North Central defeats Center Grove 14-7

GREENWOOD – North Central proved that it knows how to win.
                The underdog Panthers went on the road to defeat Center Grove on its Senior Night 14-7 Friday night in Indiana high school football.
                But the Panthers victory didn’t come easily, and it never does in the tough MIC, which features three top five teams in the state. But they overcame a few turnovers – including quarterback Gavin Alexander’s fumble 1-yard away from a touchdown. The fumble came after Alexander’s second straight quarterback sneak attempt in a 7-7 second-half game.
                Center Grove recovered the fumble, but North Central’s defense got the ball back to its offense.  The Panthers got the ball on their own 39-yard line and marched 61 yards on seven plays, culminating in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Alexander to wide receiver Krayshawn Brewer. Brewer’s catch gave the Panthers a 14-7 lead with 5:28 left in the game.
                Brewer finished with three catches for 25 yards. Jordan Williams led the Panthers with five catches for 45 yards.
                Center Grove got the ball back looking for a chance to tie, but North Central held the Trojans on a fourth-down play. The Panthers took over on downs. They used the running of Jalen McIntyre to run the clock out. McIntyre picked up two first downs on third and fourth down runs, helping the Panthers run out the clock.
                Alexander and McIntyre’s runs kept Center Grove off balance. McIntyre finished with 119 yards on 25 carries. He also scored the Panthers first touchdown on a 5-yard run. Alexander also had 14 carries for 46 yards to go along with 11-of-17 passing for 109 yards.
                But it’s been North Central’s defense that has contributed mightily to its victories. The Panthers shut out Terre Haute South last week 47-0, and limited Center Grove to one touchdown this week. Two-way linemen Darius Latham (DE/OT) and Michael Raby (DT/TE) have provided a consistent pass rush. Linebackers Jeff Harris and Sherrod Graham have had a big hand in stopping the opposing team’s running game.
                The Panthers (4-4) have won two straight games.

North Central ends its losing streak; tops Terre Haute South

Literally and figuratively, North Central ran away with a 47-0 Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference victory over visiting Terre Haute South Friday night in Indiana high school football, ending the Panthers four-game losing streak.

            It was also North Central’s first home victory since 2008.
            North Central’s overwhelming victory also led to two trivia questions:
            When was the last time the Panthers scored more than 40 points in a game, and when was the last time they recorded a shutout?
            Nonetheless, it was the running game and a tough defense that led to the victory.  Jalen McIntyre carried the ball 22 times and finished with 121 yards.  Halfback Kevin Davis added 62 yards on nine carries, scoring on runs of 5 and 1 yard. McIntyre also scored twice, on runs of 10 and 15 yards. Halfback Brandon Alexander also scored on a 1-yard run.
            In the air, quarterback Gavin Alexander completed 5-of-9 for 98 yards on the windy, cool day. He also had five carries for 32 yards, scoring on a 14-yard run.  Jordan Williams had three catches for 80 yards and Krayshawn Brewer had two catches for 18 yards.
             Gavin Alexander was relieved by Michael Loggan in the fourth quarter with North Central leading 40-0. Loggan kept the running attack going, scoring on a 25-yard run to end the scoring.
             North Central’s defense was also tough, getting two quarterback sacks from Michael Raby and one from Darius Latham.
             North Central (3-4) travels to MIC-rival Center Grove (5-2) on Friday.

Warren Central proved it's special, defeats North Central

            Top-ranked Warren Central overcame North Central’s comeback attempt before going on to defeat the Panthers 48-16 in a Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school football game.
            Warren Central dominated the game early, building a 13-0 first-quarter lead. The Warriors scored on a 55-yard touchdown run by Shaquille Breeding, and Ronnie Alexander’s 5-yard scoring pass from quarterback Kyle Faunce.
            But North Central battled back. Ben Stoller nailed a 35-yard field goal with 3:56 left in the second quarter. After Stoller’s successful pooch kick recovered by the Panthers, NC’s running back, Kevin Davis, raced up the middle for a 37-yard score, pulling NC within three points at 13-10.
            After Davis’ touchdown, time and Warren Central’s strong special teams play put North Central away.  North Central was forced to punt from its own 21-yard line,  but Warren Central’s strong rush resulted in a 3-yard punt, putting the Warriors 24 yards away from another score with under 2 minutes left in the half. The Warriors’ drive was started with a holding penalty and ended with 1-yard run by McFarland Dominique with only 10 seconds left on the clock. Warren led 20-10 at the half.
            Warren Central’s special teams continued to impact the game.  North Central was forced to punt from its own 23-yard-line. But the Warriors nearly blocked another punt, resulting in a negative 2-yard punt, putting WC at NC’s 21. The Warriors took advantage again, getting a 5-yard run from Faunce. The Warriors led 27-10.
          When North Central punted successfully In the third quarter, Warren Central’s Karn Utter returned the punt 62-yards for a touchdown, making the score 34-10.
          By the time North Central scored on a 45-yard touchdown from Gavin Alexander to Krayshawn Brewer, the game was over. The TD made the score 34-16. Alexander finished the game 10-of-23 passing for 159 yards. North Central Jordan Williams had five catches for 39 yards and Matt Hicks added three catches for 57 yards.

North Central Beats Pike

In sports, especially football, you can’t give up; quitting is not an option.

        North Central finally got it.
        North Central overcame a 14-7 deficit by scoring 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat host Pike 21-14 Friday night in Indiana high school football. It was the first time that North Central has defeated Pike in football in five years.
         The no-quit attitude was displayed on special teams. After North Central tied the score at 14 on quarterback Gavin Alexander’s 48-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Krayshawn Brewer, North Central kicked off to Pike with 5:17 left in the game.  The Red Devils didn’t field the kick cleanly, the ball was fumbled, and a Panther hustled down the field and recovered it with 5:05 left.
         After a rough first half, Alexander continued his hot passing. Four plays after the recovered fumble, Alexander threw a 14-yard TD pass to Jordan Williams, making the score 21-14. In the final quarter, Alexander completed 5-of-6 passes with TD throws to Brewer and Williams. He also threw the first of his three TD passes to Brewer, a 38-yard strike that gave the Panthers a 7-0 first-quarter lead.
         Alexander finished the game 8-of-17 passing for 135 yards.
         But it was the defense that may have won the game. North Central gave up a lot of field position, many times punting the ball away near its own goal line.  Despite having to defend a short field, the Panthers defense came up with several stops and big plays. Defensive backs Kory Rogan and Melvin Graham came up with interceptions. Defensive lineman Trey Williamson had a sack and Panther teammates Darius Latham and Deon Posey applied consistent pressure on Pike quarterback Aloyis Gray.
        North Central kicker Ben Stoller ended the Panthers’ scoring by going 3-of-3 on points after touchdowns.
         Again, not giving up may have led to the victory.