Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 131, Number 40, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 2 October 2008 — Page 6

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Advance News • Thursday, October 2, 2(308

Panthers crush Northridge 49-7 A Am T i / / «• _ ■ 1 MM ■ ■— J AMM J

By Stave Sitlter Sports Correspondent NAPPANEE North Wood and Northridge contested the 30th game in the history of the series between the two Elkhart County rivals Friday night at Andrews Field and it was business as usual as the Panthers demolished the Raiders 49-7 to improve to 5-1 on the year and 3-1 in the Northern Lakes Conference (NLC). North Wood has now won 29 of the 30 games against Northridge with the lone Raider victory coming back in 1988, and the average margin of victory in those contests has been a startling 27 points. The Panther offense piled up more than 400 total yards against the helpless Raiders, their second straight high-output game, while the defense did not allow a score except for a meaningless late-fourth-quarter TD against the Panther JV unit. North Wood did not waste any time getting on the board, as the defense stuffed the first Raider possession and the ensuing punt gave the Panthers the ball near midfield. Seven plays later, quarterback Skyler Titus bulled his way into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown of the season, and Brandon Williams’ PAT made it 7-0 Panthers just five and a half minutes into the contest. After another quick stop by the fierce North Wood defense, senior fullback George Lopez rumbled through the Northridge line, found a seam and raced 55 yards for a score in a "drive" that lasted less than a minute. Seeing the two quick scores, the Panther defense smelled blood and sure enough, on the third play from scrimmage, safety Reece Martin intercepted a pass from Northridge's Andrew Hooley and took it 30 yards to the house for the first defensive TD of the year for North Wood and a 21-0 lead. The Panthers did not stop there, however, as on the next series junior middle linebacker Tony Miranda stretched his mighty paw skyward and made an incredible one-handed interception, then rumbled 20 yards toward the Raider end zone before being driven out of bounds. Seven plays later as the second quarter began, North Wood was in the end zone again, this time on a 3yard pass from Titus to Derek Loucks, and North Wood led 28-0, with the Raiders having never approached midfield. Another quick three-and-out by the defense and the subsequent punt gave North Wood the ball at their own 31 and the Panthers executed a 10-play, 69 yard drive capped by a four-yard TD jaunt from senior Danzele Johnson, his team-leading sixth score of the season. The Williams PAT made the score 35-0, which it remained until halftime, with North Wood having piled up 298 yards of offense to just 61 for Northridge. In the third period, North Wood began substituting liberally on both sides of the ball, but it didn't make a difference as on the first series, Lopez caught a 10-yard TD pass from Titus to cap a 70-yard drive and after the usual quick defensive stop, junior Kyle Yoder bulled

Thompson leads NWHS girls golf to regional

•Thompson dominates in conference, heads to state By Mandy McFarland Editor NAPPANEE This season the North Wood High School girls golf team has put on a performance that has been way under par, with junior Amy Thompson leading the way. Thompson has been playing golf since she was a sixth grader at North Wood Middle School. Before that, she would play golf with her grandparents, who taught her the game. Thompson was around 10 years old when she first picked up a golf club and gave it a shot. One thing she enjoys most is the challenge of playing a variety of courses. "Every different course is laid out differently," she said. According to Wa-Nee girls golf coach Adam Yoder, Thompson's best scores so far have been 36 on a nine-hole course and 73 on an 18-hole course. "In our conference the average player shoots around 44 for nine holes and 81 or 88 for 18 holes," he said. That puts Thompson way ahead of the game and her peers. She may make the game look easy, but getting there is no stroll on the fairway. Thompson puts in 15 to 20 hours of practice time per week, including weekends. In addition, the team typically plays two matches per week, making golf a major part of Thompson’s life. Despite all of the time she spends on it, Thompson has not tired of the game and plans to pursue it into college and beyond. Thompson has not yet chosen a college but hopes to find one "with a team I can play with but not be shooting way ahead of everyone else." Thompson has enjoyed playing alongside her teammates over the last three years. "They're all nice," she said. "We get along well." During the off season Thompson keeps her stroke up to par by participating in tire Mountain Dew, Girls' State, Age Group and Plantations summer tournaments.

JV football Against Wawasee Hhwnee 0 0 6 0 6 NorihWfaod 6 8 6 0 20 Offense: Kyle Yoder, 90 yards, 1 TD; Coy Brown, 30 yards, 1 TD; John Christofino, 25 yards rushing, 1 TD, 60 yards passing, 1 TD Defense Ludo Chumas, 10 tak; Kyle Mishler 4 tak; Cam Spitaels 1 int; Coy Brown 5 tak Freshman football Sept 25

OAT PHOTO North Wood quarterback Skyler Titus evades two Northridge tacklers and pitches the pigskin to running back Danzele Johnson (25) on an option play in the Panther's 49-7 beating of the Raiders.

in from the one for his second TD of the year, completing a 7-play, 64-yard drive to give North Wood a 49-0 lead with a more than a quarter to play. As the fourth quarter began, Northridge finally forced a punt (a booming 52-yarder by Williams) and then managed to scratch out a score on a six-minute, 73-vard drive against the North Wood JV unit that ended with Reece Farnham lunging across the goal line for the lone Raider TD with three minutes to play. North Wood then ran out the clock behind sophomore QB Jon Christofeno, with classmate Joey Durham picking up two first downs in his first opportunity on the varsity. For the second straight game, Johnson went over 100 yards on the ground, picking up 104 on 14 carries with a score. Titus added 55 yards on just seven carries and Lopez had 65 yards on just two totes, with both scoring a TD. Through the air, Titus was an efficient 9 of 14 for 123 yards and two scores, while Williams was 2-2 and junior Brant Nine 1 for 1 in the fourth quarter. Lopez led the way for the receivers with four catches for 79 yards and a touchdown (giving him his second straight game with more than 100 yards of total offense), while Loucks grabbed three passes for 25 yards and a score. The relentless Panther defense was led by Miranda and Cam Spitaels with four tackles each, while nine different players recorded three stops. Nine added a sack from defensive end in the fourth quarter.

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PHOTO PROVIDED (Left to right) The top five North Wood High School golfers at the regional competition last weekend were Emily Myers, Alexis Anglemeyer, Amy Thompson, Sarah Smeltzer and Kelbi Taylor.

With regionals behind them, Yoder looks forward to seeing where the entire team will go in the next year. "We're really young," he said. "We don't have any seniors.” This means that this year's team will return next season with all of their accumulated experience. That includes having finished in the top half in all but one tournament and in the sectional two weeks ago. "Amy's destiny is in her hands as far as the state tournament goes,” Yoder said. "She doesn't have to do anything out of the ordinary. She just has to do what she does well.”

Against Wawasee At Wawasee NORTHWOOD 6, WAWASEE 30 Rushing: Zac Coleman 5 carries for 11 yards, Andrew Hahn 10 for 9, Dalton Knight 5 for 17, Martin Flowers 1 for 8; receiving: Dalton Knight 4 catches for 44 yards, Tanner Roberts 4 for 22, Nate Wagner 1 for 7, Ethan Killian 2 for 27 Defense Tackles: Kyle Mersch 8, Evan Chanley 6, Darren Brugh 4, AJ Carter; interceptions: Taylor Anglemyer 1 Highlights: Pass from Zac Coleman to Ethan Killian 15 yards TD, PAT no good

Sports

The Raider offense scratched out 109 yards on the ground (73 of them in the meaningless fourth-quarter drive) with junior Carsten Miller leading the way with a hard-earned 58 yards on 16 carries. Hooley completed just six of his 16 pass attempts for a meager 46 yards and had two interceptions. On defense, Northridge was led by senior defensive back Dustin Petersen, who had nine tackles. The Panthers (5-1, 3-1 NLC) remain at Andrews Field on Oct. 3 to battle high-scoring Elkhart Memorial (4-2, 2-2 in the NLC). The Raiders (1-5, 0-4 NLC) travel to Goshen to battle the Redskins. JV/Freshman Update The North Wood JV team lost a heartbreaker to Northridge 21-20 when the Raiders scored on the last play of the game, then converted the two-point PAT to escape with the victory. The last-second heroics were made possible by some highly-questionable clock operating by Northridge personnel, as the Raiders took over the ball with seven seconds remaining at their own 40-vard line, yet somehow managed to run three plays, including two long incomplete passes and a 60-yard TD pass in that time frame. Brant Nine threw two touchdown passes for North Wood, one to Brandon Snodgrass and the other to Jesse Morganthaler, and Jon Christofeno rushed for a score for the Panthers. Lucio Chumas led the way on defense with an interception. The JV team is now 3-2 on the year. The freshman team battled undefeated

Volleyball Sept 20 North Wood Invitational Varsity North Wood 25-25, South Bend Clay 14-12 North Wood 25-25, West Noble 11-8 Aces: Alii Heeter 5, Allison Schrock 3; assists: Kad Heeter 48; digs: Amber Slone 20, Alii Heeter 14,'Allison Schrock 13; kills: Alii Heeter 25, Courtney Simpson 10, Olivia Menzie 9; Mocks: Courtney Simpson 2 assists JV

Wawasee to a 6-6 tie in the second, third and fourth periods combined, but unfortunately for the local squad, the first quarter counted as well and the disastrous 9 minutes was the difference in a 30-6 Warrior victory. Two Panther turnovers deep in their own territory and several untimely penalties resulted in three Wawasee TDs and a 30-yard field goal in the opening stanza, digging a hole too big for the Panthers to escape. The lone offensive highlight for North Wood was a second-quarter 16-yard TD pass from Zac Coleman to tight end Ethan Killian, as the enormous Warrior defensive line kept the Panthers bottled up for much of the night. On defense, Kyle Mersch picked up another sack for North Wood, while Taylor Anglemver intercepted his team-lead-ing third pass of the season. Quarterback Bauer Schmeltz threw' for two TDs and rushed for another to lead Wawasee. The Panther freshmen are 3-2 on the year and return home on Thursday, Oct. 2 to face Northridge, beginning a three-game homestand. VARSITY BOX SCORE NORTHWOOD 49, NORTHRIDGE 7 At Andrews Field, Nappanee Northridge 0 0 0 7-7 North Wood 21 14 14 0 - 49 NW' - Skvler Titus 4 run (Brandon Williams kick) NW - George Lopez 55 run (Williams kick) < NW - Reece Martin 30 yd interception return (Williams kick) NW - Derek Loucks 3 pass from Titus (Williams kick) NW - Danzele Johnson 4 run (Williams kick) NW - Lopez 10 pass from Titus (Williams kick) NW' - Kyle Yoder 1 run (Williams kick) NR - Reece Farnham 4 run (Jordan Hoffman kick) North Wood Northridge First Downs 19 9 Yards Rushing 268 109 Yards Passing 149 46 Passing (Comp/Att/Int) 12-17-0 6-17-2 Penalties (No./Yds.) 4-30 6-45 Punts (No./Avg.) 1-52 6-40 Fumbles (No./Lost) 2-0 0-0 Rushing - North Wood (Johnson 14-104, TD; Titus 7-55, TD; Lopez 2-65, TD; Kyle Yoder 5-1, TD; Brown 2-5; Williams 2-8; Durham 3-12; Chumas 2-7; Thomas 1- Northridge (Miller 16-58; Hooley 9-[-6]; Meyer i-0; Petersen 5-46; Farnham 3-9, TD; Herman 1-2) Passing - North Wood (Titus 9-14-0, 123 yds., 2 TD; Williams 2-2-0, 24 yds.; Nine 1-1-0, 2 yds ); Northridge (Hooley 6-16-2, 46 yds.; Hoffman 0-1-0) Receiving - North Wood (Loucks 3-25, TD; Williams 2- Johnson 1-20; Lopez 4-7, TD; Raber 1-19; Brown 1-2); Northridge (Petersen 1-6; Rassi 1-11; J. Yoder 3-23; Herman 1-6)

According to Yoder, only one other female golfer in the history of North Wood has won at state. That was Gina Yoder in 1988, winning as an individual before North Wood had a girls golf team. In addition, this is only the second team in North Wood girls golf history to qualify for regionals, the first having been in the mid 19905. "I'm really pleased that we have so much experience because we re gearing this team to be very competitive next year," Yoder said.

North Wood 25-25, South Bend Clay 20-22 Aces: Chloe Anglemyer 4, Courtney Bemiller 4; assists: Maddie Spitaels 21; digs: Tess Anglemyer 3, Chloe Anglemyer 2; kills: Tess Anglemyer 10, Lauren Linhart 5 North Wood 25-25, Goshen 12-13 Aces: Courtney Bemiller 5; assists: Maddie Spitaels 18; dip: Tess Anglemyer 5, Chloe Anglemyer 3; lolls: Tess Anglemyer 6, Lauren Linhart 4 Sept 23 Against Goshen Vanity NW 25-25-25, Goshen 12-20-16 See Scores, next page