NorthWood football can't keep up in IHSAA 4A state finals loss to East Central

INDIANAPOLIS — In a game where NorthWood needed to be perfect to have a chance, it made too many mistakes in a 42-14 loss to East Central in the IHSAA Class 4A state championship game Saturday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Panthers (12-3) were aggressive twice in the second quarter, with both times it backfiring for NorthWood. After tying the game at seven on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Owen Roeder to NiTareon Tuggle, NorthWood went for an onside kick. The Trojans weren’t fooled, though, falling on it immediately.

Three plays later, Ryan Brotherton tip-toed down the sidelines 30 yards for a touchdown, giving East Central a lead it would never relinquish.

On NorthWood’s next drive, the Panthers reached midfield before stalling out. Facing a 4th-and-6, NorthWood decided to go for it. Roeder’s ensuing pass was intercepted by Brayden Rouse, with the return being brought back to midfield after a penalty.

That didn’t prevent the Trojans from scoring however, as a seven-play, 51-yard yard drive ended in a 12-yard rushing score by Josh Ringer. The 21-7 margin would be the score at halftime.

More: IHSAA football state finals 2023: Scores, highlights, live updates, how to watch

“I don’t feel like we had to do that, but I feel like in a state championship game, you cannot play defensive. You have to play offensive,” said NorthWood coach Nate Andrews of the aggressive play calling. “I feel like there’s no doubt about that, especially when you’re playing one of the best ever. Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, right?

“Because we didn’t execute them, it seems like, ‘Why are you rolling the dice like that?’ In these games for championships, you have to give yourself a chance and you can’t just sit back and play defense.”

East Central’s seemingly unstoppable running game was on full display to start the second half. The Trojans marched 64 yards on 12 plays — all on runs — ending with a Ringer score from four yards out. The drive took more than six minutes off the clock.

The fatal blow in NorthWood’s comeback attempt came on the ensuing drive. The Panthers moved the ball down the field, ultimately reaching a goal-to-go situation. East Central’s defense would force it to fourth down from the three-yard line.

After a timeout, NorthWood looked ready to cut into the deficit. The snap went over the head of Roeder, though, and the senior quarterback had to scramble to retrieve the loose ball. He eventually did, heaving it toward the end zone where it was intercepted by the Trojans’ Carson Pieczonka.

East Central would add two more touchdowns in the fourth, one on a pick-six from Moses Wheat and another on a scoring run from Ringer. It brought an end to a stellar season for Ringer, rushing 34 times for 251 yards and three touchdowns Saturday. He finished the year with 2,880 rushing yards and 60 total touchdowns.

A Tuggle touchdown reception in the final minute ended the scoring.

The 28-point margin was the closet any Indiana team played East Central this season. It won by an average of 44 points on its way to a 15-0 season.

“They run three different offenses, and you saw all of them (Saturday),” Andrews said. “It’s three different offenses, not just a series of plays, between their pro style, their wing-t and their spread. … They had to go to some of those misdirection plays, and unfortunately, we were pursuing them so hard that they caught us.”

Roeder finished with 228 passing yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. Tuggle was the leading receiver with 162 yards and two scores, while Keith Miller led the Panther defense with 15 tackles.

“No moral victories, obviously, on the scoreboard, but our kids have been through a lot,” Andrews said. “We’ve made our community proud. We all wish we could’ve won the game on the biggest stage when it counted the most, and unfortunately there’s only one winner. We played really, really hard and coached really, really hard, and it didn’t go our way.”

IHSAA Class 4A football state championship game

East Central 42, NorthWood 14

NorthWood | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 — 14

East Central | 0 | 21 | 7 | 14 — 42

SCORING PLAYS

FIRST QUARTER

No scoring plays

SECOND QUARTER

EC: Cole Burton 4-yard run at 6:59 (Nathan McFee kick)

NW: NiTareon Tuggle 65 yard catch from Owen Roeder at 6:39 (Dominic De Freitas kick)

EC: Ryan Brotherton run at 5:34 (McFee kick)

EC: Josh Ringer 12-yard run at 0:42 (McFee kick)

THIRD QUARTER

EC: Ringer 4-yard run at 5:56 (McFee kick)

FOURTH QUARTER

EC: Moses Wheat 33-yard interception return at 8:46 (McFee kick)

EC: Ringer 25-yard run at 4:40 (McFee kick)

NW: Tuggle 11-yard pass from Roeder at 0:35 (Dr Freitas kick)

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: NorthWood football can't keep up in IHSAA 4A state finals loss to East Central