Northmor dominates Bulldogs in power battle, 24-7
In a battle of KMAC power teams, the Northmor Golden Knights remained undefeated at 7-0 (4-0 KMAC) with a 24-7 victory over the visiting East Knox Bulldogs, 5-2 (2-1 KMAC).
Northmor started the scoring on a 13-yard run by fullback Max Lower with 4:01 left in the first quarter.
Bulldog quarterback Peyton Lester tied it up on a 41-yard strike to wide receiver Shane Knepp with 1:02 left in the half.
The second half was all Northmor, who scored 17 unanswered points. Golden Knights QB Marcus Cortez gave Northmor the lead for good with a 41-yard sprint to pay dirt on its first possession. Lower went in on the two-point conversion attempt to put The Golden Knights up 15-7.
Northmor’s defense put up the next two points when Lester’s pass to Carson Steinmetz resulted in a 9-yard loss for a safety with 4:27 left in the third.
Northmor capped the scoring on a Lower plunge from the 1-yard line seconds into the fourth. Caleb Schnuerer kicked his second successful PAT to run the score to 24-7.
Northmor finished with 295 yards on 55 plays to East Knox’s 194 yards on 44 snaps. The Golden Knights converted 7 of 14 third down attempts into first downs, compared to 1 of 11 for the Bulldogs.
For the winners, Cortez completed 3 of 8 passes for 35 yards and gained 116 yards on the ground on 15 carries. Lower led Northmor in rushing with 138 yards on 28 attempts.
In a losing effort, Lester was 8 for 14 through the air for 121 yards, with 23 yards rushing on 11 carries, and running back Cole Delaughder picked up 35 yards on five carries.
LeMaster leads Centerburg to 49-14 trouncing of Mt. Gilead
Sophomore running back-middle linebacker Caylan LeMaster scored four times and took control of the game early as the Centerburg Trojans improved to 4-2 (2-2 KMAC) with a convincing 49-14 victory over the visiting Mount Gilead Indians, 2-5 (0-4 KMAC).
LeMaster scored twice in the first 6 1/2 minutes for the host Trojans, and Centerburg never looked back. LeMaster ran home from 32 yards out less than four minutes in, and three minutes later, he broke through on a 64-yard scamper to put Centerburg up 14-0.
Junior running back Garrett George put the Indians on the scoreboard three minutes into the second quarter on a 6-yard run, but the Trojans added two more scores before halftime to go up 28-7. First, Centerburg QB Jack Gregory threw a 19-yarder to LeMaster for a score, and on the ensuing kick-off by Dominic Vargo to the 10-yard line, George fumbled on a hit by Alex Johnson. The loose ball was picked up by LeMaster for another score.
The second half saw three TD passes from Gregory for the Trojans – to Hunter Parker for 50 yards, Evan Merklin for 20 yards and Jarred Rings for 62 – sandwiched around a 2-yard run by George for the Indians.
Centerburg outgained Mount Gilead 467 yards to 229, and the Indians turned the ball over four times to once for the Trojans. First downs were even at 18-18, but Centerburg converted 4 of 9 on third down to 3 of 14 attempts for Mount Gilead.
Gregory had a huge game for the Trojans, completing 18 of 30 for 316 yards and 4 TDs.
LeMaster gained 123 yards with 2 TDs on the ground on 11 carries and caught 2 passes for 21 yards and a touchdown. Jarred Rings caught 4 passes for 103 yards and a TD to lead the receiving core. To round out the offense, LeMaster returned two kickoffs for 61 yards.
On defense for the Trojans, Tanner Hott had 6 solo tackles and 2 assists, while Merklin and Rings each had 4 solos – Merklin also had 4 assisted stops and Rings had 3. Tyler Johnson made 5 single stops. LeMaster made his presence felt on defense with 4 assisted tackles and the fumble-recovery score.
Karter Kennon completed 13 of 25 passes for 90 yards for the Indians, and George gained 44 yards on 13 attempts rushing.
