Northfield falls to Denver South 19-8 In Defensive Battle

On Thursday, the Northfield Nighthawks lost in a low scoring affair to the Denver South Ravens in a game where neither team scored in the second half. It was a game characterized by penalties, turnovers, and long drives with no points. South went up by 11 points in the first half due to one fumble recovery for a touchdown and another returned to the five yard line. For the most part, this game was even but two plays put Northfield in a hole. In the second half, Northfield was able to do whatever they wanted on the ground. They had back to back possessions where they ran the ball down the field to start the second half. However, both times they ended up turning the ball over on downs inside the 10 yard-line. These two long, grueling drives combined with the Ravens doing everything they could to run down the clock on offense meant the second half went by quickly. By the time the Nighthawks started their third possession after half time, there were only about four minutes to go in the game and they were still down 11.

Despite the final score, Northfield played well. They held South's three running backs to just 69 yards on 28 carries, an average of about 2.5 yards per carry. The Northfield defense was also very good against the pass. On the other side of the ball, the Nighthawks would run for over 150 yards as a team. The Nighthawks actually out-gained the Ravens on offense with 212 total yards compared to 129.

Northfield also faced the challenge of finishing this game without having a true quarterback. With junior Trace Debenedictis out for the game, sophomore Cash Lacy got the start, but would exit in the third quarter with an injury. From that point on, the Nighthawks' offense featured a lot of wildcat and mostly run plays for the rest of the game. Running backs Zavius Chineth, Xavier Ward, and Kaeden Williams played key roles in moving the ball up the field with efficiency. The offense showed resilience to keep fighting, and keep the game in reach, even with both of their quarterbacks hurt.

Unfortunately, the Nighthawks did not convert on two of the most important plays of the game and were plagued by penalties. In the third quarter there were several false starts by the Nighthawks offense. While they eventually overcame all of the pre-snap penalties, a roughing the kicker penalty in the fourth quarter derailed Northfield's chance at a comeback, allowing Denver South to run more time off the clock and costing the Nighthawks crucial field position. The Nighthawks final two drives both ended in interceptions and South would win the game by a final score of 19-8 Northfield will look to bounce back next Saturday at home against Thomas Jefferson.