High School Football: Northwestern bounces back in conference opener

By Michael Cooper

Contributing Writer

After back-to-back losses, the Northwestern High School football team got back on track last week against one of its biggest rivals.

The Warriors improved to 4-2 with a 24-7 victory over Urbana in the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River Division opener for both teams. Northwestern is the lone team in the division with a winning record.

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It was the second time the Warriors have beaten the Hillclimbers since 2000. The last defeat of Urbana came in 2015.

“We were able to stop the run besides a couple plays and control the line of scrimmage,” Northwestern second-year coach Shane Carter said. “On the offensive side of the ball, we were able to run the ball effectively. We had some kids step up and play like seniors.”

One of those seniors was running back Eli Berner, who rushed for 200 yards on 33 carries. Berner entered Week 6 averaging about nine carries per game in the Warriors’ pass-heavy spread offense.

“Eli played like a man amongst boys,” Carter said. “He was able to offensively have his way, he was able to run away from people and run through a lot of people.”

After watching the game film, there wasn’t a single play where Berner fell backwards, Carter said.

A year ago, Berner was ejected from the game against Urbana, he said.

“Knowing him and knowing what he’s about and where he comes from at home, it was important for him to go out and play his best game and to play it with class, dignity and respect,” Carter said.

The Warriors also got a big boost from senior linebacker Alex Miller, who made his first career start in the victory.

“He was a JV player for us, even as a senior,” Carter said. “As he progressed, he was a guy we wanted to give a shot and it finally came up Friday. He filled in well. He really stepped up into a position.”

The Warriors are gunning for their first conference championship since 1967.

“This is why I came to Northwestern, to coach in games like this,” Carter said. “It’s a meaningful game. It aligns with all the goals we set for these seniors.”

Northwestern travels on Friday to face a Benjamin Logan (2-4, 0-1 CBC Mad River Division) squad that’s lost three straight to Jonathan Alder, Bellefontaine and Indian Lake.

“Ultimately, they’ve got a good football program,” Carter said. “They’ve got a system in terms of spreading the ball around. Defensively, they’ve got some guys up front who are good players. I believe we’ve got our work cut out for us, but I believe we’ve got a week to work at. Once we get our install done and put together a game plan, I’m confident our kids can go up there and bring home a victory.”

Something's gotta give: Springfield's defense against the Northmont offense will be among the featured matchups this week.

Northmont has the highest-scoring offense in the 20-team Greater Western Ohio Conference this season with 227 points. The Bolts are coached by former South coach and Shawnee grad Tony Broering.

Springfield has allowed a league-low 51 points. The eighth-ranked Wildcats haven’t allowed more than 14 points since Week 2. Last week, they held the GWOC’s leading rusher Xenia’s Sincere Wells to 66 yards. He was averaging about 190 yards rushing per week.

Rivalry renewed: Mechanicsburg (6-0, 1-0) faces rival West Jefferson (4-2, 0-1) in a game with huge Ohio Heritage Conference South Division title implications.

Mechanicsburg beat West Liberty-Salem 28-7 last week. It was the first time the Indians had allowed a touchdown since Week 1 when KR scored 14 points.

An Indians win on Friday could put West Jefferson two games back in the league race with three games to play. Fairbanks outscored the Roughriders 24-3 in the second half en route to a 38-24 victory, the first-ever OHC South loss for West Jefferson.

West Jefferson won the first South Division title last year. It beat Mechanicsburg 28-0 in 2017.

Same song: All five teams in the Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division are 4-2 this season.

Two 1-0 teams face off on Friday when Bellefontaine travels to Tecumseh. Kenton Ridge (4-2, 0-1) travels to Jonathan Alder for the Pioneers’ division opener. Jonathan Alder beat Graham 52-19 in Week 5.

Shawnee travels to Urbana on Friday night for a CBC crossover division game.

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