Northwest running back Jake Anderson runs the open field against GAR Friday night at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
Northwest wide receiver Connor Hazlet, left, catches the ball deep in Grenadier territory over GAR defender Malachai Williams Friday night at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
Northwest fullback Jack Stancavage, center, plows his way through the GAR defense Friday night at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
GAR running back Joshua Goodwin, left, follows his blocker Josafat Brito on a run against Northwest Friday night at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
GAR's Muhaideen Tajuddin turns the corner against Northwest Friday night at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
GAR running back Mike Drozda, center, finds a hole in the Northwest defense Friday night at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — While Northwest football coach Lon Hazlet admitted that Friday night’s performance wasn’t the Rangers best of the season, there was one phase that stood out — the defense.
The GAR offense started in Northwest territory on two of its first three drives to open the game, but the Rangers’ defense wasn’t rattled and held the Grenadiers to just a field goal on those trips.
For a team that has scored at least 28 points in each of its last three games, it was the defense that jump-started the Rangers offense. Northwest sniffed out a GAR fake punt, giving its offense the ball near midfield. The Rangers marched nine plays and 45 yards down the field as Jake Anderson scored his first touchdown of the game — a 2-yard score — to cap off the drive and start a 14-0 second-quarter run en route to a 20-17 victory over GAR.
- Obits
- Nathan Dale“We just didn’t play Ranger football, but the mark of a good team is finding a way to win and tonight we were able to do that,” Hazlet said. “Defensively, our guys were rallying to the ball and running to the ball. My hats off to GAR and their kids. They played very hard tonight, but we weren’t going to be denied.”
That first score gave Anderson and the rest of the offense some momentum, and with it they were able to build on the touchdown before the end of the first half.
A Northwest sack forced the Grenadiers into a three-and-out on the very next series, leaving the Rangers with very favorable field position. Starting their drive at the GAR 42, the Rangers took just six plays to score. Anderson found the end zone once again, this time scampering in from the 13-yard line with 1:06 remaining in the second quarter.
“That first score boosted our momentum. We just toughed it out,” Anderson said. “Everybody just noticed that we had this, we can pick it up and we can go. The offensive line started picking up blocks, they started hammering it, and that’s how it was.”
As the game clock in the third quarter started to dwindle, the Grenadiers needed to make a move.
Following suit of the Rangers defense, who forced two turnovers on the night, the GAR defense pried the ball away from Northwest. GAR defensive back Muhaideen Tajuddin took advantage of a bad handoff, scooped up the loose ball and took it 23 yards to the house to shrink the deficit to 14-9 with just 1:13 remaining in the third quarter.
However, Northwest responded on its very next drive.
The Rangers drove the ball 59 yards in 11 plays in a span of 4:19, as Anderson punched the ball in from the 4-yard line to give Northwest a 20-9 lead with 8:43 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Along with the great ball vision of Anderson, Hazlet credited the play of fullback Jack Stancavage, who helped clear the lane for the Northwest ball carriers all night long.
“Our fullback, Jack Stancavage, was just an animal with their kid, (defensive lineman David Virgo), and they were butting heads all night,” Hazlet said. “Hats off to their kid, but Jack really makes our running game go — our two big tight ends in Dylan Womelsdorf and Austin Ford (we’re important, too). We know we have to run the ball to be successful and we’re a downhill crew, but Jake makes us go.”
GAR made things interesting at the end of the fourth quarter, driving 66 yards in 16 plays to make it a three-point game. GAR running back Joshua Goodwin found the end zone on a pitch to the left from just 1-yard out, and then caught a 3-yard pass from quarterback Austin Yelland for the two-point conversion to make it 20-17 with 1:37 remaining in regulation.
But the Rangers didn’t let the late touchdown phase them, recovering the onside kick and then running out the clock.
Northwest 20, GAR 17
Northwest`0`14`0`6`—`20
GAR`3`0`6`8`—`17
First quarter
G — Muhaideen Tajuddin 32 FG, 5:34
Second quarter
N — Jake Anderson 2 run (Jack Wessler kick), 5:02
N — Anderson 13 run (Wessler kick), 1:06
Third quarter
G — Tajuddin 23 fumble recovery (pass failed), 1:58
Fourth quarter
N — Anderson 4 run (kick failed), 8:43
G — Joshua Goodwin 1 run (Goodwin from Yelland), 1:37
Team statistics`NWT`GAR
First downs`15`14
Rushes-yards`47-209`38-164
Passing yards`29`52
Total yards`238`204
Passing`1-2-0`7-17-2
Sacked-yards lost`2-17`3-16
Punts-avg.`3-37`2-30
Fumbles-lost`2-2`0-0
Penalties-yards`7-45`4-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — NWT, Jake Anderson 30-167-3, Jack Stancavage 6-33, Beau Getz 3-15, Ezra Judge 3-10, David Piestrak 5-(16). GAR, Joshua Goodwin 17-90-1, Austin Yellard 15-49, Mike Drozda 4-19, Muhaideen Tajuddin 1-6.
PASSING — NWT, Tyler Stevens 1-1-29-0, David Piestrak 0-1-0-0. Austin Yellard 7-17-52.
RECEIVING — NWT, Connor Hazlet 1-7. GAR, Nate Luckey 1-16, Joshua Goodwin 3-13, Mike Drozda 1-10, Malachai Williams 1-8, Omar Degante 1-5.
INTERCEPTIONS — NWT, Tyler Stevens 1-2, Ezra Judge 1-0. GAR, None.
MISSED FGs — None.
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