Shawnee junior R.J. Griffin threw three TD passes and ran for another, while sophomore Zane Mercer rushed for three TDs to lift the Braves to 3-2 overall.
Shawnee coach Rick Meeks was happy with the victory, but said the Braves must improve if they hope to be in the mix for their first Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division title in a decade.
“We had an awful week of practice and we played like we practiced this week,” he said. “If we’re going to be in a position to challenge for a league title, which we’re hoping for, that’s not going to do it how we performed. We had a bad week of practice this week. We’re going to see how the guys respond here. They’ll say they want to win a league title, but you know how things are — actions speak louder than words.”
Northwestern sophomore quarterback Jacob Shaffer went 21-for-42 for 240 yards and two TD passes. Warriors senior Kolten Berner rushed for a touchdown and caught another, while junior Nathan Aldredge caught a TD pass for Northwestern (0-5).
Mercer scored on a 40-yard run on Shawnee’s first possession and Griffin scored on an 8-yard run on its next possession to make it 14-0.
In the second quarter, Griffin hit sophomore wideout T.J. Meeks on a 40-yard TD pass to make it 21-0. Mercer followed with a 22-yard TD run and Griffin found senior tight end Kaden Moore on an 11-yard score to give the Braves a 35-0 halftime lead.
The Warriors grabbed the momentum in the second half, recovering an onside kick to open the half and scoring a few plays later on a 2-yard run by Berner.
Northwestern recovered another onside kick and scored on a 49-yard pass from Shaffer to Berner.
“We kept fighting,” said Warriors first-year coach Nicholas Bandstra. “We knew they were good. They’re well-coached. (Coach Meeks) has a great staff, great kids. … We fought. That’s all you can ask for. We had a bad second quarter and that’s what happens. My mindset and my preaching to our kids all season is that we’ve got to learn how to finish. That’s been our biggest problem all year; we’ll get close and then we’ll have a drive that stalls out. We have to learn how to finish.
In the fourth quarter, Griffin hit sophomore receiver Ed Boehmer on a bubble screen and he took it 39 yards for a touchdown to make it 42-14. Mercer followed with a 5-yard TD run for the Braves. Shawnee was without several players this week due to injuries, including junior running back Max Guyer.
“We got it done at times, but not as consistent as we’d hoped it would be,” Meeks said.
Shaffer found Aldredge on a 12-yard score late in the fourth quarter to make it 49-20.
“We challenged them at halftime,” Bandstra said. “Our kids have really responded to how our offensive philosophy has evolved. We can’t have the first half we had. That’s what kills us. Our kids are doing a great job and they’ve bought in. We just have to learn how to finish.
Central Buckeye Conference play begins next week. The Warriors will host North Union (4-1) in next week’s CBC Mad River Division opener.
Shawnee will host Clark County rival Kenton Ridge (3-2) in their CBC Kenton Trail Division opener.
“They’re much improved from last year,” Meeks said. “(KR Coach Jon Daniels) does a great job over there. I expect it to be a battle. We’ll see how it goes this week.”
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