No. 2 Portland ends Niles’ Cinderella football season with 21-14 regional victory

NILES – Tears of respect flowed from Portland junior quarterback Dominic Novara’s eyes Friday night at Viking Stadium.

The son of Raiders head coach John Novara, whose 44-yard bootleg touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the difference in his team’s 21-14 Division 4-Regional 2 victory, was showing his ultimate admiration for the team No. 2 Portland had just survived, coach Scot Shaw’s No. 6 Niles Vikings.

“That’s the best team we played all year,” sniffled Dominic Novara, whose 16-yard touchdown pass to Evan Gross in the second quarter erased a Niles’ 7-0 lead. “They never quit. They never quit.”

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His tears, of course, weren’t the only ones falling on Viking Stadium’s artificial surface. The others belonged to Shaw’s almost fairy-tale Vikings, who completed their best season ever at 10-2, winning the Wolverine Conference regular-season championship and then the school’s first district title while outscoring their 12 opponents 558-114.

“I just told the seniors they were the bell cow here,” said Shaw, a former Mishawaka High School standout who took Three Rivers to the 2003 Division 4 Michigan state championship and has been successful at almost every stop in his coaching career, including Niles where he has three winning seasons since taking over in 2021.

“They will be remembered for going 1-6 as freshmen to playing for the regional championship as seniors,” Shaw continued. “There are special people in that group. They have led us all three years here, through some not so good times into very good times. They have nothing to be ashamed about.”

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Even against Portland, which will take its 12-0 record into next Saturday’s semifinal against 9-3 Grand Rapids South Christian, the Vikings outgained the Raiders 278 total yards (239 on the ground) to 256.

Despite a big rushing night by Portland senior running back Caden Thelen, who had 31 carries for 170 yards and one touchdown before breaking his collarbone on the next-to-last play of the game, Shaw’s Four Norsemen shined once again.

Senior wingback Julian Means-Flewellen rushed 17 times for 103 yards and one touchdown, junior fullback Paul Hess rushed 19 times for 68 yards for the other score and junior wingback Sam Rucker had 57 yards on seven carries. Senior quarterback Talon Brawley had 11 yards rushing and 39 yards passing completing four of five passes with one interception.

But drive-stopping penalties and two turnovers proved costly for Niles. “We just couldn’t finish,” Means-Flewellen said. “They definitely had a good game plan coming in and definitely shut the Four Norsemen down.”

Niles received the opening kickoff and marched 67 yards to score on Means-Flewellen’s 10-yard touchdown run. After stopping Portland on its first possession, the Vikings seemed headed for a second touchdown until a holding call nullified a 10-yard run by Rucker and the Raiders then stopped Means-Flewellen on a fourth-down run.

Portland used the momentum from that defensive stop to tie the game with a 68-yard touchdown drive which ended with Novara’s touchdown pass to Gross just 1:42 into the second quarter, and the game was tied 7-7 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Thelen took a pitch from Novara at his own 49 around right end, cut back left into the Niles secondary and finally cut back right at the Niles 10 into the end zone to complete a 51-yard scoring run.

Then four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Hess fumbled the ball away at his own 45. On the second play, quarterback Novara faked a handoff to Barrett Brennan and scooted 44 yards untouched to the touchdown that provided a 21-7 lead.

Niles would answer with a 56-yard scoring drive, Hess going the final two yards with 5:47 remaining. But Portland ran out the clock thanks to the efforts of Thelen, who rushed for 30 yards before his injury. Novara took a knee to end the game.

“They are well-coached, and I have a lot of respect for his (Shaw’s) kids,” Portland coach Novara said. “We were fortunate to get out of here with a victory.”

Alas, the Vikings’ fortunes will have to be what they learned in their three seasons under Shaw’s guidance.

“I’ve learned a lot over this journey,” Niles quarterback Brawley said. “Coach taught me a ton of stuff about mental toughness, and what it really takes to be a man. I feel like I’m much more mature from what I’ve learned from coach Shaw.”

That’s a victory all the Niles Vikings can long cherish.

PORTLAND 21, NILES 14

At Viking Stadium, Niles

FIRST QUARTER

N: Julian Means-Flewellen 10-yard rush at 7:37 (Andrew Cutajar kick)

SECOND QUARTER

P: Evan Gross 16-yard pass from Dominic Novara at 10:18 (Aidan Pulling kick)

FOURTH QUARTER

P: Caden Thelen 51-yard rush at 11:22 (Pulling kick)

P: Dominic Novara 44-yard rush at 8:38 (Pulling kick)

N: Paul Hess 2-yard rush at 5:47 (Cutajar kick)

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Niles football falls to No. 2 Portland in MHSAA region final