By Ed Muniz-Photos by Renee Kaspar
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p846303595 **
NORTHLAKE— Late game heroics are the type of games that linger in your mind for days or even longer.
Being the difference in a close game can be a thrill for any individual especially when a contest, in this case a football game, can go either way. Your actions or abilities are the deciding factor.
For Argonauts Quarterback’ Bryce Fulton, experiencing that and understanding it had to be a thrill. Fulton would end up scoring the first touchdown of the game and the last and winning touchdown of the close affair. The visiting Argonauts took Fulton’s two touchdowns and left Northlake after the 12-6 victory over the Leyden Bears.
“Some of the frustrating things in this game for me was that we were talking a lot so it was hard to get the plays off,” said Bryce. “I think we were really hyped trying to win. On our last drive, what we focused on was about blocking their d-line and number 52. We also were trying to get off our passes. The last dry we were mostly working on getting the ball down the field without giving the ball back to them. We ran the ball most of the time and got close to the endzone. I was feeling our team was going to do all they could to score, we came and did that.”
The atmosphere at Grant Park was extremely festive with numerous tents lined up along the west endzone up and down the home sideline.
A bevy of different foods were offered at nearly every tent on the striking day with Mother Nature providing the best weather of the year, all as part of the Leyden Bears fundraising during their Breast Cancer Awareness Day. The Leyden Football and Cheer organization did an outstanding job executing this worthy cause.
Coach Chris Ciepley added of his teams performance after the win.
We knew coming in, we would have to work on a few things to ready for playoffs. We worked on new pass-plays a lot in practice. This season we have been 90% run and 10% pass. Today I think we were more 60-40 run to pass and I thought we did a very good job and that.”
“The red division, we are all good competition. They can beat anybody on any given day. Leyden has always been tough, we love good competition. I think we did great with our new pass-plays. Defensively, we played lights out except for one play. Seems like our kids take one play off each game and opponents end up scoring on it. The team effort is great. Just great.”
The Argos opening series on offense saw them grab a first down but then lose the ball on downs unable to advance nothing more than three yards the next three attempts.
Headed to defense, they made short work of the Bears attack, forcing a turnover on downs after four tries. Tackles by Cayden Druger, Anoosh Simon Varda and Jackson McLean gave the ball back to the Pioneers offense.
Now taking their offense into the second quarter, the Argos looked to establish the run. They did that behind the rushing abitities of Fulton, McLean and Gannon Root. The rushing attack of McLean paid off big for the Argos. His power running style pounded the Leyden defenders each time he was called on.
The Argos also had success through the air. Fulton connected with Cameron Willock twice, the second got the Argos inside the 10-yard line. A play later, a quarterback keeper by Fulton around right end saw the Argos jump ahead, 6-0.
Just a pair of plays later, the Argos had a golden opportunity to extend their lead after a loose Leyden football was recovered by Kayden Anderson-Monnie right at midfield.
Again, the Argos mixed in McLean and Fulton rushing with another completion of Fulton to Druger. After grabbing a first down, the Argos promising opportunity faded away as the Bears defense clamped down and foced a turnover on downs with a heavy rush that produced a pair of failed passes including one that went for negative yards.
The Argos defense continued to stymie the Bears offense, stopping the run attempts for little to none and also playing stellar pass defense. Parker Benacka played perfect pass defense, deflecting a Bears pass while Oliver Cottrell and Cael Ciepley came up with solo stops.
Back on offense, the Argos quickly moved down field after starting with consecutive 14-yard completions, both from Fulon to Druger. With little time left in the half, two more pass attempts fell incomplete followed by a sack of Fulton at the Bears 24-yard line which ended the first half, a missed oportunity for sure.
Teams tend to use the break to regroup and make adjustments most of the time. Sometimes the second half of the game can be quite different. In this case it wasn’t much different only this time, the scoring came quick and by the other team.
With the ball to start the third, the Leyden Bears struck quickly. A handoff to their backfield started left, went around the end and streaked down the sideline untouched for 58-yards and the tying score. After a failed extra-point, the game was tied at 6-6 just 44-seconds into the third quarter.
The following two possesiions saw each teams defense quickly forced a turnover on downs. First the Leyden defense shutdown the Argos mainly after an Argo penalty pushed them back, then the Argos tackling by Root, Maddox Hopp, Druger and McLean forced the Bears to give up the ball after four attempts.
The Argos offense took over late in the third and proceeded to go from midfield to near the red zone. Runs by Fulton, McLean and Root moved them quickly with Root’s 17-yard burst up the middle the big play. Unfortunately, the Argos drive faltered as the third quarter came to an end, giving up the football on downs.
The Bears took their fourth quarter possession and worked their way deep into Argos territory using up a lot of clock but penalties played a big factor in their inabilities to jump ahead. They gained yards then were penalized and moved back, eventually losing the ball on owns and squandering a chance to get ahead in the tight game.
The Argos next possession was all or nothing. They proceeded to move the ball using McLean and Root along with Fulton to sit just outside the Bears endzone. After getting to the nod , Fulton called his own number and plunged a yard into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game and the go ahead score.
The 12-6 score would hold up as the last second expired with the host unable to find the equalizer, giving the Argos a well earn victory and upping their season record to 4-2.
One player that gave his all while still sporting a club-like cast was power-runningback’ Gannon Root. His ability to contribute in the win showed just how talented he is even at not 100%. Root spoke of it.
“I have to club my right arm for practice and games but it’s better now and I think it comes off in a week. With the cast, it’s affected me a liitle bit with the ball carrying. I have to carry it in my left arm and use my right with the cast as a stiff arm. I still think I’m somebody you have to deal with even with a cast on. Today, for me was different because they put me at tightend to block a couple plays. I didn’t mind it; I just want the team to win. Everybody has to contribute some effort for us to win, so it’s important. I thought our blockers blocked pretty good and our quarterback played well, also our runningbacks and the defense for sure.
The Argos also had several others contributing to leaving Northlake with a win, they include Jaxson Ecker, Kaiden Fox, Alexander Geiger, Silas Money, Taylor Langley, Hudson Kohley, Brock Kirschke, James KIeras and Robert Springhorn III.
