Raiders’ Use Ground Game
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
The halftime conversation in the Northwest High locker room Friday night rested perhaps on one major topic.
If the Raiders hoped to advance into the second round of the Division II Non-Select playoffs, changes were necessary for the offensive approach.
The revised the second half game plan to include a heavy dose of direct snaps and big body running backs, as Northwest compiled 21 unanswered fourth quarter points and moved into the regional round with a 31-16 victory over Erath.
Northwest is scheduled to meet No. 4 DeSoto on Friday night.
The Raiders trailed 10-7 at the intermission, but Northwest head football coach Chris Edwards said afterward that his team needed something different offensively to become more effective during the final two periods.
“We came in at halftime and we made some adjustments. We wanted to run the football and I thought we were able to wear them down at the end,” said Edwards, whose team won an eighth game.
Edwards said his program has been playoff-tested over the years and playing on the road during the postseason is something that is not imposing.
“We have been both at home and on the road, so being the lower seed is nothing new for us,” said Edwards.
Northwest gained 288 rushing yards against Erath.
The backfield rushing combination of Frederick Nimer and Jermaine Clark, who both play linebacker, supplied 196 of the yardage that also produced four touchdowns.
Nimer (8 carries, 111 yards) finished the game with four individual tackles.
Quarterback Chaise Dupre, Adrian Leday and Jayden Lazard provided the remainder of the Raider’s rushing yardage.
Erath finished with 226 total offensive yards. The Bobcats passed for 196, but failed to sustain enough offensive drives. Erath was o-for-3 on fourth down attempts and 3-for-10 on attempted third down conversions.
The Bobcats scored on a 55-yard pass from quarterback Landon Derouen to Jacob Richard to take a 7-0 lead after an Andrew Barras extra point.
Barras kicked a 36-yard field goal to provide a 10-7 halftime lead after a touchdown run by Nimer.
Gavon Fontenot tied the game at 10 with a 48-yard field goal and following a 15-yard Erath touchdown pass, the Raiders took control after a Bobcats’ touchdown and failed two-point conversion provided Northwest with the 16-10 deficit.
Nimer and Clark were given most of the snaps on a 75-yard drive and Fontenot kicked the point after attempt that put the Raiders into the lead permanently (17-16).
An Erath fumble near midfield enabled Northwest to score another TD. as Nimer scored from the 1-yard line with 3:47 left in the game.
Clark ended a short possession with a 10-yard scoring run with 1:31 left.
