Northwest prepares for ‘dangerous’ Tigers
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Northwest linebacker Cody Simoncic celebrates a stop Saturday in Warrensburg.
MARYVILLE, Mo. — While Northwest Missouri State was picked sixth in the MIAA preseason by the coaches, the Fort Hays State Tigers were considered one of the favorites to win the league alongside Pittsburg State and Central Oklahoma.
The two teams have traded spots in the hierarchy, at least for now, going into their matchup this week at Bearcat Stadium.
Northwest is atop the league standings with a 4-0 conference record and 5-game winning streak. The Tigers are in a 3-way tie for fourth in the league and are coming off a 21-14 loss to Central Oklahoma last week at home.
“I see us in them,” Northwest coach John McMenamin said. “I think that we are similar teams. Coach (Chris) Brown wants a physical team. That is not a finesse guy. Their offense and defense reflect that.”
Northwest coach John McMenamin is very familiar with the quality of program Brown has built in Hays and knows that the Tigers will come in hungry for a signature win to attempt to jump back into the playoff race while if they fail to get it their season is essentially over.
“They are a team that is dangerous,” McMenamin said. “Their backs are against the wall.”
The Tigers have one of those signature wins already with a 36-35 win over then-No. 5 Colorado State-Pueblo in Week 1. Tiger star quarterback Caleb Heavner led the Tigers to that victory with 226 yards passing and two touchdowns while also leading the team with 70 yards rushing.
“Our defense matches up well,” McMenamin said. “They play physical and they take pride in that.”
Heavner is the team’s leading rusher for the season with 303 yards and two scores. He has thrown for 1,258 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Tigers top two running backs have been sidelined with injuries for Travis Dixon and Joshua Clark. Kent State transfer Curtis Douglas has stepped into bigger rushing role for the team in recent weeks. The sophomore had 15 carries for 72 yards last week against Central Oklahoma.
The passing game is held up by one of the best tight ends in Division-II with senior Cale Cormaney. He leads the team with 235 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Central Oklahoma transfer Tariq Logan is the team’s big-play threat with over 16 yards per catch this year while Ryan Allen leads the team in catches with 22 despite missing one game.
Defensively, the Tigers try to funnel everything to their star linebacker John Johnson who already had 75 tackles, seven for loss and two forced fumbles this season.
Gaven Haselhorst is the team’s top pass-rusher with four sacks this season while Parrish Terry leads the team in quarterback hits from the other defensive end spot.
The Bearcats have found their stride offensively behind tremendous play from their offensive line. Northwest is the MIAA’s leading rushing team by 30 yards despite not having an individual ballcarrier in the top-5 in yardage this season for the conference.
“It was their best game,” McMenamin said of the run blocking at Central Missouri. “Our tight ends really had a really good game. That is something that we’ve been working hard with that group with because they are all new. … They got physical that game and our O-line flew around. We played eight different linemen and four different tight ends and I think that what we saw when the second half came along is that they wore down. We stayed on the field and our guys were a little more fresh. That was the most physical game they had. It was fun to see them fly around and see them take pride in hitting somebody. The backs did a great job, but there were big holes and it was fun for them to do that.”
On passing downs, the offensive line has been even more effective with just two sacks allowed all season for a total of six yards.
That has translated into senior quarterback Chris Ruhnke sitting second in the MIAA in passing efficiency with a 139.2 rating. Meanwhile, the other half of the quarterback rotation, freshman Zechariah Owens, has become the most dangerous running quarterback in the MIAA with 330 yards and an MIAA-leading seven rushing touchdowns.
“He is growing up right in front of our eyes,” McMenamin said of Owens. “Because he is a puppy. He’s a very talented puppy. … What has been kinda unique is that those QBs kinda play off each other and when one doesn’t have their A-game, the other does. Go back to UCO, Z didn’t have an A game and Chris really had a good game. But the thing about Z is, he always expects to have a great game and a great play.
“He is starting to understand how to prepare, how to get ready for a game. On the bus ride home, I glanced over and he is watching Hays the whole time. It was a proud poppa moment.”
Northwest has three running backs all between 314 yards and 286 yards rushing this season with freshman Quincy Torry, senior Dominic Myers and sophomore Te’Shaun Porter.
It’s been just as balnced within the pass catchers with five players at least 100 yards this season. Luke Mathews with 261 yards and Erwin Nash at 253 lead that group.
Defensively, the Bearcats will be looking to take advantage of a Tiger offensive line that allows the second-most sacks in the MIAA this season. Jordan Pigram’s 4 1/2 sacks lead the way for Northwest.
“We are just having fun,”: Northwest senior linebacker Parker Bowen said. “That is really the big thing. We have a lot of trust in our guys. Everyone knows that they are going to do their job.”
The game will kick off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at Bearcat Stadium. The game is the annual Pink Game for Northwest with fans encouraged to wear pink.
