High school football notes: Northwestern defense a wet blanket in last two games

One of the funny things about Northwestern football is how easy the Trojans coaches and players can make success appear.

The team’s defense was a bit of a concern – primarily a lack of turnovers and QB pressure, and missed tackles – until about three weeks ago. James Martin’s stoppers have held Gaffney and Fort Mill to two points and 290 yards of offense, total, in a pair of commanding performances that have for the time snuffed out any concerns emanating from the coaches’ offices or the District Three Stadium stands.

“I think Spartanburg was a wake-up call,” said coach David Pierce, citing the game in which the Trojans missed 40 tackles and nearly lost. “Every team needs those. It wasn’t schemes and Xs and Os, it was just our concentration level and focus, and putting the work in.”

Pierce indicated that the Monday after the 35-31 win over Spartanburg saw extra time spent on tackling fundamentals. The Trojans only missed 22 tackles total against Gaffney and Fort Mill, and safety Ali Shockley didn’t have to make 20 and 30 tackles as he had in a few of the earlier games.

Another key? The Trojan defense is getting off the field. Pierce said that the defense’s goal is to limit opponents to around 30 percent conversions. Gaffney and Fort Mill converted just two of their 24 combined third downs, which led to plus-26 and plus-22 advantages for the Trojans in the number of offensive plays run.

We all know the offensive pyrotechnics that result when that sort of disparity happens in Northwestern’s favor.

“Defense is out there until you get yourself off the field, and that’s what we talked about,” Pierce said. “You literally have your destiny in your hands.”

As considerable as the need to improve tackling was, a younger, less experienced defense had to grow in its approach to the game too. That “Win Today” thing is more than just a cute mantra to plaster on the wall or hashtag on Twitter. One reason the team’s offense hasn’t struggled as much is because it’s more experienced. The Trojans lost Clemson commit Logan Rudolph early on, making its defense even younger.

But junior Christian Steele has stepped forward in Rudolph’s absence, after an initial bit of shock, and others like tackles Chance Miller and Areon Walls are growing into bigger roles.

“Your No. 1 defensive end goes down and a young kid is brought in there. He’s got to learn, his eyes are as big as saucers, just calm him down, coach him and teach him,” said Pierce. “He needs hugs more than anything else.”

Already scheduled Thursday night games

Local teams in Region 3-4A and Region 4-3A – confusing? – are paired up with schools from the Columbia area. That means Thursday games on the schedule because of Columbia-area schools’ considerable stadium sharing.

Jae’vion Matthews: most dangerous player in the area?

That would be a bold title to give to the senior from York, but he may well be worthy of it. Matthews has touchdowns of 86 and 92 yards this season, most of those coming on short screen passes in which he followed good blocking before unleashing the full effect of his speed. Check out this interactive graphic showing some of Matthews’ best plays so far this fall:

 

North-South rosters announced Oct. 25

Rosters for the North-South all-star football game will be announced on Oct. 25. Unfortunately, the game will be held in Myrtle Beach on the same weekend as the state championship games after the South Carolina High School League opted to add an extra week to the season due to Hurricane Matthew-related postponements.

The same thing happened last year when heavy flooding in October 2015 added a week to the season. South Pointe players Nick McCloud and Greg Ruff missed the North-South game because they were playing with the Stallions in the state title game the same day.

Tri-County players of the week (Week 7)

4A, 5A schools

South Pointe, York, and Lancaster had their games canceled and postponed because of the hurricane.

Offensive player of the week: Alex Stennett, WR, Nation Ford – Stennett turned in an outstanding game. He had 11 catches for 251 yards and four touchdowns.

Honorable mention: N/A

Defensive player: Ryan Heriot, S, Fort Mill - Heriot finished with 10 tackles, one fumble recovery, and one pass interception, which he returned 88 yards for a touchdown.

Honorable mention: N/A

Offensive lineman: Patrick Thomas, C, Fort Mill - Thomas turned in a consistent blocking effort all game as he graded out at 87 percent.

Honorable mention: N/A

Defensive lineman: Patrick Mead, DL, Fort Mill - Mead was outstanding as he finished with 13 tackles, three forced turnovers, and one fumble recovery.

Honorable mention: N/A

Special teams: N/A

Honorable mention: N/A

1A, 2A, 3A schools

Chester and Lewisville had their games canceled and postponed because of the hurricane.

Offensive player of the week: Isaah Nesbit, RB, Buford - Nesbit finished with 130 yards on 26 carries. He scored three touchdowns.

Honorable mention: N/A

Defensive player: Noah Vincent, LB, Buford - Vincent recorded 14 tackles with 12 being solo tackles. He also had two quarterback sacks.

Honorable mention: N/A

Offensive lineman: N/A

Honorable mention: N/A

Defensive lineman: Justin Hayden, DE, Buford - Hayden had three quarterback sacks, two caused fumbles, two tackles for loss, and five quarterback hurries.

Honorable mention:N/A

Special teams: N/A

Honorable mention: N/A

State rankings headed into Week 8

Class 5A

1. Dutch Fork; 2. Northwestern; 3. Fort Dorchester; 4. Westside; 5. Spartanburg; 6. Dorman; 7. Boiling Springs; 8. Gaffney; 9. Sumter; 10. Greenwood

Others receiving votes: T.L. Hanna, Nation Ford, Blythewood

Class 4A

1. South Pointe; 2. Myrtle Beach; 3. Hartsville; 4. Belton-Honea Path; 5. Cane Bay; 6. Ridge View; 7. Greer; 8. South Aiken; 9. North Myrtle Beach; 10. Union County

Others receiving votes: North Augusta, Beaufort, Chapin, Lancaster, Greenville, Dreher

Class 3A

1. Dillon; 2. Bluffton; 3. Fairfield Central; 4. Strom Thurmond; 5. Bishop England; 6. Gilbert; 7. Brookland-Cayce; 8. Broome; 9. Chapman; 10. Lake City

Others receiving votes: Woodruff, Chester, Newberry, Palmetto, Powdersville, Crescent

Class 2A

1. Abbeville; 2. Bamberg-Ehrhardt; 3. Barnwell; 4. Cheraw; 5. Saluda; 6. Batesburg-Leesville; 7. Lee Central; 8. Southside Christian; T9. Blacksburg; T9. Calhoun County

Others receiving votes: Carvers Bay, Allendale Fairfax, Andrews, Chesterfield

Class 1A

1. Lamar; 2. Lake View; 3. McBee; 4. Lewisville; 5. Williston-Elko; 6. Blackville-Hilda; 7. Hemingway; 8. Baptist Hill; 9. C.E. Murray; 10. Cross

Others receiving votes: Wagener-Salley, Bethune-Bowman, Ridge Spring-Monetta

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 8:54 PM with the headline "High school football notes: Northwestern defense a wet blanket in last two games."