Shut down Hunter Houseman’s intended receivers and he’ll beat you with his feet.
Shoot in for a sack and he’ll find the end zone deep through the air.
There’s simply no stopping Northwestern High School’s versatile senior quarterback, and Friday night, he was a one-man wrecking crew.
The 6-foot, 170-pound standout threw for 368 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 115 yards and three more TDs to demolish Northeastern, 42-21, in a non-conference game.
“He’s fast and he’s smart,” Northwestern coach Seth Whiting said with a grin. “In fact, he’s very fast and very smart. He’s two years into this offense now and he understands how to read defenses.”
Obviously.
Northwestern (2-0) toyed with a blowout in the opening quarter, recovering a trio of Jets fumbles before cashing in on a pair of TD runs from Cole Baldwin and Houseman.
Baldwin, a 5-foot-6 sophomore running back, crossed the goal line from 1 yard out with 6:18 on the clock, his blue-collar haul capping a 77-yard, 9-play drive.
Northeastern senior running back Kyle Myers coughed up the football on the Jets’ ensuing possession and Northwestern senior linebacker Brad Curtis pounced, gaining possession at the Jets’ 46-yard line.
Three plays later, the quick-strike Warriors were in the end zone again, this time courtesty of a tackle-busting, 56-yard run from Houseman, who broke free down the right sideline at 5:19 for a 14-0 lead.
“It all starts with our (offensive) line. Our line is fantastic,” said Houseman, who last week threw for 300 yards and ran for 222. “Our line makes it all happen for me, and my receivers — they get all the credit.”
A nine-play, 56-yard drive to open the second quarter got the turf-chewing Jets on the board at 5:25, when junior running back Christian Knasel took an option pitch around left end for a 5-yard score.
Northwestern answered to close out the quarter, using a pass-heavy, five-play, 63-yard drive and a 24-yard TD pass from Houseman to senior wide receiver Max Oakes to take a 21-7 cushion into halftime.
“They tried to run man defense on us and we used our receivers’ speed to blow by them,” Houseman said. “They’re a good football team, too. My hat’s off to them.”
Oakes’ catch was gutsy and sent an audible gasp through the large crowd. On third-and-24 from the 24-yard line, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound standout bobbled the ball at the 15 but regained control before slipping into the end zone virtually untouched.
Seinor Drey Williams, Northeastern’s 225-pound steamroller, broke free for a 29-yard touchdown run just 12 seconds into the third quarter and got the Jets back within striking distance, 21-14.
But Houseman struck for a pair of third-quarter TDs to put the game out of reach — a 15-yard run at 6:39 and a 21-yard pass to sophomore receiver Cole Brewer at 3:48.
About the Author