there's a man up above looking down on this, and he's pretty happy today. My mom, who was one of our big fans is looking down, happy today. The only thing I feared, was that I wouldn't be able to live up to what we got done, and continue it and finally watch it come to a climax here with a win." Dodson may have had prior teams with a little more talent, but the 2005 Panthers showed what they were made of during their championship run. "This team just came to work each day, even when things were going bad," the victorious coach said. "We obviously developed some character along the way, and we never really gave up in the games we competed in. It's just that we could never get things going our way. Finally, we got on a roll. The kids just stepped it up to another level, and we were able to play with the kind of attitude and poise that it takes to be a champion." When you win a state championship by shutting out an offense, which has only been done six times in 3A history, a lot of credit goes to a stout defense. "Coach' (Scott) Hoover and the defense did a great job in preparing for this team," Dodson said about the Black Crunch. Coming into the game, Chatard's Joe Holland had racked up 2,168 yards and 32 touchdowns, averaging 154 a game in 14 games. In the championship game, the Black Crunch limited him to 89 yards. "I think we came out and really did a good job early," Dodson

2005 3A Champions

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Senior Derren Lengacher looks for running room on the outside.

said. "Not letting them score in that first half was a key. We took some time off the clock with the offense, and at the same time, the defense went right out there and got the ball right back. (The defense) didn't allow Chatard to get a big play, which with Joe Holland getting the ball, that's a scary situation." Lorenzano also credited the Black Crunch with controlling the championship game. "Defensively, they were faster than we were on offense," he said. "That's the bottom line. Overall as a team, they were faster than we were. They were reading and running on defense, and that disrupted our offense." Most of Chatard's offense was predicated on getting the ball to runningbacks Holland and junior Tyler Kleinschmidt. Once they received the ball, the runners may have looked for room off-tackle, but also attempted to get to the outside many times. When they did attempt to go outside, the speedy Black Crunch linebackers were right there. "You have to give (senior Kodi) Diemer, and some of those guys on the edge some credit," Dodson said. "The way they came up and attacked the people that were coming around the comer, and making some plays. Derren (Lengacher) was able to step in and make a couple big tackles."

Photos Courtesy Dale Tobias (DAT)

The defense held Chatard scoreless, but without a late first half 10-yard touchdown hookup between freshman quarterback Skyler Titus and junior Brant Ehret, the effort may have been in vain. "It was a team effort," Dodson said. "We can talk about the defense, but at the. same time the,offense did move the ball in the third quarter. They did drive down where we could have had some points." North Wood's touchdown came with only 35 seconds left in the half, and followed a 9play drive that ate up 3:32 of the clock. On Ist and goal from the 10yard line, Titus rolled to his left and found Ehret for a sliding touchdown catch, which proved to be a championship winning play. "I didn't want a field goal," Dodson said about his mindset going into the half. "This was a play we ran against Culver Military, and we thought we'd have a shot at it. Brant made a great move to get open. He ran a great route to get open in the comer, and Titus did a great job of throwing that football in there." Ehret was the freshman quarterback's No. 1 option on the play, and it worked out. "I rolled out and I had three different levels of receivers and (Ehret) was the deep guy," Titus said. "I threw it, and he caught it." During the drive, Titus was 33 with two passes to Ehret and an 11-yard gainer to junior Kent Schaffer on second-and-nine. "He played with a lot of poise," Dodson said of his quarterback. "When you think about the pressure that's been on him, but he just seems to accept it. He just did an outstanding job. Didn't make any mistakes, got us some tough yards on the run, and certainly threw a couple good passes that were very important in that first half." With a 7-0 cushion, North Wood then ate up 6:02 of the third quarter with a 10-play drive to open the second half. The drive didn't result in any points, but it did wear down the Chatard defense, and also help with the field position game. Chatard only'saw the ball four times in the second half, managing only one first down before its final drive, which began with 4:07 left on the clock. With the ball at its own 15yard line, and down 7-0, Lorenzano put sophomore quarterback Rob Doyle into the game, replacing senior Matt Lubbers. Doyle moved the ball all the way down to the North Wood 36-yard line with under a minute to play. On second-and-one from the North Wood 34yard line, Doyle found Holland on a 7-yard out, but North Wood comerback Austin Yoder stood

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Chatard players can only watch as North Wood junior Kent Schaffer (bottom), senior Kodi Diemer (middle) and junior Jed Beer pile onto their quarterback.

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North Wood coach Rich Dodson finally gets his blue-ribbon medal.

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Senior Kodi Diemer finds an opening on a punt return.

Holland up, keeping him in bounds, forcing Chatard to use its second of three timeouts with 24 second remaining in the game. Following the timeout, Doyle once again dropped back, but a blitzing Michael Rowe came right up the gut, sacking Doyle. Instead of calling its last timeout, Chatard hurried to the ball in order to spike it. "It was an eternity, and all it takes is one big play and you're looking at a tie game," Dodson said about his feelings when Chatard had the ball. "The pressure is on the defense to make some big plays, and .we had a big sack. Mike Rowe blitzed and dropped the quarterback. That was a big play because a lot of time ran off the clock at that point in time." Following the spikage of the ball, Chatard then called a timeout with only six seconds left on the clock. On fourth-and-eight from the North Wood 34-yard line, Chatard had only one option —a heave to the end zone. Dqyle did throw a loft into front left comer of the end zone, but Ehret was back to knock it down, securing the championship. "We were very focused," Dodson said about his team coming into the game. "This team, over the last several weeks, has been very focused. It's not fun being 3-6. I think, when they started a run here in the tournament, they said, 'Hey, we can do greater things.' They began to really believe in themselves. You could see Titus getting better every week, the seniors pulling everyone together, to step it up. To ultimately have what we have here today." Schaffer had a look of disbelief following the win. "This is the best feeling in the world," he said. "I've never felt like this before." "I never dreamt, in my wildest dreams, that we'd be in this position," he added. Current players and fans weren't the only ones cheering at the dome. Past players were

also in attendance, and Dodson credits them with helping North Wood get to where it is now—champions. "I step back and the one thing I wanted to be able to do before I thought about quitting, was to stand back and watch the fans and the team celebrate the last game of the year with a win," Dodson said. "The kids that were in our programs, some of them are 50-something now, but they're still kids. And certainly, this means a lot to all those involved. I think they're all a part of It." North Wood players, past and present, have been in the same kind of mold. Tough kids, who play all-out, and that mentality wasn't lost on the 2005 Panthers. "I think that says a lot for the type of kids we generally have in our program," Dodson said. "They're a bunch of kids that love to play the game of football. You can't convince them that they can't win. They just played with a lot of heart and courage today, and through the whole tournament." • NORTHWOOD 7, BISHOP CHATARD 0 At Indianapolis Score by Quarters N-Wood 0 7 0 0— 7 Chatard 0 0 0 0— 0 Scoring Summary N - Brant Ehret 10 pass from Skyler Titus (Ryan Burkhart kick) N-Wood Rushing: 37-137 yds. Kent Biller 751 yds; Derren Lengacher 13-39 yds. Passing: Skyler Titus 7-10, 98 yds, TD. Receiving: Brant Ehret 4-44 yds, TD; Kent Schaffer 2-16 yds. Chatard Rushing: 34-141 yds. Joe Holland 22-89 yds. Passing: Matt Lubbers 2-5, 3 yds; Rob Doyle 4-7, 31 yds. Receiving: Joe Holland 3-15 yds. N-Wood Defense Tackles: Jed Beer 7, Kent Schaffer 7, Brant Ehret 6, Michael Rowe 6. Tackles for Loss: Kent Schaffer, Michael Rowe, Sam Telschow, Kodi Diemer and Brandon Martin. Sacks: Kent Schaffer and Michael Rowe. Final Records: NW 9-6, BC 12-3.