Mount Vernon News

JOHNSTOWN — Lightning illuminated the sky Friday night, giving the Vikings a halftime break that won’t end until this evening. Currently down, 7-0, the Northridge High School football team will get a chance to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes’ season opener before taking the field again tonight at 6.

After losing by 49 points in Week 1, the Vikings took their home field Friday night with one thing on their minds — winning. Currently behind in their Week 2 game, the Vikings will use their extended halftime to make their play a little more efficient in the second half.

“The mistakes we are making come from not being focused on what’s going on,” said Northridge head coach Tim Priest. “We just need to get some more reps, and take care of those problems.”

Priest and his staff think the squad will be ready for tonight’s second half.

“We made some adjustments, and we’re ready to go out and play some good football,” said Priest. “It is a shame the weather put an end to that.”

The game started with Northridge kicking off to the Rangers, who kept possesion of the ball for the first four minutes of the game. The Rangers displayed their varied talents quickly, as quarterback Dorian Curry launched an 18-yard pass for a first down. A few short rushes later, one of which included recovred fumble, the Rangers were forced to punt.

Northridge, however, wasn’t able to do much during its first possession. After six plays, which generated only one first down, the Vikings couldn’t break through the Hamilton Township defense. With four minutes left in the first quarter, Northridge punted the ball back.

“Right now, we have blown a couple of opportunities and missed a couple of receivers,” said Priest. “We’ve put the ball on the ground a few times, and we have to put a stop to that.”

The Rangers made big plays right away during their second drive of the game. Curry started with a 9-yard rush, then Jarrett Hopkins added a 6-yard rush that gave Hamilton Township a first down. Curry kept the ball on the Rangers’ third play of the drive for a 16-yard run that kept the Vikings’ focus on the rush.

One minute after Hamilton Township received the punt from Northridge, Curry fired a 22-yard pass to the end zone, catching Hopkins in stride for a touchdown. The extra-point kick from David Crumley was good, giving the Rangers the only points of the game thus far.

Northridge put the ball in the hands of Rob Harger for the next five plays. Harger only picked up short gains and one first down on his first four carries, but was able to break through for a 25-yard rush and a second first down on his fifth carry. But the Vikings failed to capitalize on their offensive success, and fumbled the ball on the next play. Hamilton Township recovered the ball to start another long offensive drive.

“Every time we get the ball going, we do something to put a stop to that,” said Priest. “We have fumbled two times this game, and gave the ball to them after short drives. We’re able to move the ball when we don’t make mistakes.”

Fortunately for Northridge, luck was not on the Rangers’ side. The combination of Curry and Hopkins picked up a lot of yards, as Curry threw one pass for 14 yards, and another for 15 yards. Hopkins caught one of Curry’s long balls, and rushed for 21 yards by himself. But when the Rangers tried for the end zone, Northridge’s Luke Schnars was there to intercept Curry’s pass.

The Viking didn’t have the ball long, though. After three short rushes, the home team once again was forced to punt.

Hamilton Township found a way to record at least one big play during each of its posessions, and two key people were involved with each one. With 4:02 remaining in the first half, Curry sent another long pass to Hopkins, who easily pulled in the 29-yard pass. After another handful of short rushes, the Rangers found themselves in a 4th-and-10 situation on the 15-yard line. Curry scrambled, then sent the ball to the rear of the end zone. The ball fell to the ground, and Northridge took over with two minutes left to play.

The Vikings tried two long passes to midfield in an attempt to score before halftime, but both fell incomplete. After a 30-second possession, the Vikings had to punt.

Hamilton Township took over, and also tried to pass deep before halftime. But the Rangers’ long ball met the same fate as Northridge’s, and Hamilton Township had to punt as well. Trying to kick the ball away, Curry dropped the snap. When he reached down to pick up the ball, his knee touched the ground, and the play was called dead on the 37-yard line.

Unable to make a completion after four pass attempts near the end zone, time expired, and the Vikings remain scoreless.

The game will resume tonight at 6.