Northgate gets off to fast start, rolls past Springdale

By: Antonio Rossetti
Friday, September 2, 2022 | 11:05 PM

In a season-opening loss to Fort Cherry, mistakes snowballed on the Northgate football team.

Wide receiver Lewis Clark wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again.

Clark caught two early touchdown passes and gained 141 yards through the air, leading the Flames to a 37-14 win over Springdale on Friday night at Northgate Alumni Field.

“It was a big team effort,” Clark said. “Once we got that touchdown, the team’s morale was just great, and we just played better after that first touchdown.

“Last week, we were undisciplined and messing up plays. But, this week, we were on top of it. We had a great week of practice this week, and I feel like we played great today, and I hope we can do that next week.”

The Flames got things rolling when Sonteon Layne hit Clark on a 51-yard screen for a touchdown on their first possession of the game.

After forcing the Dynamos to punt, Northgate was back at it. Layne connected with Clark on another screen, this time going for 66 yards. Darius Fields ran it in for two, putting Northgate up 14-0.

The Dynamos offense struggled to get going without injured starting quarterback Chase Weihrauch.

Northgate continued its success when Austin Mitchell returned a kick 60 yards for a touchdown and Darius Fields tacked on the two-point conversion.

The Flames notched 30 points before halftime when Mitchell, this time as quarterback, scrambled 70 yards for a touchdown.

In the third quarter, Springdale had a long drive that ended in a turnover on downs. 

Northgate then drove for a 2-yard touchdown run by Donovin Boone, and the point after made it 37-0.

Noah Bradley scored the Dynamos’ first points on a 5-yard touchdown. Noah Skaugen drilled the extra point, making it 37-7.

Springdale forced a turnover on downs, and Colten Gent scored on the next play on a 20-yard run. Kicker Clare Schneider split the uprights, making it 37-14.

Despite the loss, coach Ryan Tempalski was glad Springdale managed its first points of the season.

“It’s nice not to have a goose egg up there. Something to build on. We just have to get better,” Tempalski said.

With a younger team and two freshmen on the offensive line, he sees room for improvement.

“We have one to two seniors out there. That means that every rep that they get gives us more experience out there,” Tempalski said.

The story of the game was the speed of Northgate. The Flames hit a lot of big plays down the stretch, and coach Chris Lucas sees how much it helps.

“That is one advantage we have, and we’re bringing our line along,” Lucas said. “The line is coming along and getting better. We made some adjustments on defense, and that paid off, with just putting players in better positions to be successful.”

The Flames’ early touchdowns helped seize the momentum.

“That’s why we took the ball, because we want to get the ball in our playmakers’ hands, and I think that we play better when we can get up,” Lucas said. “We start getting that excitement, and the kids are excited in the game. If we can strike first, I think that really helps us.”

Tags: Northgate, Springdale