Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 135, Number 42, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 20 October 2016 — Page 8

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Advance News • Thursday, October 20, 2016

Panthers finish regular season unbeaten

By Steve Simn Correspondent PLYMOUTH - Trey Bilinski threw for four touchdowns, and the Black Crunch defense shut out Plymouth from the 10-minute mark of the second quarter on, as the Class 4A No. 2-ranked North Wood Panthers finished an undefeated regular sek&n by Hammering the Rodcies 43-12 at die Rockpile. Tne Panthers' 9-0 record is tjfie first unbeaten regular season since 1996 (before any of the current players were bopi), continuing to stoke the hopes of the North Wood faithful for a deep tournament run. After an opening exchange of punts, Plymouth drew first blood on a methodical 12-play, 66-yard drive that featured 10 straight running plays. A short completion by Rockie quarterback Cole Filson to Caleb Koss then set up a 10-yard Filson to Braxton Bennitt TD pass. The PAT run was no good, but the Rockies led 6-0 with three minutes left in the first period. North Wood quickly answered with an 80-yard drive of its own that ate up the rest of the opening stanza and ended on the first play of the second quarter with a 29-yard touchdown strike from Bilinski to DeAndre Smart. Bilinski toted the pigskin in himself for the twopoint PAT, and the Panthers had their first lead at 8-6. , A short pop-up kickoff by North Wood gave Plymouth the ball at its own 39-yard line, and, after a foolish Panther offside penalty on fourth down gave the Rockies a first down near midfield, Bennitt ripped off a 41-yard run up the middle to paydirt. Once again, however, the Black Crunch stuffed the PAT attempt, but Plymouth regained the lead at 12-8. The Rockies successfully executed an onside kick and appeared poised to expand tneir lead, but Panther senior Jake Stump saved the day by picking off a Filson pass and returning it to the North Wood 43-yard line. Both teams then exchanged punts again

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DAT photos LEFT: Brayton Yoder (26) tries to escape the run down by Plymouth's Nate Nixon. RIGHT: North Wood defensive lineman Wil Ingle (47) leaps for joy after coming up with a fumble recovery that set up a subsequent Panther TD in the 43-12 victory over Plymouth.

before the Panthers got the ball back near midfield with just 1:27 left in the half. Two Suick passes from Bilinski to ronson Yoder and Payton Bear put the ball at the Plymouth 24-yard line, and the Bilinski-to-Smart connection clicked again for a 24-yard score. Brayton Yoder tacked on the PAT run, and North Wood took a 16-12 lead to the locker room. The Panthers expanded their lead immediately in the second half, taking the kickoff and marching 72 yards in 13 plays, converting twice on third down and once on fourth down on a critical Bilinski-to-Smart 16-yard pass completion. Bronson Yoder finished the drive with a 4-yard run, and North Wood led 22-12. The Black Crunch defense forced a Rockie punt on the ensuing series, and North Wood added to their lead with a 75-yard drive that featured a tremendous 35-yard pass reception by

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Landen Gessinger. Bilinski finished the drive with a 13-yard pass to Bronson Yoder, expanding the Panther lead to 28-12 with two minutes to play in the third quarter. A 50-yard kickoff return by Bennitt gave Plymouth great field position but after one first down, North Wood ended Rockie hopes of narrowing the lead when Smart broke up a fourth-down pass near the goal line. The Panthers took over at their own 22-yard line, and, five plays later, Brayton Yoder bolted 56 yards around the right end for another score just two minutes into the final period. The Bilinski-to-Smart PAT pass made it 36-12 Panthers. Unfortunately for the hosts, it only got worse as Filson fumbled the snap on the first play of the next Plymouth series, and Panther lineman Wil Ingle pounced on the pigskin at the Rockie 22-yara line. After back-to-

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back pass interference penalties on Plymouth put the ball at the 5, Bilinski tossed his fourth TD pass of the night, this one to Bear, and Adler Chamberlain's PAT kick made it 43-12 North Wood. Plymouth had one final lengthy drive (16 plays) but it died deep in NortnWood territory thanks to a sack by Mason Feenstra and a fourthdown tackle for loss by Ingle, and the Panthers ran out the clock to seal the victory. North Wood finished with 198 yards on the ground, led by 101 yards and a TD from Brayton Yoder. Bear added 51 yards on just nine carries. Bilinski was a ruthlessly efficient 16 of 20 through the air for 220 yards and four TD passes, two of them to Smart who led all Panther receivers with 87 yards on five catches. Bronson Yoder added six grabs for 60 yards and a touchdown. The Black Crunch defense was paced by Ingle and Drew Minnich with nine tackles each, while Jacob

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Chupp and Bronson Yoder each had six stops. Plymouth rushed for 238 yards, led by Benji Nixon who picked up 105 yards on 18 carries. Bennitt added 62 yards and a TD on 11 totes, and scored the other Rockie touchdown on a pass from Filson, who was 6 of 11 through the air for 63- yards. Colten Schuler led Plymouth with eight tackles while Ezra Winkle, reputed to be a descendant of the legendary Rip Van, had seven stops. North Wood (9-0, 7-0 NLC) opens sectional play by hosting Columbia City (3-6) on Oct. 21, with the winner taking on the winner of the Wawasee-Northridge game the following week. Plymouth (4-5,3-4 NLC) travels to Angola (7-2) to battle the Hornets in their sectional opener. • NW 43, PLYMOUTH 12 At The Rockpile, Plymouth North Wood: 0 16 12 15 Plymouth: 6 6 0 0 —l2 P Braxton Bennitt 10 pass from Cole Filson (run failed) NW DeAndre Smart 29 pass from

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Trey Bilinski (Bilinski run) P Bennitt 41 run (pass failed) NW Smart 24 pass from Bilinski (Brayton Yoder run) NW Brayton Yoder 4 run (run failed) NW Bronson Yoder 13 pass from Bilinski (run failed) NW Brayton Yoder 56 run (Smart pass from Bilinski) NW Payton Bear 5 pass from Bilinski (Adler Chamberlain kick) North Wood Plymouth Yards Rushing: 198 238 Yards Passing: 220 63 Passing (Comp/Att/Int): 16-204) 6-13-1 Penalties (No/Yds.): 10-60 7-48 Fumbles (NoTLost): 1-0 2-1 Punts (NoVAvg.): 2-36 2-31 Rushing: North Wood (Brayton Yoder 8-101, TD; Bronson Yoder 6-21; TD; Bilinski 3-5; Bear 9-51; Gessinger 1-6; Chupp 1-2; Malone i-12); Plymouth (Nixon 18-105; Bennitt 10-62, TD; McMillen 1656; Filson 5-15) Passing: North Wood (Bilinski 16200, 222 yds., 4 TD); Plymouth (Filson 611-1,63 yds., TD; Nixon 0-1-0; Bennitt 0-1-0) Receiving: North Wood (Smart 5-87, 2 TD; Bronson Yoder 660, TD; Bear 3-32, TD; Gessinger 2-41); Plymouth (Bennitt 2-34, TD; Pavey 1-18; Nixon 1-16; Koss 1-7)