Cortez runs the show as undefeated Northmor crushes Mt. Gilead, 49-16
Northmor’s Marcus Cortez led the Golden Knights to scores early and often, directing his team to a 42-0 lead in the first half, and the Galion school cruised to a 49-16 shellacking of the host Mount Gilead Indians (2-6, 0-5 KMAC) to remain undefeated at 8-0 (5-0 KMAC).
Cortez was a perfect 7-for-7 passing for 120 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 155 yards and two TDs on the ground. The 5-foot-10-inch senior was good for five scores in the first 16:15 of the game, beginning with a 38-yard run to pay dirt less than three minutes in. Five minutes later, Cortez passed 14 yards to Andrew Armrose, and four minutes later, Cortez scored on the ground from 28 yards out to make it 21-0 with 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Second verse, same as the first. Within the first two minutes of quarter No. 2, Cortez found Armrose again, for a 21-yard score. With 7:45 left in the half, Cortez completed a 45-yard TD pass to Griffin Workman, and fullback Max Lower bolted on a long 62-yard sprint to make it 42-0 ’Knights.
With 49 seconds left before halftime, the Indians hit the scoreboard on a 4-yard TD run by sophomore running back Kyan Davis to make it 42-7.
The third quarter was quiet until the Cortez and Armrose show struck again for a 22-yard pass play. Caleb Schnuerer converted his seventh consecutive PAT to make it 49-7.
Indians junior running back Garrett George ran one in from 2 yards out with 7:10 left in the game, and Mount Gilead added a safety with five minutes left to turn the final score to 49-16.
Northmor outgained Mount Gilead 419 yards to 212 and held the Indians to 1 yard passing. Complementing Cortez’ 155 yards rushing, Lower gained 145 on the ground for Northmor, while George gained 99 yards rushing and Davis 76 for the Indians.
East Knox overwhelms Freddies with 49-8 thrashing
In another blast out, East Knox took a 42-point lead at halftime and breezed to a 49-8 thumping of Fredericktown.
In a scoring display led by quarterback Peyton Lester and running back Cole Delaughder, en route to 419 total team yards, and a suffocating defense that held the Freddies to 132 yards in total offense – only 19 yards in the air – the Bulldogs improved to 6-2 (3-1 KMAC) as they fully dominated Fredericktown (3-5 and 1-4 KMAC) until the final four minutes of the game.
The Bulldogs started the spree 3 1/2 minutes in, on a 36-yard strike from Lester to Shane Knepp. That score held until Delaughder scored his first of three TDs on a 12-yard burst with 1:54 left in the first.
Just over a minute into the second quarter, Lester found Carson Steinmetz for a 29-yard score, and three minutes later, Lester completed his third TD pass on a strike to Knepp from 36 yards out.
Lester’s fourth bomb was a 64-yard loft to Dillon Moreland with 4:29 left in the half, and Delaughder closed the first-half scoring barrage with a 65-yard cut-and-sprint TD with 2:44 left to make it 42-0 ’Dogs.
The third quarter saw one score … Delaughder again, on a 1-yard plunge. Will Jensen converted his seventh straight PAT, and it was 49-0.
The Freddies avoided the shutout when Bill Woodring took one home from 39 yards with 4:26 left, followed by a 2-pount conversion run by Trevor Bellman.
The Bulldogs’ top offensive performers were Lester, who was 9-for-12 in the air for 203 yards and four TDs, and Delaughder, with 14 carries for 148 yards and three scores. Steinmetz caught five passes for 67 yards, and Knepp caught two for 72 yards. On defense, Blake Elliot, Blake Bonham, Dustin Springer, Jacob Neighbarger, Bracen Davis, Josh Keith and Steinmetz were each in on at least three tackles.
For the Freddies, Goodring carried four times for 84 yards and a TD, Kaid Carpenter completed 5 of 14 for 19 yards and returned five kickoffs for 68 yards. On defense, Trevor Jobes had five solo tackles, and Trevor Bellman had four solos and two assists.
