Northwestern Trojans football fell to 0-4. Here’s how it happened.
The football popped up off of Walyn Napper’s helmet, and naturally landed in his hands as he streaked into the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown Thursday night at District Three Stadium.
Napper’s fortuitous -- or skilled, depending on your viewpoint -- catch was the latest gut punch for Northwestern in a season that’s been full of them. Ridge View added a late field goal and held on to beat the Trojans 20-10. Northwestern fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2009.
“We still have a long way to go,” said Northwestern coach James Martin. “We’ve still got to get to the region and we can’t lose our focus right now, right at this point. We can still be really good in the region, and win the region and get in the playoffs.”
That said, Thursday night was a deflating experience for Northwestern football. Maybe it was because the game was played on a school night, but attendance was sparse. An early Ridge View interception returned for a touchdown hardly helped the mood, and there was no help from the Trojans’ best player, Jamario Holley, who is sidelined with a gimpy hamstring.
It all added up to an atmosphere in which Ridge View felt it could grab a win.
“We knew they would be hungry for a win being 0-3,” said Ridge View coach Perry Parks. “Our defense showed up, man, two weeks in a row.”
Northwestern trailed for most of the game but fought back to level the score at 10 all with less than nine minutes to play on Carson DePass’ 38-yard TD catch from Dustin Noller.
READ: High School Football 411 for Week 3. Everything you need to know ahead of Sept. 7, 2018 games
Turning point
Ridge View’s two best offensive drives of the night both came in the fourth quarter. The first culminated in Napper’s touchdown catch with the help of his head.
“We needed that bounce,” said Parks. “You saw our offense man. But an ugly win against a program with as much storied tradition as Northwestern, we’ll take it. We’re trying to grow our brand and build our program up.”
The second possession, a 12-play, 63-yard move, iced the game. Kicker Nick Lawyer looped in a 40-yard field goal to bury Northwestern’s chances.
Critical
Northwestern’s team did something it made a habit of avoiding from about 2007 to 2016: it beat itself. The Trojans missed two field goals, including one that pinged the upright, and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown on the third play of the game to fall behind 7-0 with less than two minutes played.
“It takes the wind out of you,” said Martin. “We fought the whole time and climbed back into it and we thought the momentum would swing to us, and it didn’t.”
Star contributors
Gregory Bivens Jr. caught five balls for 111 yards to lead Northwestern’s offensive output. Derrick McCrorey and Caveny Monroe recovered fumbles for the Trojans.
Napper made some big plays in the passing game for Ridge View, finishing with 120 yards and a touchdown. Blazers defensive linemen Deaundre Brown and Jurnee Dunbar constantly harassed Northwestern’s QB and running backs the entire game, and Isaiah Porter ran the early interception back for six points.
On deck
Ridge View takes on Daniel in the Blazers’ homecoming game, while Northwestern stares down the possibility of an 0-6 start. The Trojans host Sumter on Sept. 14, before a road trip to Dutch Fork the following week.
Box score
Northwestern;3;0;0;7 - 10
Ridge View;7;0;3;10 - 20
SCORING SUMMARY
First quarter
RVHS - Isaiah Porter 40-yard interception return (Nick Lawyer kick), 10:24
Second quarter
NHS - Nick Acus 34-yard field goal, 1:31
Third quarter
RVHS - Nick Lawyer 38-yard field goal, 6:47
Fourth quarter
NHS - Carson DePass 38 pass from Dustin Noller (Acus kick), 8:20
RVHS - Walyn Napper 35 pass from Javon Anderson (Lawyer kick), 6:25
RVHS - Lawyer 40-yard field goal, 0:49
TEAM STATISTICS
RVHS;NHS
First downs;13;13
Rushes-yards;37-151;33-71
Passing;8-20-0;22-43-1
Passing yards;159;240
Fumbles-lost;4-2;2-0
Penalties-yards;10-68;5-64
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING Ridge View: Javon Anderson 12-77; Cori Davis 10-35; Walyn Napper 7-25; Dhani Dixon 6-20; Des Boatwright 2-(-6). Northwestern: Antonio Heath 17-57; Ghari Page 9-17; Dustin Noller 7-(-3).
PASSING Ridge View: Anderson 7-17-0, 139 yardsl; Napper 1-3-0, 20 yards. Northwestern: Noller 22-43-1, 240 yards.
RECEIVING Ridge View: Napper 5-120; Jordan Smith 1-19; Davis 1-0. Northwestern: Jamaar Moore 10-44, Gregory Bivens Jr. 5-111; Ger-Cari Caldwell 4-25; Carson DePass 3-60.
RECORDS Ridge View 2-1; Northwestern 0-4.
This story was originally published September 6, 2018 at 11:42 PM.