Austin Hannah, Contributor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
McDERMOTT — Defense wins championships and, once again, Northwest is dripping in championship gold.
CREDIT: Marissa Spradlin/SOSA
With the SOC I championship up for grabs, the Mohawks (6-2, 3-0 SOC I) came up with a critical fourth down stop late in the game, pulling out a 28-19 victory over Green on Friday.
The victory marks the Mohawks’ second conference title in the last four seasons.
“We had a lot of guys moving and playing [different] positions due to injury,” Northwest coach Bill Crabtree said. “That left us, not weak, but not as strong as we usually are. It’s just great to get away with a win. These guys fought until the bitter end. That’s a testament to them and how hard they work.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Northwest drew first blood when Tanner Bolin found Connor Lintz, who made an exceptional catch over a defender and then dodged a tackle for a 40-yard touchdown, putting the Mohawks ahead 6-0.
Green, however, wasted no time answering as Abe McBee threw a screen pass to Landon Lodwig, who did the rest, dashing 74 yards into the end zone for a touchdown, giving the Bobcats a 7-6 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Green tried to catch the Mohawks napping on special teams with an onside kick. But it would be recovered by the Mohawks, giving them superb field position.
Northwest took advantage of that, and used up the remainder of the quarter in doing so.
With six seconds left in the first half, Wyatt Brackman found pay dirt from four yards out, allowing the Mohawks to retake the lead at 14-6 — following a successful two-point try — heading into halftime.
PHOTOS: Images from Northwest’s win over Green
“We started out slow and in the first quarter, we were just getting adjusted,” Lintz said. “It was a slow start but we came out strong in the second half. We scored [a touchdown] in the third quarter and that got us going. It got our momentum going and we started taking off.”
Northwest attempted to create more distance to open the third, but the Mohawks muffed a punt and Green recovered. With a brand new set of sticks and excellent field position, McBee called his own number and ran 48 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 14-13 heading to the fourth.
However, Northwest didn’t fret nor panic. Instead, it just regrouped and put a drive together.
The Mohawks countered when Brackman scored his second touchdown of the night from 14 yards out for a 20-13 lead.
Green then drove into Mohawk territory but they were forced into a fourth down situation. That’s when the Mohawks came up with the biggest play of the game, stuffing the Bobcats’ gamble and giving the offense the football.
Brackman wanted to finish off the Bobcats, and that’s exactly what he did, taking a handoff 45 yards to the house his third score of the evening. He then converted the two-point try, extending the lead to 28-13 with less than five minutes left in regulation.
“In the second half, [Green] was shutting down the middle,” Brackman said. “We just had to figure out a way to keep pounding the ball. We did that pretty well in the second half and we finished strong.”
Green kept fighting as it managed to string together a scoring drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown rush from McBee, trimming the deficit to 28-19.
But when the Bobcats attempted an onside kick to stay in the game, the Mohawks recovered and ran out the clock, securing a victory and a conference title.
Northwest returns to action on Friday at home against Eastern, looking to pick up momentum heading into the postseason, while Green aims to rebound that same evening, hosting East.
“[Brackman’s final touchdown] ended up being the difference in the ballgame,” Crabtree said. “That was a huge run in a crucial moment and Wyatt is good for that. He’s going to make plays when we need him to. Defensively, our guys stepped up and played well. To keep [Green] in check like they did tonight, it’s just a great effort from everyone.”
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