Northwestern thumps Indian Land, remains unbeaten in high school football region play
Northwestern entered its battle with Indian Land on Friday fresh off a dominant victory over Lancaster and looking to make a statement in its battle for the top spot in Region 3-4A.
The Trojans certainly made that statement against the No. 8-ranked Warriors, scoring the game’s final 47 points to earn a decisive 54-7 win at Indian Land Stadium to move to 2-0 in region play.
“That’s a very, very good Indian Land offense and a good defense,” Northwestern coach Page Wofford said. “They’re a good football team. They played hard. We knew they were gonna play hard. We were able to get up early on them and get the ‘Purple Wave’ going on them a little bit.”
Northwestern (6-1, 2-0 Region 3-4A) needed just two minutes to put the first score on the board, when Zilon Arnold rumbled 34 yards to the end zone to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead. Indian Land (5-2, 1-1) answered with a methodical 97-yard drive, and Myles Stinson cashed in a 21-yard score on fourth-and-2 to draw the score level with 3:46 remaining in the first period.
“Aside from that lone touchdown — there were a lot of penalties on that first drive, let’s not forget about that — the defense played very well, and we’re proud of them,” Wofford said. “We love to see it. We love to see the defense playing very well throughout the game.”
The Trojans limited Indian Land to just 250 yards of total offense.
Northwestern had a quick and emphatic answer for that Warrior drive. The Trojans needed just over a minute to take a 14-7 lead on a 21-yard toss from Finley Polk to a wide-open Elijah Caldwell. Northwestern ripped off 30 straight points after that equalizing Indian Land score, getting touchdown runs from Polk and Turbo Richard, and a 45-yard hookup from Polk to Caldwell to take a 37-7 lead at the half.
“If our offensive line can block and Turbo can get going and Elijah can get going, that opens up everybody else,” Wofford said. “It’s hard to stop them both, and when Finley’s on, he’s pretty good. We’ve got some receivers for him to throw to and some running backs for him to get the ball to, so that helps a young quarterback every time.”
The Trojans took less than a minute to start the third quarter with a score and extend the advantage. Richard capped the quick trip with a 10-yard gallop to put Northwestern ahead, 44-7. The Trojans tacked on 10 in the final quarter, getting a 27-yard field goal from Matthew Fish and a 25-yard Kamari Chiles run to provide the final margin.
Northwestern’s offense turned in another 500-yard effort, and it was a balanced attack with 256 yards coming on the ground, another 244 through the air.
Despite the score, Indian Land coach Adam Hastings took away several things on which his team could build.
“We did some good things in the second half. I think we regrouped a little bit,” Hastings said. “We’ve gotta be able to turn drives into points. We’ve gotta be able to get off the field on third and fourth down defensively.
“The thing I was really proud about was when we got in the third and fourth quarters and our guys were hurt. They were frustrated. They didn’t give up. They continued to fight. When you’ve got that, you know you’re headed in the right direction. We got caught playing their brand of football.”
The Warriors head to South Pointe next week to continue region play.
“I think it’s good that we’re in this situation. When you have a tough loss and you’ve gotta go play another tough team, it doesn’t give you time to lick your wounds,” Hastings said. “This is good for our guys to come back and play a really good football team. It does not give us a chance to feel sorry for ourselves.
“Our guys know what they can do. They believe in themselves. I believe in them. I think this is gonna be a great opportunity for us to bounce back.”
Northwestern hosts York in another Region 3-4A contest next Friday. Kickoff for both games is set for 7:30 p.m.
Box score
Northwestern 54, Indian Land 7
Northwestern 21 16 7 10 — 54
Indian Land 7 0 0 0 — 7
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
N – Zilon Arnold 34 run (Matthew Fish kick) 9:51
IL – Myles Stinson 21 run (Jackson Blades kick) 3:46
N – Elijah Caldwell 21 pass from Finley Polk (Fish kick) 2:23
N – Polk 4 run (Fish kick) :16.6
Second quarter
N – Turbo Richard 30 run (Caldwell run) 8:56
N – Caldwell 45 pass from Polk (Richard run) 1:16
Third quarter
N – Richard 10 run (Fish kick) 10:57
Fourth quarter
N – Fish 27 field goal 8:34
N – Kamari Chiles 25 run (Fish kick) 5:31