Northwest secures 3rd straight MIAA crown
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
The Northwest football team raises its 2015 MIAA Championship plaque after defeating Emporia State, 44-10, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015 at Bearcat Stadium.
Spending 10 in-season weeks grinding and grueling through the regular season — not to mention months of practice in advance — was a long enough wait for the Northwest football team.
After clinching a third consecutive MIAA championship on Saturday with a 44-10 win against Emporia State, most of the Bearcats couldn’t wait any longer at midfield, breaking out in chants, playfully demanding their trophy. Minutes later, in stepped head coach Adam Dorrel ahead of conference commissioner Bob Boerigter, bringing a plaque with them.
“It’s indescribable right now,” senior quarterback Brady Bolles said. “I’m on cloud nine. To do it on senior day in front of Bearcat Nation, I’ve been saying it the last three weeks, we’re so blessed with our fans. … To do it with the group of guys that we have, just knowing our team and how hard we’ve worked, it’s a really good feeling right now.”
Northwest sealed its third straight league title by shutting down the MIAA’s top offense, a Hornets unit led by gun-slinging quarterback Brent Wilson. The Bearcats limited Wilson to 180 yards on 17 completions as Emporia State mustered just 240 yards compared to Northwest’s 512.
A huge part of the defensive success for the Cats came from junior defensive end Collin Bevins, whose four sacks were a career-high and a major deterrent to the Hornets’ passing game.
“That was crazy,” Dorrel said. “He played really well tonight. He’s a difference-maker, and I think he showed that tonight. (Rich Wright) does such a great job getting those guys in a position to succeed. … If we find a weakness, we might put the speed rusher on him one time and then the next time you put the bull rusher on him. I feel like we do a good job keeping their O-line off-balance.”
Bolles put Northwest on the board first with a six-yard slant to senior receiver George Sehl on the left side with 11:49 to go in the opening quarter. It was the first of four touchdowns for Bolles, matching his career best, while finishing the night 24-of-32 for a career-high 362 yards.
“We’ve just been trying to chop wood each week,” Bolles said. “We’ve been one play away, one guy away on a lot of plays. Tonight it kind of all fell into place. To be able to put up the numbers we did tonight as an offense, that was huge for us with how explosive their offense is.”
Junior running back Phil Jackson II increased the lead to 14-0 on the final play of the first period, vaulting himself into the end zone on a five-yard run off the left side.
Emporia State got on the board with 7:37 left until halftime when Wilson snuck in from three yards away, slicing the deficit to 14-7.
Northwest responded three plays later, however, when Bolles went over the top to freshman receiver Shawn Bane Jr., hitting the speedy target in stride for a 68-yard score with 6:13 left before the break.
“It was a very complete football game,” Dorrel said. “Saved our best for last, I guess. It’s a good time to be playing well. We’ve played great on defense all year, and I knew we were going to do that again. … Offensively, we came out and moved the football. We’re getting home when we call those deep pass plays.”
Hornets kicker Austin Morton nailed a 26-yard field goal on the ensuing possession, but Northwest had the last laugh in the first half. Holding a 21-10 lead, Bolles lobbed a back-shoulder fade down the right sideline for sophomore wide receiver Shane Williams to haul in over his defender, good for a 23-yard touchdown with just 36 seconds remaining before intermission.
Williams’ score was the beginning of 23 unanswered points for the Bearcats to close out the contest.
In the third quarter, Bevins wrapped up Wilson in the end zone for a Northwest safety, increasing the lead to 30-10. After the safety punt, Bane scored on the first play of the Bearcats’ next drive on a 52-yard bubble screen from Bolles. Bane finished with seven catches for 146 yards and his pair of long touchdowns.
“I saw a huge hole and their safety was the only guy in the hole,” Bane said. “I was like, ‘I’ve got to make him miss.’ I just ran as fast as I could. … I just try to be unguardable. If I run as fast as I can, I don’t think anybody can keep up. I just try to prepare myself each week for those opportunities.”
Bolles closed out the night’s scoring with 5:45 to play, sneaking home from a yard out to help seal the Bearcats’ 44-10 slaying of one of the MIAA’s top offensive attacks.
Entering the contest as one of the league’s most potent offenses, the Hornets presented a challenge to Bevins and Co. — one that the Bearcat defense happily accepted.
“We wanted to come out and prove a point,” Bevins said. “It’s nice to come out here and play well. We wanted to show that we’re a really good defense. We really stepped up tonight, and I’m proud of our guys. … Our back end had a great night covering down on receivers. With them covering down and us getting good pressure, it ends up well on the sacks.”
Assisting Bolles and Bane on the offensive side were Jackson with 108 rushing yards and a score and sophomore running back Jordan Grove with six catches for 93 yards out of the backfield.
With the MIAA trophy already in hand, Northwest (10-0) will close out the regular season at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Washburn.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Northwest senior cornerback Bryce Enyard celebrates after breaking up an Emporia State pass during the Bearcats’ 44-10 win on Saturday to clinch the conference crown.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Freshman receiver Shawn Bane Jr. hauls in a pass over the top from senior Brady Bolles and darts the rest of the way for a 68-yard score in Northwest’s 44-10 win over Emporia State.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Bearcats senior receiver George Sehl started the Northwest scoring in Saturday’s 44-10 win over Emporia State with a six-yard slant from senior Brady Bolles.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Northwest senior linebacker Brock Sherman leaps to tackle an Emporia State ball-carrier on Saturday as the Bearcats won the MIAA championship with a 44-10 win.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Senior quarterback Brady Bolles watches his pass from the pocket on Saturday as he threw for a career-best 362 yards to help Northwest defeat Emporia State, 44-10.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
Junior defense end Collin Bevins set a career-high with four sacks as Northwest took down Emporia State, 44-10.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
The Northwest football team poses for cameras after winning the 2015 MIAA Championship thanks to a 44-10 victory over Emporia State in Week 10. The Bearcats will face Humboldt State at 1 p.m. Saturday in the second round of the Division II postseason.
