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North 49 Bosse 23 - Central Stadium Aug. 18, 2006

Game Stats    Game Recap   

Offense

                                    Offensive-Line Grades 

               Trapp              Boreman         Hawkins          Price                Turner             Lewis

                 67%                  69%                91%            83%                   84%               90%

Defense

Game Recap

Displaying an explosive offense and a powerhouse defensive line, North hammered rival Bosse 49-23.  Scoring on each of their first three possessions, the Huskies were up 21-0 before the Bulldogs knew what had hit them.

With the opening night offensive line of center Scott Price, guards Matt Hawkins and Jordan Lewis, and tackles Justin Turner and Daniel Borman, Husky running backs had open spaces to run in.  QB Dion Pendleton and RB's Larry Merriweather and Damien Odom ran the ball nearly 50 yards on the opening possession.  When Pendleton first hit WR Ryan Parkman with a pass to the nine and then hit TE James Trapp with a 9 yard scoring toss, the balance that the offense would display all night long was complete.

On the defensive side of the ball, tackles Hawkins and Lewis dominated the first half.  Lewis batted down two Bulldog passes at the line of scrimmage and Hawkins added another.  The Bosse ground game was stymied much of the night and only a blown coverage allowed Bosse a chance to score in the first quarter.

When the Huskies' second possession appeared to be on the verge of stalling at the Bosse 18, Pendleton slipped the grasp of two defenders behind the line of scrimmage and broke around the left end to make it 13-0.

Following a turnover, Bosse appeared to be on the verge of scoring with 1st and ten inside the North 20.  However on fourth and goal, Parkman executed a perfectly timed leap and knocked the ball away from a taller Bulldog receiver.

Once North regained the ball, the 5'7" Parkman then duplicated his leaping effort by timing a reception over the outstretched arms of a defender and flew 59 yards for a score.

When the defense once again stalled a Bulldog possession inside the 20 following a Husky fumble, Bosse was forced to settle for a field goal.  During the stand, DE Quintez Todd contributed a tackle for a loss and LB Clinton Brown penetrated into the backfield to force a Bosse runner wide allowing S Steven Jackson to make a brilliant open field tackle. .

Leading 21-10 at half, it was the Huskies first possession of the third period that established the tone of the remainder of the game.  Taking possession on their own 45 yard line, North handed the ball six consecutive times to their work horse running back Larry Merriweather.  With the line providing corridors to run in, Merriweather's exceptionally quick feet allowed him to step over and around falling bodies and pick up all 55 yards without ever having to run outside the tackles.  Number 24's blend of power and speed allowed him to finish off every run with a surge forward for extra yards.  His one yard plunge for the fourth score was more than enough cushion for the game's remaining 1 1/2 quarters.

With the Bulldogs running a no-huddle offense throughout the night, the shallow Bosse club began to run out of steam.  The Huskies overcame a series of cramps to key players by utilizing it's superior depth and bench talent.  LB's George Quarles, Greg Hopkinson, and Travis Carlisle came off the bench to supply a series of big hits down the stretch--at one point Quarles caused a fumble which led to a 39 yard touchdown run by Hawkins.  When Parkman left the game, sophomore Darrion Fletcher stepped in and contributed going both ways.  When Turner suffered from the heat, DT Markie Johnson provided exceptional run defense in the middle of the line.

Perhaps the night's two most thrilling plays were provided by a pair of seniors--WR/DB Brandon Stewart and Matt Hawkins.  Stewart, one of four Husky team captains,  fielded a punt on his own 30, avoided two tacklers, reversed his field and then eluded three more grasping Bulldogs en route to a 70 yard TD.  There was a noticeable groan from the stands when the play was recalled due to a roughing the kicker penalty.  Stewart later added more excitement when he broke open and hauled in Pendletons' 25 yard scoring toss--Dion's third TD pass of the night.

As exciting as Stewart's return was, the night's biggest surprise was the rumbling 39 yard jaunt made by senior captain Hawkins when he picked up a loose ball and rambled down field.  With Lewis providing escort, the 6'3" 285 lb lineman did his best imitation of a Heisman trophy running back and tasted the end zone for the first time in his varsity career.

Also notable during the evening was the strength of the Husky kicking game.  Sophomore Mitch Parker was perfect on all seven extra point attempts and fellow sophomore Kyle Horstman delivered booming kickoffs that routinely landed inside the Bosse 10 yard line.

The strength of both lines, the blazing foot speed of the backs, and the excellent hands of the receivers were all on display Friday night.  With Bosse tiring in the fourth quarter from their ill-advised no-huddle decision, Coach Wilson emptied the benches and received excellent minutes from most players.  Young QB Cameron Whitier executed a flawless series of handoffs and Travis Carlisle picked up over 30 yards in the fourth quarter carrying the ball behind the second team offensive line.

Traveling to Henderson next Friday night, the Huskies appear to have a deep team with a lot of the tools that should begin to raise expectations if not fears throughout the city.

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