Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 130, Number 44, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 1 November 2007 — Page 7

Panthers trip John Glenn 22*19; win streak at five

By Stew Sider Sports Correspondent NAPPANEE In what has become a habit in the second half of the football season, the North Wood High School football team fell behind early, rallied to take the lead, fell behind again, but pushed across a late fourthquarter score to nip a feisty squad from John Glenn and boost the Panthers into the sectional championship game for die 16th time in the last 17 years. North Wood will travel to South Bend to battle the St. Joseph Indians, an easy 41-7 winner over Culver Academies in the other Qass 3A Sectional 18 semi-final. Under threatening skies, Glenn took the opening Idckoff and in just three plays, advanced the ball to the North Wood 22yard line, thanks primarily to a 45-yard run by Glenn's Conrad Schubert. North Wood's George Lopez made the TD-saving tackle and on the next play, Falcon quarterback Christopher Patton coughed up the football where it was promptly recovered by Panther cornerback Grant McClung. The Falcon defense forced a three-and-out by North Wood, however, and then made their first big play of the night, storming through the Panther line to block a Brandon Williams punt, giving the Falcons possession on the North Wood 24-yard line. Three plays later, Patton found 6'3" junior Michael Fansler in the right comer of the end zone and the Falcons grabbed a 7-0 advantage. The Panthers answered right back, however, with an eight-play, 62-yard drive of their own, capped off by a 27-yard run by senior running back Kent Biller, who swept around the right end and raced through.the Glenn secondary for the score. About a minute later, heavy rain and lightning forced both teams off the field and all

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Senior running back Kent Biller gives a stiff arm to a John Glenn defender on the way to more yardage. Biller became North Wood’s all-time single season rushing leader in the game by gaining 183 yards and scoring three touchdowns, giving him 1,659 yards and 17 TDs on the year.

Volleyball team defeated at regional, finishes season 27-8

By Mark Simpson Correspondent NAPPANEE A new era has begun for the North Wood Girls Volleyball team under the direction of first-year head coach Megan Evers, however the "Red Slam" tradition of winning continues. Fresh off of another 3-A sectional championship, the 27-7 Lady Panthers met the ninth-ranked 23-12 Lady Cadets of Ft. Wayne Concordia this past Saturday in the first round of the IHSAA regional tournament at Wawasee High School. Momentum in any sport is an ally to a win and nowhere was that more evident than during the morning session of this girl's 3-A regional match. North Wood started game one looking as if the adversity of the past week's storm that ravaged Nappanee was all but forgotten. The "Red Slam" defense stopped Concordia with back row digs and front row blocks. Offensively, North Wood was passing with accuracy to setter Kaci Heeter who then delivered sets to sister Alii, Holly Shutz and Courtney Simpson in positions for kills. North Wood it seemed would take game one easily leading 24-18, only one point away from taking a crucial 1-0 lead in the best of five games. The

Box scores

NORTHWOOD 22, JOHN GLENN 19 At Andrews Field, Nappanee Glenn 7 6 0 6-19 North Wood 7 ' 0 7 -8-22 G - Michael Fansler 9 pass from Christopher Patton (Fansler kick) N - Kent Biller 27 run (Brandon Williams kick) G - Jacob Marek 7 run (kick failed) N - Biller 65 run (Williams kick) G - Christopher Lawler 4 run (pass failed) N - Biller 11 run (Nate Yoder pass from Skyler Titus)

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North Wood junior defensive tackle Daniel Grabill (69) has a firm grip on John Glenn running back Jacob Marek (23) as teammate Grant McClung (32) prepares to deliver additional punishment.

fans into the North Wood gymnasium, but the storm passed and after a 55-minute delay, the teams were recalled to the field and play resumed with 5:16 left in the first quarter. With the field now a quagmire, the rest of

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The North Wood High School volleyball team were this year's sectional champs, though they fell in regionals. Pictured are (front, left to right) Holly Shutz, Nicole Hostetter, (center, left to right) manager Andrea Holdeman, Morgan Yoder, Allison Schrock, Kaci Heeter, Amber Slone, Alii Heeter, and Bethany Brewer (back, left to right) Manager Kinsey Streib, head coach Megan Evers, assistant coach Chris Knafel, Courtney Simpson, Olivia Menzie, Taylor Olson, Whitney Roe, Taylor Armington, Melissa Ramer, assistant coach Adrienne Freiburger and manager Kaity Mikel.

Cadets from Concordia fought back to tie the game 24-24 after a series of errors by North Wood. Another spike winner by Simpson put North Wood

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back in front 25-24. Concordia then scored 3 unanswered points to take game one from North Wood 25-27. Game two saw North Wood take

North Wood Glenn First Downs 12 13 Yards Rushing 208 244 Yards Passing 93 26 Passing (Comp/Att/Int) 7-14-0 3-4-0 Penalties (No./Yds.) 4-30 1-5 Punts (NoVAvg.) 5-41 2-46 Fumbles (NojLost) 1-0 2-2 Rushing - North Wood (Biller 24-183, 3 TD; Titus 11-22; Lopez 2-3); Glenn (Lawler 15-65, TD; Schubert 13-101; Marek 15-66, TD; Patton 7-12) Passing - North Wood (Titus 7-14-0, 92 yds); Glenn (Patton 3-4-0, 26 yds., TD) * Receiving - North Wood (Loucks 1-11; Williams 3-48; Biller

the half was a defensive struggle, with Glenn punting twice and North Wood being stopped on downs and also punting once, before Glenn put together a scoring drive in the final five minutes of the second period, using the sturdy legs of Jacob Marek and Christopher Lawler. Although the original John Glenn is known for his exploits in space, his high school namesake excelled on the ground, as the speedy trio combined for 42 of the 52 yards on the scoring drive. Marek lugged the pigskin and several North Wood tacklers the final seven yards to paydirt, but the extra point try was wide left and the Falcons took a 13-7 lead to the locker room. The defensive struggle continued for most of the third quarter on a field better suited for a monster truck rally or a Motocross event. The period featured three more punts (two by North Wood and one by Glenn), and a lost fumble by Glenn that was recovered by safety Chaz Bellman. Finally, with 3:04 left in the third stanza, Biller bounced outside to the right on an offtackle play and then broke loose and outran everyone to the end zone for his second TD of the night. On the play, which gave North Wood a 14-13 lead after the extra point try by Williams split the uprights, Biller broke the North Wood single-season rushing record of 1,547 yards, which was previously held by

an early lead and never look back. In a player role reversal, Olivia Menzie set Kaci Heeter who spiked the ball for a kill to put the panthers up

Advance News • Thursday, November 1, 2007

Aaron Huber who piled up 1,547 yards on the ground in the 1998 season. The Falcons were not discouraged, however, as they demonstrated what "smash-mouth football" is all about by mounting a ruthlessly efficient 14-play, 83-yard drive, all on the ground that consumed nearly seven precious minutes on the clock. With the exception of a 15-yard pass interference penalty on North Wood, no play gained more than nine yards, and Lawler smashed his way up the middle for the final four yards and a 19-14 Glenn lead. Trying for a seven-point lead, the Falcons went for two but Bellman intercepted Patton's pass in the end zone, leaving Glenn with a precarious five-point lead and setting up another opportunity for late-game heroics from the "cardiac kids" of North Wood. Remarkably, once again, the never-say-die Panthers delivered, marching 58 yards on seven plays, capped by yet another TD scamper from Biller, this one from 11 yards out. The big play on the drive was an incredible fingertip grab of a Skyler Titus pass by senior Ryne Gamer on third-and-seven, resulting in a 31-yard gain and setting up the Panthers with a first down at the Falcon 24-yard line. After the score, North Wood went for two and was successful when Titus found Nate Yoder open See STREAK, page 8

PHOTO PROVIDED

2-3; Gamer 1-31); Glenn M 2) •

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15-8. Holly Shutz spiked to win point 21, followed by a spike winder by Alii Heeter and a block winner by Simpson. North Wood won game two 25-17 and appeared back in control. With the match tied 1-1, Concordia started game three and could do no wrong. The Cadets raced to a 413 lead behind good fortune apd North Wood mistakes. A spike winner from Concordia's Famey and a serving ace by Bradbury won game three 12-25, putting the panthers behind one game to two. Game four was a classic battle which saw neither team lead by more than three points for the duration. Nicole Hostetter's serving ace tied the game 19-19 after seeing the "Red Slam" trail most of the game; A block by Menzie and Alii Heeter put North Wood up 21-19. NorthWopd coach Megan Evers called a timeput after Concordia retook the lead 2324. : Simpson tied the game 24-24 oil a spike winner; however the Cadetsiof Concordia were too much, winnihg game four 24-26 and the match od a serving ace by Bradbury. North Wood finished the season 27-8. In the second morning match, Bellmont defeated Delta, and then went on to defeat Concordia for t}ie regional championship.

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