Published: November 07, 2009 12:19 am      

FOOTBALL: Tigers rue missed chances

Kings show pedigree in championship game.

As Cass quarterback Damon Foreman plunged in on a 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Northwestern football team had done just about everything wrong up to that point, having fumbled twice in the first half and turned the ball over once on downs deep inside the Kings’ 1-yard line.

And yet when Jake Yager hauled in a 12-yard TD pass from Trevor Gibson, the Tigers (9-3) somehow trailed ninth-ranked Cass (9-3) just 14-7 with 10:23 left to play.

Three times, though, with drives starting at their own 47-yard line, their own 20 and their own 49, the Tigers thrice failed to score the equalizer in the final minutes of the contest.

Those drives ended with an interception — one of four in the fourth quarter — a turnover on downs and another pick at the Cass 23-yard line that Foreman rumbled and stumbled all the way to the Northwestern 2. He sneaked in from the 1 two plays later.

“We had the opportunities,” said Tigers coach John Hendryx. “They were right there. We just didn’t capitalize.”

That trend began in the first half when Northwestern started right, holding Cass to a three-and-out and forcing a punt. But that punt was muffed and recovered by the Kings at the Tigers 35, and while the defense held Cass scoreless, some of the wind was taken out of their sails.

Whatever momentum that fumble cost Northwestern, it completely shifted the Kings’ way when, after a first-and-goal at the Cass 5, the Tigers failed to punch it in. The Kings proceeded to take the ball 99-plus yards for the go-ahead score.

“We just left too much [on the field] in the first half,” Hendryx said. “Regardless of [not scoring from the 1] there were just too many mistakes — fumbles, dropped [passes] — just silly things you’re not going to do and beat [Cass]. It’s not gonna happen.

“I thought our kids played hard. We just didn’t get some plays made when we had to make them. I’m proud of them. Their effort was good.”

Moving forward

Friday’s victory by the Kings marked their 11th consecutive over Northwestern, dating back to the Tigers’ last win in the 1999 sectional tournament. It was also a similar score to the Kings’ 26-7 decision back on Sept. 4, although both coaches said this was a much closer contest.

“They’re a very talented team,” Cass coach Scott Mannering said of the Tigers. “They’re well-coached and this is a huge win for us.

“This might be one of the best teams we’ve faced this year. They’re a lot better than they were the first time [we played], that’s for sure.”

Hendryx said his squad, which includes 21 seniors, has a lot to be proud of.

“Of the 21 [seniors] they’ve all worked their rear ends off. It’s been nice to see them develop,” said Hendryx. “It’s been phenomenal where those guys have come from just by effort. That’s something they can be proud of and take with them.

“I know [our players] are going to walk out of here with their heads down, but we lost three games to three really good opponents, [Cass] twice and Hamilton Heights, which is also playing [Friday] night. I don’t think we’ve got anything to be ashamed of.”

Hendryx, who came to Northwestern at the last minute two years ago and won a sectional with the Tigers that same year, says this team has made a 180-degree turnaround since then.

“Our physicality now compared to then is night and day,” he said. “And it’s not just our up-front strength. Our skilled kids are strong and that’s why we’re at this point. That’s why we’re here. They’ve bought in and worked hard and without it we wouldn’t be here.”

Cass mystique?

Add Damon Foreman’s remarkable performance Friday to a long list of outstanding individuals for Cass that have helped the Kings amass a skein of six straight seasons with at least 10 wins — the second-longest such streak in the state, behind only Class 3A’s Indianapolis Bishop Chatard.

The Kings can extend that string with a victory Friday over Fort Wayne Bishop Luers.

“And they’re not just good football players. They’re high-character kids,” Hendryx said of the Kings. “They do things right off the field and they work their rear ends off.

“That doesn’t just happen. Those kids are developed when they’re young and they reap the benefits of it.”

Cass coach Scott Mannering said the Kings program is built on athletes like Foreman, who also excels on the basketball court and the baseball diamond.

“No. 1, coaches have to cooperate,” Mannering said. “Because a kid wants to go play a summer baseball game instead of coming for conditioning with you, you can’t take it personally. I want guys to be excited to play in August, and once we start I want them to be excited to play in November.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating, but [basketball coach] Matt Carver and [baseball coach] Greg Marschand are good people to work with. We’re trying to do things right out [at Cass] and make it so it’s a kid-friendly place. Kids want to play everything and we let them do that. It’s worked and I’m not going to buck that system.”