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NLC - 2022


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Congrats to Northridge pulling out the upset yet again this season, but I have to be honest that I'm disappointed NorthWood couldn't get a done. Now a giant "What if?" for the Panthers this year. Would have loved to have seen them at full strength this offseason, and potentially battling New Prairie, Kokomo/Columbia City, and then New Pal/Roncalli. What a heck of a postseason run that could have been.

Best of luck to the Cavemen and Raiders this weekend! Would love to see Northridge pull out another repeat from last year on Friday night

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I think this will be a very long offseason in Nappanee and one that some people are going to have to take a hard look in the mirror going forward. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an anti Nate Andrews post. He’s done a great job of returning Northwood to some prominence that it lost after Skyler Titus graduated. That said, we have also had 3 undefeated regular seasons and NLC championships the past 7 years and yet only 1 sectional championship in ‘16 on the way to a runner-up finish. Now I understand there’s a lot of what ifs surrounding the end of this year. But at the end of the day I still think NWood had the better roster on the field on Friday and it was 17-0 before we looked like we had a clue what was going on. And then what do you know, we outscore them 17-3 before running outta gas at the end.  2 years in a row we lose to a team that we beat by 40 in the season and lost both decisively.  Why are they able to massively improve and we can’t?  In ‘18 we were undefeated and lost to Angola in the sectional as well. What is the reason for so much regular season success with not a lot of post season success? 
 

again I’m not anti Andrews, but there are definitely questions that need addressing going forward because they still have the talent to make a run again next year.

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1 hour ago, PantherPride said:

I think this will be a very long offseason in Nappanee and one that some people are going to have to take a hard look in the mirror going forward. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an anti Nate Andrews post. He’s done a great job of returning Northwood to some prominence that it lost after Skyler Titus graduated. That said, we have also had 3 undefeated regular seasons and NLC championships the past 7 years and yet only 1 sectional championship in ‘16 on the way to a runner-up finish. Now I understand there’s a lot of what ifs surrounding the end of this year. But at the end of the day I still think NWood had the better roster on the field on Friday and it was 17-0 before we looked like we had a clue what was going on. And then what do you know, we outscore them 17-3 before running outta gas at the end.  2 years in a row we lose to a team that we beat by 40 in the season and lost both decisively.  Why are they able to massively improve and we can’t?  In ‘18 we were undefeated and lost to Angola in the sectional as well. What is the reason for so much regular season success with not a lot of post season success? 
 

again I’m not anti Andrews, but there are definitely questions that need addressing going forward because they still have the talent to make a run again next year.

Too be quite honest the only year where you had regular season success and no post season success was 2018. Now this year will also be added to that category, but obviously some unforeseen circumstances happened that may or may not of effected the outcome. But even in 2018 you lost by 1 point to a 12-1 Angola team in the sectional championship. Not exactly crapping the bed. Since Titus has graduated your regular seasons have been 4-5, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3, 9-0, 6-3, 9-0, 6-3, 3-3, 5-4, 9-0. I would say 2 sectionals with a run to state seems about right with all things considered.

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Ken Fox The Elkhart Truth.

The press release came over on a Monday afternoon

"Northridge High School names Chad Eppley as its new football coach, replacing the retiring Tom Wogomon."

I looked at my collegue Bob Oppenheim and asked the easy question.

"Wait, who?'

Then we realized that Eppley was just 26 years old and would be coaching in the rugged Northern Lakes Conference against guys like Warsaw's Bart Curtis and then-Plymouth coach John Barron, who each likely had sweatshirts older than 26.

But man, what a great decision it turned out to be.

In his first season as the Raiders head coach, he took Northridge to the Class 4A state finals, winning game after game that the "experts" didn't think they would win.

NorthWood, Columbia City and No. 2 Leo in the sectional. Mississinewa in the regional. And then finally, New Prairie on the Cougars' home field on a bitterly cold night at the semistate.

During the run, the Raider players and fans picked up the mantra, "Why not us?"

They rode that all the way to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where they finally met their match in a powerful Mount Vernon team.

Now, to prove that it wasn't a mirage, Eppley has the Raiders in the 4A regional again, after handing unbeaten and third-ranked NorthWood its first loss last Friday.

So, what makes Chad Eppley so special?

To me, there are two main reasons: The way he relates to his players and his very unique ability to adapt.

On the Monday prior to the title game in 2021, Northridge held a press conference with Eppley and seven of his players.

After answering the normal questions about the game, each player spoke glowingly and unrehearsed about what the young coach had brought to the program.

Words like honor and leadership. Belief and trust. Accountability and toughness.

In the pre-season, Eppley brought back a team camp to help his team bond and draw closer.

If you don't think that made a difference during some of those tough tournament games, then you were never an athlete.

Eppley continued to lead, even after the Raiders' loss in Indianapolis, reminding his players to keep their state runner-up medals around their neck, even though some wanted to just toss them into the stands.

And in his final speech to the 2021 Raiders, Chad Eppley reminded his players that he loved them.

As for his adaptability ...

At the start of the 2021 season, Northridge had Micah Hochstetler playing quarterback and Ricky Lloyd as one of his top backs.

But Lloyd went down in week one with a torn ACL and Hochstetler — who was off to a great start — suffered a leg injury in Week 4 and wouldn't return until the championship game (then only playing defense).

So Eppley and his staff looked at sophomore Connor Roth and junior Qade Carrington (more on him later) as a replacement for Hochstetler, before settling on a most unlikely quarterback in junior Tagg Gott.

Wearing No. 24.

But it worked.

After struggling in his first game as a starter against Mishawaka in Week 9 of the 2021 season, Gott became a sensation for Northridge, finishing with 1,103 yards rushing and 1,110 yards passing.

His picture-perfect 76-yard touchdown pass to Jethro Hochstetler with 1:31 to play against New Prairie gave the Raiders the win that sent them to Indy.

So Eppley was set to enter his second year with Gott returning at quarterback and a healthy Lloyd in the  backfield.

That didn't last through the summer.

Due to family reasons, Gott moved to Schoolcraft, Michigan, for his senior year of football last summer.

Then, incredibly, Lloyd was again lost for the season to a torn ACL, this time after just two carries in 2022.

Eppley didn't blink.

He turned to Carrington to play quarterback and the senior has been nothing short of a revelation, having already thrown for 2,714 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. Hochsetetler and Kade Sainz have been his top targets, while junior McClain Miller has been a solid halfback.

So from a team in 2021 that had Gott run ... a lot ... picking his spots behind a strong offensive line, Eppley now has a team with a gunslinger at quarterback and fast receivers.

The best comparison I can think of for that kind of adaptability is Don Shula — yes that Don Shula, the NFL's all-time winningest coach.

When Shula led the Dolphins to back-to-back Super Bowl titles, which included the '72 Miami team which is still the last unbeaten team in NFL history, he favored a fun-heavy offense with Larry Csonka, Jim Klick and Mercury Morris, while quarterback Bob Griese was a "game manager."

Kids, look them up on YouTube.

Then Miami was able to draft Dan Marino to play quarterback in 1983 and things changed. Suddenly it was "Air Shula" and the veteran coach helped Marino become one of the best that's ever played the game.

Relax, I'm not saying Eppley is Don Shula yet. Just making a comparison.

So here we are again, after another 5-4 regular season Eppley has the Raiders at 8-4 and heading back to New Prairie, this time for a regional game on Friday night.

And just like 2021, there are doubters that the Raiders have a chance to win on the grass field of Amzie Miller Field against a strong New Prairie squad that has been hoping for a rematch since the Tagg-to-Jethro game last fall.

That's OK ... I'm sure the Raiders and their now-27-year-old coach don't mind if you take them lightly.

Northridge will show up for the 8 p.m. game on Tuesday and they'll try to write a new chapter in the Eppley legacy.

But win or lose, I know Eppley will tell his team that he loves them, and his players will show total respect to their leader.

And in high school sports, you can't ask for much more than that.

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I think Mishawaka has played like Jekell and Hyde.  At times this year, they run their offense to perfection...at other times, they play sloppy.  If Mishawaka controls the clock, scores early and plays turnover free football (this being the biggest factor) I see them competing with anyone in 5A...and will take them to win this week in a low scoring game.  I say low scoring as I feel when running their offense the way they would like...there may not be a whole of possessions in this game.  Mishawaka by 10.

I am also taking Northridge to beat New Prairie.  New Prairie is a running team and Northridge has shown they can stop that.  Im not sure New Prairie has the passing attack to keep up with them.  Judging from the game last week against NorthWood, I would say Northridge is playing really balanced football and their defense shut down NorthWoods passing attack.

Replying to PantherPride, my thoughts on NorthWood and a concern ive seen for awhile now...NorthWood seems to offensivly plan their teams around indviduals rather than the team.  They typically have a couple of really good players and everything they do is planned around them.  This year, it was throw the ball up for the receivers (Tuggle / Payne) and hope for the best.  Before it was give the ball to Bronson Yoder and hope for the best.  I think they need to develop their offensive line and running backs to become multi dementional...they have the talent there...they just dont use it.  I think next year will be a repeat of this year (hopfully excluding any external issues) as they have a lot of talent returning.

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2 hours ago, 00NWP said:

am also taking Northridge to beat New Prairie.  New Prairie is a running team and Northridge has shown they can stop that.  Im not sure New Prairie has the passing attack to keep up with them.  Judging from the game last week against NorthWood, I would say Northridge is playing really balanced football and their defense shut down NorthWoods passing attack.

Asking some honest questions here. How has Northridge shown they can shut down the running game? They gave up 28 to Elkhart, 45 to Mishawaka (granted in 2 OTs), 35 to Warsaw, and 24 to Logansport, I would consider those squads good teams with run heavy offenses.  And wasn't Northwood without their starting QB? 

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I was in attendance last week for the Northridge vs Northwood game. Northridge came ready to play offensively and defensively. A couple keys for them: 1) getting #8 back on defense. I don't believe he played the first game between them and was certainly a difference-maker as he followed Tuggle all over the field. I'm surprised NorthWood only threw fade balls to him and didn't try running a post or putting him in the slot (similar to what NR did with Jethro). 2) Jethro took over the game and the Panthers didn't seem to have anyone who could stop him. He caught anything and everything that went his way. Quiet night for Sainz, but Tuggle followed him on defense. 3) I was surprised Miller played in the game after he was seen on the sidelines two weeks ago in a sling. Whatever the injury, it did not stop him for exploding through the middle of the Panthers defense for serious yardage. The absence of NW stud linebackers was really portrayed.

Now, moving onto this week between New Prairie and Northridge: Do I think New Prairie should win and decisively? Yes. However, I'm not betting against the Raiders anymore. They will show up and make any game at least competitive. New Prairie will have a chip on their shoulder based on last years semi-state game.  Since the Penn game, NP has been rolling on all cylinders and I've been blown away by their performance this post-season. My heart is telling me to predict NP to win, but like I said, I'm not betting against the Raiders: NR 31-28. Best of luck to both teams and I hope to see a great game.

Mishawaka and Snider game - not much interest in this game even though Mishawaka is technically in the NLC. Still hard to wrap my head around this. I just don't get too excited watching them play. IMO (and I'm sure this may offend some), in modern day football, at the 5A/6A level specifically, you are not going to win a State Championship running triple option football. 

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2 hours ago, CTP said:

I was in attendance last week for the Northridge vs Northwood game. Northridge came ready to play offensively and defensively. A couple keys for them: 1) getting #8 back on defense. I don't believe he played the first game between them and was certainly a difference-maker as he followed Tuggle all over the field. I'm surprised NorthWood only threw fade balls to him and didn't try running a post or putting him in the slot (similar to what NR did with Jethro). 2) Jethro took over the game and the Panthers didn't seem to have anyone who could stop him. He caught anything and everything that went his way. Quiet night for Sainz, but Tuggle followed him on defense. 3) I was surprised Miller played in the game after he was seen on the sidelines two weeks ago in a sling. Whatever the injury, it did not stop him for exploding through the middle of the Panthers defense for serious yardage. The absence of NW stud linebackers was really portrayed.

Now, moving onto this week between New Prairie and Northridge: Do I think New Prairie should win and decisively? Yes. However, I'm not betting against the Raiders anymore. They will show up and make any game at least competitive. New Prairie will have a chip on their shoulder based on last years semi-state game.  Since the Penn game, NP has been rolling on all cylinders and I've been blown away by their performance this post-season. My heart is telling me to predict NP to win, but like I said, I'm not betting against the Raiders: NR 31-28. Best of luck to both teams and I hope to see a great game.

Mishawaka and Snider game - not much interest in this game even though Mishawaka is technically in the NLC. Still hard to wrap my head around this. I just don't get too excited watching them play. IMO (and I'm sure this may offend some), in modern day football, at the 5A/6A level specifically, you are not going to win a State Championship running triple option football. 

Very well put, on paper and the eye test, I'd say New Prairie should win fairly easily.

Northridge has that it factor and truly believes in the Why Not Us mantra, I wouldn't want to bet against those boys either.

Hope it's another classic like last year's semi state. 

Fun fact, Northridge has never lost a Regional football game. 

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On 11/11/2022 at 10:42 AM, NRRaider2001 said:

Northridge has never lost a Regional football game. 

Not to be a Donnie-Downer, but.....Yeah......They broke that record.....

I know, I know, I will always be full of encouragement and excitement when NR makes the Regionals in any sport and they certainly earned their Regional spot this year, and FWIW I know they'll be back again.  Just don't expect a lot of hyperbole out of SF.  It's just pretty cool for SF, having lasted in the stands during the Kirkton years and even before to be able to have a competitive football team in Middlebury!  Go Raiders.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I hadn’t heard about the Edmond news until I got a message about him being at the All America Bowl combine showing out and they listed his high school as Northwood in Nappanee, Indiana. I was like who is this? Did Nitro Tuggle change his name? Haha 

Had to look him up. It looks like the Panthers are going to have an air raid offense with 2 D1 receivers. 

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JoJo was MVP at FBU all America national combine.  He has been a beast since the second grade.  He was my neighbor boy growing up as a grade schooler before moving to Indy.  He transferred from Warren Central to NorthWood.
 

NLC and 4A better be put on notice.

 

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