North/West Nodaway posted its first halftime win since the 2016 season when they beat DeKalb 54-8 Friday. Their last halftime win was in 2016, when they beat DeKalb 52-0. It was their second win of the year; with the win, they have already exceeded their win total for the last two years. DeKalb had the Muskets’ number for the last few years, and had established themselves as one of the most physical teams in the conference. But all those players had graduated, and the Tigers are winless and in rebuilding mode this year.
The Muskets were down three players for Friday’s contest, but it did not matter as three other players had been paying attention to what was going on in practice and were ready to go.
DeKalb won the opening toss and pulled off a successful fake punt as Zander Matson picked up a first down, getting 16 yards to the 38. They tried to ride Matson, but he met a brick wall in James Graham at the Musket 36. A false start moved them back to the Tiger 39, and the Muskets took over on downs after an incomplete pass.
Karson Oberhauser picked up carries of 4 and 5 yards, and Michael Goff ripped off a 19 yarder on the drive. A false start set up second and ten at the 17, but then Oberhauser’s short pass to Aydan Blackford went to the house and they were on the board up 6-0 with 5:36 left.
DeKalb had a chance to get back into the game with a long kickoff return, but shot themselves in the foot with a costly block in the back penalty that set them all the way back to their own six. A fumble set them back to their own four, Caiden Jarrett ran into a blue wall, and then a fumble was pounced on by Will Cordell at the 2. On the next play, Oberhauser was in the end zone to put the Muskets up 12-0 with 4:05 left.
Once again, DeKalb got a long runback for a score, and once again, it was wiped out, this time by a block in the back penalty, and they started off on their own seven. The Muskets nearly got a safety with a sack in the end zone, and the referees initially called it as such, but then changed the call to an incomplete pass. It didn’t matter, as DeKalb tried the fake punt once too often as Preston Bateman dropped the kicker at the six. For the second time in a row, North/West started inside the Tiger 10, and once again, they converted as Oberhauser’s cutback run got them on the board with 1:56 left to make it 18-0.
DeKalb went three and out on its next series, and North/West set up shop on its own 34. They only needed two plays to get into the end zone, as Michael Goff weaved his way to the DeKalb 33 for 13 yards, and then Aydan Blackford’s catch and run went the rest of the way. Michael Goff ran in the extra points to make it 26-0 with 11:29 left in the second quarter.
DeKalb started off on their own 15, but then Will Cordell got his second fumble recovery of the night at the 16 and Michael Goff bounced outside for a score with 11:11 left, for North/West’s second score in 18 seconds. Jordan Jenkins caught a short pass and found his way into the end zone to make it 34-0.
Consecutive runs by Drake Miller picked up a first down to the Tiger 31, but then Cole McElfresh got dropped after a two yard gain, and consecutive incompletions set up fourth and ten. This time, DeKalb went for it and tried a screen pass, but Caiden Jarrett was tacked five yards short of the first down at the 38, and once again, North/West Nodaway had a short field to work with. Aydan Blackford’s catch and run went eight yards to the 30. A long run by Michael Goff was called back to the 29, but after an incomplete pass, Goff picked up ten yards to the 19. Blackford took a 16 yard catch and run to the three, and Goff was in the end zone next play. Cody Cline ran in the extra points to make it 42-0 with 7:39 left in the half.
DeKalb tried to follow Albany’s lead when they totally changed up what they were doing; they put Brett Henderson at quarterback and moved Drake Miller to wide receiver and went to a spread formation. Nothing mattered at first; after initial success, a holding penalty wiped out a first down run, and consecutive bad snaps gave North/West the short field at the Tiger 10. The Muskets tried some trickery as they lined up Michael Goff at quarterback instead of Karson Oberhauser and it backfired, as Goff was tackled at the 20. It didn’t matter, as Aydan Blackford’s catch and run went to the house with 4:51 left to make it 48-0.
Finally, DeKalb got untracked and got a seven yard catch and run from Henderson to Miller and then a long pass from Henderson to Harrison Lofland that went for 48 yards to the Musket 13. A ten yard pass to Lofland overcame a sack, and a defensive holding set up fourth and inches. Miller pulled off a sneak to convert it to the two, and two plays later, Miller was in the end zone with 28 seconds left to make it 48-8 after Lofland’s extra point pass.
But just as it looked like DeKalb would follow Albany’s lead when the Warriors switched quarterbacks and formations in the middle of their game and rallied before falling 56-54 to Worth County, North/West Nodaway answered the bell. DeKalb tried an onsides kick, but it fooled nobody as Michael Goff alertly scooped it up and took it to the house to make it 54-8, and DeKalb only had two desperation passes at the end.
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