Heathwood Hall’s Julian Hughes attempts to tackle Northwood’s Scott Geisel.
Find these pictures and many more here!
The Northwood Chargers scored 61 unanswered points to knock off the Heathwood Hall Highlanders 61-7 in the SCISA 4A State Championship game Friday, November 21 at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
“The difference was just being here,” Heathwood Hall head coach Tymere Zimmerman said. “I told them I’m so proud of them. We made it this far. We’re 9-4. Nobody expected that. We put the work in to get to this point. I’m happy for them.
“We had injuries at the beginning of the season where we had to put our receivers at defensive back. That’s not an excuse. That’s a good football team. Like I said all week that’s a great football team. We just got to find a way to get back to this point next year.
“I’m excited for my team. Last year going 2-8, the year before that going 2-8, and the year before that 3-7 or whatever it is; we just won more games this year than we won the last four years. I’m excited for my team. This game doesn’t define who we are. That’s what I told the players, ‘Don’t let this define who we are.’ Because it doesn’t. Don’t let this game throw away everything we already did. I’m excited, man.”
Heathwood Hall’s Keon McKinley tries to escape a tackle from Northwood’s Hammer White. Photos by Mike Maddock
Heathwood Hall found early success with a 73-yard drive. A 57-yard pitch-and-catch from Patrick Belk to Keon McKinley moved the ball to the Northwood. A 5-yard run by Jackson Noble and a Chargers’ penalty put the Highlanders at the five, and Belk ran it in from there. James Richardson added the extra point and Heathwood Hall held a 7-0 lead with 11:03 left in the first quarter.
From there it was all Northwood. The Chargers first drive began at their 29. Immediately, they found success through the air. First a 12-yard pass from Kevin Johnson to Scott Geisel put Northwood near midfield. A 10-yard pass from Johnson to Aydan Hogan moved the Chargers into Heathwood Hall territory, and then Johnson capped the drive off with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Drew Wolfe. Quincy Lingard tacked on the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:15 left in the first quarter.
Heathwood Hall’s Patrick Belk looks to get a pass off while being pressured by Northwood’s Mitchell Lanier.
Northwood got the ball back moments later following an interception by Jordin Carter. The Chargers then embarked on an 11-play, 53-yard drive. A 13-yard pass from Johnson to Geisel moved Northwood into Highlander territory. Then the Chargers went to their ground game with Kaven Ford to get into the red zone. Johnson would cap off the drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Hogan. Lingard made another extra point and Northwood led 14-7 with 2:25 left in the first quarter.
The score held until the second quarter when the Chargers took over at the Heathwood Hall 33. Following a holding penalty against Northwood, Johnson launched a 37-yard pass to Hogan to move the ball inside the five. Carter then found the end zone with a 3-yard touchdown run. Lingard knocked through his third extra point to extend the Chargers’ lead to 21-7 with 10:21 left in the quarter.
Moments later, Northwood was back on the move following a fumble recovery by Lingard. The Chargers got the ball at the Heathwood 24 following a Northwood penalty. Johnson connected with Geisel for a 16-yard gain to the eight. Then Ford covered the final eight yards for the score to extend the lead to 27-7 with 9:05 left in the second quarter.
The Chargers next drive began at their 49. A combination of Johnson, Wolfe, and Michael Polite running the ball moved Northwood to the Heathwood 36. Later in the drive, Johnson found Hogan for a 34-yard touchdown pass. Lingard made his fourth extra point of the half as the Chargers led 34-7 with 4:45 left in the second quarter.
The last Northwood scoring drive was set up by an interception by Dominic Russell, as the Chargers took over at the Heathwood 20. On the first play, Johnson and Hogan connected again, this time for a 20-yard touchdown. Lingard made another extra point and Northwood led 40-7 at halftime.
The Chargers added a 40-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Wolfe and a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Polite in the third quarter. They ended their scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run from Carter in the fourth quarter to set the final score.
Johnson completed 19-of-28 passes for 350 yards and five touchdowns for Northwood. Hogan led the Chargers’ receiving with seven catches for 125 yards and three touchdowns. Wolfe had five catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
Carter rushed for 19 yards and two touchdowns on four carries. Polite had one touchdown and 33 yards on six carries.
Heathwood Hall finishes the season 9-4, the most wins since 2009.
“The senior leadership is so great because they’ve been here for so long,” Zimmerman said. “They understood the down times of Heathwood football and now they understand the great times. I’m glad they got to experience that. I’m glad they didn’t just have a football season of a 2-8 season where they didn’t play for any meaningful games. Being here tonight is amazing.”
Northwood ends the season at 11-1.
Loading Comments