Knights tame the lions 44-37 @NorthwestAD @NewRichmondHS

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, Game Photos, Gameday Hub

David Burnworth | August 22, 2021

My fourth and final game of the weekend would take me to New Richmond to see Cincinnati Northwestbattle the home team the New Richmond Lions. This would be my first trip to New Richmond also my first time seeing them play. Years ago I was able to catch Northwest in one of the Skyline Crosstown Showdowns I attended. I want to say I really enjoyed the stadium and the hospitality I was provided by the good people I met from New Richmond. The crowd for a D-3 game was a little light. I counted a little over 100 fans on the visitor’s side. The home side stands seemed about 40-45% filled if everyone would have been seated. I will say both sides were very vocal as their teams provided a game filled with a lot of offense and some big hits. Before getting into the action-packed game I wanted to give props out to the P.A. guy for consistently calling out the name and number of each player involved in the play.

Tyler Sininger got things started as far as scoring goes when he hauled in a 26-yard touchdown pass from AJ Metzger. Will McCormick stopped Sininger on a two-point conversion try leaving this a 6-0 game with 10:52 left on the first-quarter clock. Northwest wasted little time in locking this one back up at six with Kamare Frye doing the honors from 24-yards out. He would have to break multiple tackles inside the five before getting to pay dirt.

After the offensive fireworks, the Knights defense would force the Lions into a punting situation with 7:16 showing on the clock. The snap was way off of its target forcing Trent Dunaway to race back to the ball and fall on it taking a 27-yard loss. The Lions defense would make its presence felt when Matthew Duty came up with a Knights fumble at the 8:09 mark of the action-packed opening quarter. The Knights defense did its job by holding the Lions in check allowing their own offense to get back on the field. Their offense would hit a speed bump when Laurence Smith teamed up with Austin Elam to stop Diego Yun for a loss of 8-yards. Darrion Montgomery would connect with Jalen Matin for a nice 39-yard pick-up that would have fifteen additional yards tacked on because of a penalty on the home team. Montgomery would use his feet to go the final 9-yards to close the drive out with six points. Another bad snap killed the two-point conversion try leaving this a 12-6 game, with 4:48 still left in the opening quarter.

Metzger was able to find a very talented Bo Snider on a screen pass that went for 20-yards. Metzger but the drive fizzled out from there. Montgomery, who threw the ball just well enough to keep the defense honest would use his feet to pick up close to forty yards that helped set up a 3-yard touchdown run from Kaleb Jones. Montgomery easily pranced in for the two-point conversion run making this a 20-6 game, with 1:25 still left in the first quarter. The Lions needed just:23 seconds to get make this a 20-13 game with Bo Snider outrunning the Northwest defense for a 70-yard score. The strong leg of Trane Light made easily nailed the point-after kick.

Montgomery got the second quarter going with a Fran Tarkenton like 39-yard run. The Lions defense ended the drive when Damien Daugherty picked Montgomery off, with 10:57 left in the half. Snider would break off a nice-looking 10-yard run to move the chains just:10 seconds later. Metzger would be sacked by Kenyon Smith, a very talented 6-4, 277-pound defensive tackle with a little under 9:00 left in the half. The drive came to a quick halt allowing the Knights offense to get back on the field. The Lions defense would be up to the task as Laurence Smith stopped Jones for a short loss, then due to another bad snap, Mongomery would be sacked by Sininger for a loss of 13-yards that also was a safety to make this a 20-15 game. The last 1:37 of the half would see a 19-yard completion by Metzger to Daugherty, a 7-yard run by Snider, who ran over one would-be tackler, and finally, a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth and one by Duty. A two-point conversion run from Jack Moore made this a 23-20 game.

The Knights Lorenzo Vernon would take the opening kickoff all the way to the Lions 3-yard line, from there Montgomery would run the ball into the end zone for six, then he converted the two-point run with another gut run to put the Knights back up 28-23. The work from the Knights offensive line was impressive especially when Montgomery was running inside. Metzger and Sininger would hook up twice on the ensuing Lions drive. First, it was for 18-yards, then the final time it was for a 17-yard score. After the score, Danny Schockley converted the two-point run making this a 31-28 game.

The Lions would go on a ten-play drive that featured nine runs and just one pass. Jones would cap off the drive on a power 5-yard gut run, which was followed by another two-point gut run from Montgomery to make this a 36-31 game, with the Knights leading. The Lions had 4:54 left when they got the ball. They would need just 5-plays to go the 57-yards needed to respond to the previous score. The big play on the drive was a Metzger to Brady Payne for a 31-yard touchdown to make this a 37-36 game.

The fourth quarter would see Montgomery convert a third and six by running for 12-yards to the Lions 12-yard line. Jones capped the drive off with his 3-yard run then Montgomery went up the soft middle of the Lions defense to convert another two-point run making this a 44-37 game. The scoring was finally over but not the excitement. With 4:11 left another bad snap on a punt led to Keyon Smith falling on the ball for a 10-yard loss giving the Lions offense a good shot to tie this one up. The Knights defense stood tall and gave their offense another chance to run the clock out or go on another long scoring drive. Metzger helped his own cause when he stopped DeAveon Perkins for a short loss. The Knights defense would secure the win when Perkins got revenge on Metzger by picking off his final pass with just 0:33 seconds left in the game.

UNOFFICIAL STATS

KNIGHTS

68 PLAYS

318 YARDS

PASSING 4-8 1 TD 1INT

LIONS

64 PLAYS

451 YARDS

PASSING 11-27 3 TD’S 1 INT