NLC - 2021

[Bobref]

2 hours ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Great to see Justin Fisher back in uniform and look like the stud he is in that Mishawaka offense. I mentioned it earlier, I have no doubt the Warsaw and Concord games would have ended differently if he played in those games, and I hope he stays healthy for the remainder of the seasons to have a shot at a tournament run.

I was very impressed with Mishawaka’s offensive line. They absolutely took Northwood to the woodshed.

[NRRaider2001]

Lippert Components sponsored tomorrow nights student sections for both schools tomorrow night at Concord. Both schools students will get in free thanks to their contribution. 

[NRRaider2001]

On 10/1/2021 at 11:36 AM, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Side note - the Warsaw Freshman team beat Jimtown last night to move to 7-0 on their season. The schedule is a little different than the Varsity team's due to some schools not having Freshman squads. Here are the teams they have defeated:

Fairfield, Michigan City, Penn, Mishawaka Marian, Mishawaka, Northridge, and Jimtown.

Anyone else know how their Freshman teams are doing outside of Plymouth and Goshen who apparently do not have teams this year. Does Wawasee have a freshman squad? I know they do not have a JV team this year.

Warsaw Freshman were very impressive and took it to us a couple of weeks ago.  We have had an up and down season with injuries much like our varsity has dealt with this year, but beat Angola tonight 38 to 6 to go to 3-4 on the season with Concord still to come.   We replaced a couple of schools that didn't have freshmen teams this year with some tough competition, including a few JV/C teams including Mishawaka Marian,  Angola, Fairfield, etc...

[NLCTigerFan07]

Yeah an interesting Freshman schedule for sure @NRRaider2001 this year. Warsaw's team beat Wawasee 28-0 last night to move to 8-0 on the season. I know it is hard to truly predict future success, but both middle schools and the Freshman teams are having solid seasons and all levels of Tiger football are running "Bart Ball" and have been for 4 years now. Really excited to see the potential of what "could be" the next 5 years or so.

[NLCTigerFan07]

Went 4-0 with my picks last week, 27-7 on the season. Honestly it's been rather easy this year though. There are a clear top 3 teams that make it pretty easy to select most weeks. This week though... could be a bit more difficult. Here are my Week 8 uneducated guesses:

Goshen (2-5, 0-5) at Plymouth (0-7, 0-5): Someone picks up their first NLC victory tonight, and I feel it is safe to say it will be the team that already has wins in their record. Both teams have struggled to score points in conference play, but the RedHawks have played a much more difficult schedule. They should pick up a win for the first time since August. The Pilgrims are bad bad. Goshen by 14

Mishawaka (5-2, 3-2) at Wawasee (1-6, 1-4): The Warriors got a healthy does of Bart Ball last week against Warsaw and will feel the same pain once again tonight. Justin Fisher and company looked REALLY good against NorthWood and should have a nice tuneup as they get ready for the competitive 5A Sectional 10 in a few weeks. Mishawaka by 35

Northridge (5-2, 3-2) at Concord (6-1, 5-0): The Raiders got back into the win column last week, but are they really "back"? Tonight will be as good a chance as ever to show they should be taken seriously in 4A Sectional 19. However, the Minutemen are cruising right now after thumping Plymouth last week. Coach Koehler will have his squad focused on winning this week before having the chance to host a conference championship game next week. Concord by 17

NorthWood (4-3, 3-2) at Warsaw (6-1, 5-0): Twice in 3 years since Bart Ball has been in Warsaw, the Panthers have eeked out victories by 1 point over the Tigers. Obviously Coach Andrews and crew are able to put a good defensive game plan together against this style of offense, but last week they had no answer for Mishawaka. Will the extra week of preparation help NorthWood? It certainly can't hurt. Coach Curtis has to keep the Tigers focused on this one so they do not trip up before a trip to Concord next week for the conference championship. Warsaw by 12

[NLCTigerFan07]

Teams ranked/receiving votes in polls after Week 8:

6A: 
Warsaw (Ranked - 9th AP / RV - 12th Coaches)

5A:
Concord (Ranked - 7th AP / Ranked - 7th Coaches)
Mishawaka (Ranked - 8th AP / Ranked - 8th Coaches)

[NRRaider2001]

19 hours ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Teams ranked/receiving votes in polls after Week 8:

6A: 
Warsaw (Ranked - 9th AP / RV - 12th Coaches)

5A:
Concord (Ranked - 7th AP / Ranked - 7th Coaches)
Mishawaka (Ranked - 8th AP / Ranked - 8th Coaches)

If I weren't headed to Mishawaka tomorrow night, I'd definitely head down to Jake Field, should be an awesome NLC atmosphere!  I'll be rooting for everyone in the NLC to stay healthy and make deep runs in the tournament (except Northwood, I hope they lose next week of course).

[NLCTigerFan07]

2 hours ago, NRRaider2001 said:

If I weren't headed to Mishawaka tomorrow night, I'd definitely head down to Jake Field, should be an awesome NLC atmosphere!  I'll be rooting for everyone in the NLC to stay healthy and make deep runs in the tournament (except Northwood, I hope they lose next week of course).

Yeah I am making the trip from Ohio over to Dunlap for the game tomorrow night. I was at first game of the season against Dublin Coffman and will be at the last regular season game. Then in 3 weeks (ridiculous) I'll be in Fort Wayne either at Carroll or Homestead for the Sectional Championship.

[NLCTigerFan07]

Work has been super busy for me this week unfortuantely. Haven't been able to write up much. Another 4-0 last week, moving to 31-7 on my picks. A quick rundown for this week:

Warsaw (7-1, 6-0) at Concord (7-1, 6-0): Conference Championship in Dunlap this week. I'll be making the treck from Ohio. Chuck Freeby and crew will be onsite for the Channel 46 GOTW. After seeing NorthWood carve up the Tigers through the air, I am not confident. Warsaw better hope it rains hard all night... Concord by 10

Northridge (5-3, 3-3) at Mishawaka (6-2, 4-2): Better team and home team wins this game... Mishawaka by 21

Plymouth (0-8, 0-6) at NorthWood (4-4, 3-3): Not much to say here either. Can't believe the Pilgrams are going to end up winless. Never thought I'd see that, at least not with Coach Barron on the sideline. Not that he is to blame, things look rough in Plymouth... NorthWood by 28

Wawasee (1-7, 1-5) at Goshen (3-5, 1-5): The RedHawks got back in the win column last week and their first NLC victory in years. They should add another one tonight... Goshen by 14

[NLCTigerFan07]

Well I went 35-7 on my picks during the regular season. Took the week off last week following the Tigers loss and the fact that they did not play this week (nor will they play this week, thanks IHSAA).

Impressed that the Raiders were able to get revenge on NorthWood. About a month ago the Panthers took it to Northridge at home, beating them 42-8, only to lose on Friday night 28-7 in Nappanee. They certainly have a chance to win again this week against a solid Columbia City team.

No surprise that Goshen, Wawasee, and Plymouth's seasons are finished. Can't believe I have seen an 0-10 season from the Rockies in my lifetime. If I didn't hate Plymouth so much, I'd almost feel bad for them.

Really excited for the Mishawaka vs Concord rematch. Should be a great game and saw that it was picked for the Channel 46 GOTW. Will be interesting to see if the Cavemen can change the outcome with Justin Fisher behind center this time around.

[NRRaider2001]

On 10/25/2021 at 10:37 AM, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Well I went 35-7 on my picks during the regular season. Took the week off last week following the Tigers loss and the fact that they did not play this week (nor will they play this week, thanks IHSAA).

Impressed that the Raiders were able to get revenge on NorthWood. About a month ago the Panthers took it to Northridge at home, beating them 42-8, only to lose on Friday night 28-7 in Nappanee. They certainly have a chance to win again this week against a solid Columbia City team.

No surprise that Goshen, Wawasee, and Plymouth's seasons are finished. Can't believe I have seen an 0-10 season from the Rockies in my lifetime. If I didn't hate Plymouth so much, I'd almost feel bad for them.

Really excited for the Mishawaka vs Concord rematch. Should be a great game and saw that it was picked for the Channel 46 GOTW. Will be interesting to see if the Cavemen can change the outcome with Justin Fisher behind center this time around.

I'm thinking the Cavemen avenge their earlier loss, but man Concord has been pretty impressive too!

Always a good Friday night when we leave Nappanee with a convincing win, hope it carries over this Friday.

Pulling for the remaining NLCers from here on out, and I think there's a good chance of at least 2 of us advancing to regionals or farther. 

[Bobref]

1 hour ago, NRRaider2001 said:

Always a good Friday night when we leave Nappanee with a convincing win, hope it carries over this Friday.

I was there Friday night, and came away impressed with the Raiders.

[Johnsnow]

I think Mishawaka finds a way over Concord.  Mishawaka pass defense is very solid and they beg you to throw it deep into soft coverage.  Not sure how Concord can move the ball against them without the long ball.  Fisher is the difference as they are very hard to stop with him.  Ill pick the winner to beat City, then Valpo and Zionsville to get to LOS.

[Prospect]

3 hours ago, NRRaider2001 said:

Always a good Friday night when we leave Nappanee with a convincing win, hope it carries over this Friday.

I have to be honest I was shocked when I saw the score. Did Northridge get some of their players back from injury?

I 100% see them beating Columbia City, they just have to slow down Bolt.

[Bobref]

32 minutes ago, Prospect said:

I have to be honest I was shocked when I saw the score. Did Northridge get some of their players back from injury?

I 100% see them beating Columbia City, they just have to slow down Bolt.

They were clearly the more physical team. And I was mightily impressed by their QB and two very sure-handed receivers.

[NRRaider2001]

3 hours ago, Prospect said:

I have to be honest I was shocked when I saw the score. Did Northridge get some of their players back from injury?

I 100% see them beating Columbia City, they just have to slow down Bolt.

We got back our top CB, albeit with a cast on his arm (still got a pick).  But we're still really feeling the injury bug, with multiple key players out for the year including qb1/ safety/LB and arguably rb1/rb1a/LB.  Our starting stud LT just got his cast off his arm also.

The kid playing qb for us Friday night was Tagg Gott, he's a baller for sure (2 ways).  He's our other rb1/rb1a guy converted to qb, which he hasn't played since Freshman year (junior now).  He went for 362 total yards, 4 total touchdowns against Northwood. 

Northwood dealt with a little adversity as well and was missing a key player for an undisclosed reason on Friday. 

I like our chances against a tough CC team, I believe this is where our conference schedule with Mishawaka, Concord, Warsaw, and Northwood really helps prepare us for the post season. 

Attached is a picture of our seniors whose seasons were cut short due to injury.  (Photo credit Russ Draper)

[Prospect]

15 hours ago, Bobref said:

They were clearly the more physical team. And I was mightily impressed by their QB and two very sure-handed receivers.

Something I am not used to hearing when it comes to facing Northwood. This is a great sign for Northridge.

 

12 hours ago, NRRaider2001 said:

We got back our top CB, albeit with a cast on his arm (still got a pick).  But we're still really feeling the injury bug, with multiple key players out for the year including qb1/ safety/LB and arguably rb1/rb1a/LB.  Our starting stud LT just got his cast off his arm also.

The kid playing qb for us Friday night was Tagg Gott, he's a baller for sure (2 ways).  He's our other rb1/rb1a guy converted to qb, which he hasn't played since Freshman year (junior now).  He went for 362 total yards, 4 total touchdowns against Northwood. 

Northwood dealt with a little adversity as well and was missing a key player for an undisclosed reason on Friday. 

I like our chances against a tough CC team, I believe this is where our conference schedule with Mishawaka, Concord, Warsaw, and Northwood really helps prepare us for the post season. 

Attached is a picture of our seniors whose seasons were cut short due to injury.  (Photo credit Russ Draper)

Well after hearing that Northridge was the more physical team against an always tough Northwood, I really like their chances against CC. Sounds like Coach Eppley is doing an outstanding job especially avenging a 42-8 loss to Northwood earlier in the season. 

[NRRaider2001]

Northridge by 15

Mishawaka by 3

[Crusty]

Mishawaka played very well with Justin Fisher under center getting some revenge 35-7.

[NRRaider2001]

Northridge had it wrapped up 35 to 6 in the 4th when they put the JV in, ended up 35 to 21 final.  Next week hosting Leo will be a challenge to say the least.

[NLCTigerFan07]

Going to be a tall task this week for our remaining NLC teams.

*The Raiders have had a nice run, but I think Leo ends up being the 4A North representative in Indy Thanksgiving weekend.

*Mishawaka has the benefit of playing at home against a rolling Michigan City squad. Hopefully the Cavemen can watch the Warsaw game film from earlier in the season and see what NOT to do against the Wolves.

*Warsaw will play for the first time in 21 days on Friday night. I'm sure Carroll has revenge on their mind after losing to the Tigers last year. I am not overly confident with the Warsaw pass defense, and Becker is a STUD.

Not being negative, just a realist, but the NLC season could come to a close this weekend. I think Mishawaka has the best chance to capture a sectional title, while both Northridge and Warsaw will need near perfect games to pull out victories.

[BackerFan99]

23 hours ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Going to be a tall task this week for our remaining NLC teams.

*The Raiders have had a nice run, but I think Leo ends up being the 4A North representative in Indy Thanksgiving weekend.

*Mishawaka has the benefit of playing at home against a rolling Michigan City squad. Hopefully the Cavemen can watch the Warsaw game film from earlier in the season and see what NOT to do against the Wolves.

*Warsaw will play for the first time in 21 days on Friday night. I'm sure Carroll has revenge on their mind after losing to the Tigers last year. I am not overly confident with the Warsaw pass defense, and Becker is a STUD.

Not being negative, just a realist, but the NLC season could come to a close this weekend. I think Mishawaka has the best chance to capture a sectional title, while both Northridge and Warsaw will need near perfect games to pull out victories.

Good work - agree across the board; agree that Mishawaka has the best chance.   

The one big thing I see these Warsaw and Mishawaka an advantage in is the ball control rushing attacks that could keep the clock rolling and shorting the game. Big key is whether or not they can get out to an early lead. If they can, I do like their chances a little better. 

Anxious to see how the Northridge game unfolds - was a great game last year, one that the Raiders probably should have won.

[NRRaider2001]

From Austin Hough of The Goshen News

 

MIDDLEBURY — A year ago, Tagg Gott was a sophomore at Schoolcraft High School in Michigan, playing as a running back and linebacker on the school’s football team.

Fast forward to today, and Gott is now leading the Northridge Raiders at quarterback into the IHSAA Class 4A Sectional 19 championship game this Friday against No. 2 Leo.

What makes the journey for Gott almost more improbable is the fact he didn’t start at quarterback for the Raiders until the final weekend of the regular season. He’s only played at the position for three full games, but he has sparked his team to two sectional victories the last two weeks and a chance to host the undefeated Lions Friday night in Middlebury.

 

“I was kind of scared at first, but once I got the reps through the week and stuff, I kind of settled in to it,” said Gott of transitioning to quarterback. “I talked to my dad (Chip) about it, and I just had to go out there and play my game. … We were just talking and he said, ‘You’ve just got to go out there and play football.’”

Gott said he played some quarterback his freshman year at Schoolcraft, but moved into a running back/linebacker role his sophomore year. That’s the positions Gott played this season as well before the injury bug bit Northridge.

Senior Micah Hochstetler was the starting quarterback for the Raiders to begin the season, getting off to a sensational start. Northridge was 3-0 through three weeks, with double-digit wins over South Bend Adams, South Bend St. Joseph and Wawasee.

They were cruising in their week four game against Plymouth as well before Hochstetler’s season was cut abruptly short. An ankle injury sidelined the star player after three-and-a-half games, and surgery was chosen for the senior. While the Raiders went on to beat the Rockies and improve to 4-0, Hochstetler's year was done with 351 passing yards and seven touchdown passes to go along with 140 rushing yards and two rushing scores.

“He wants to play some sort of sport in college, and if he would’ve kept going on the injury, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything in the future," said Northridge coach Chad Eppley on Sept. 17 following a 36-3 loss to Warsaw in week five.

Not only did Hochstetler get injured against Plymouth, but in the lead-up to the game against Warsaw, backup quarterback Qade Carrington was sidelined as part of COVID-19 contact tracing. This meant third-string QB Conner Roth was put in the signal caller position, limiting what Northridge could do on offense at the time.

To make matters worse, Carrington was still out in week six when Northridge face off with NorthWood. During that game against the Panthers, Roth was injured, meaning there were no true quarterbacks available on the roster for the Raiders. Given Gott played the position as freshman at Schoolcraft, he was thrust into the role as an emergency option. NorthWood beat up on Northridge, 42-8, that night to send the Raiders to a 3-2 record.

Carrington returned in week seven against Goshen and led Northridge to a win, but then struggled in week eight against Concord. The junior went 4-of-12 passing for 47 yards and an interception in a 40-7 loss to the Minutemen in Dunlap. Gott actually threw five passes in the game as well, completing one for a 57-yard touchdown to senior Clint Walker that would prove to be the only points for Northridge in the contest.

With his team sitting a 5-3 and no chance at winning the Northern Lakes Conference going into the regular season finale against Mishawaka, Eppley decided to try Gott out at quarterback full-time to see what they had with him at that position.

 

“Once Micah went down, we repped him more at quarterback a little bit just to make sure we had a backup,” Eppley said. “He was doing a good job, and really, we just wanted to put the ball in a playmaker’s hands.”

After a full week of practice at the position, Gott started against the highly-touted Cavemen. Northridge would lose the game 58-14, but Gott put up solid numbers in his performance. He went 8-of-15 passing for 129 yards, a touchdown pass and an interception. He also ran the ball four times for 20 yards.

“I felt like I played well in the first half,” said Gott of the Mishawaka game. “It was a close game in the first half, and then we kind of came out (in the second half) and things didn’t go quite the way we wanted.”

The first week of the playoffs brought a rematch for Northridge against NorthWood, the game where Gott had to play quarterback in an emergency. That was not the case this time around, as the junior had a full week to prepare for the Panthers’ defense.

That preparation paid off, as Gott had the best performance of any Northridge quarterback so far this season. He threw for 260 yards and a touchdown, then added 27 carries for 87 yards and three rushing scores to lead the Raiders to a 28-7 win over the Panthers. It was a 55-point turnaround from the regular season matchup between the teams just four weeks prior.

“I was way more comfortable,” said Gott of the second NorthWood game. “That Mishawaka game really prepared me, and like I said, that full week of practice just made me comfortable out there. I was playing football and having fun.”

Gott continued that high level of play in the sectional semifinal win over Columbia City last week. He passed for 149 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 114 yards and three scores to lead the Raiders to a 35-21 victory over the Eagles.

For the season, Gott is 40-of-78 passing for 695 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, he has 156 carries for 801 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.

“I just don’t overthink it,” Gott said. “I try not to overthink it and I just go out there and have fun; play football, really.”

Gott and the Raiders will face their biggest challenge this Friday when they play No. 2 Leo. The Lions have only allowed 13.2 points per game this season and have an average margin of victory of 29 points. Northridge was the underdogs two weeks ago against NorthWood as well, so this is a position Gott and the Raiders are comfortable being in.

“I kind of look at it like the NorthWood game,” said Gott of this week’s game. “Everyone had us losing, and we just went out there and played football. I’m kind of treating it the same way: I’m going out there, playing football and having fun. I’m going to go out there Friday and do my best to help this team win.”

[NLCTigerFan07]

Great article! Thanks for sharing @NRRaider2001

[NRRaider2001]

9 minutes ago, NLCTigerFan07 said:

Great article! Thanks for sharing @NRRaider2001

Great kid and player, his older brother was a baller for us too, before finishing his hs career back at Schoolcraft. 

Also as a side note, I was disappointed to learn that Ink Free News will no longer be having a sports section, they were a big source of my Warsaw news for all sports.