Published: October 23, 2009 11:26 pm      

Senior quarterback has best game of season to lead Panthers to sectional victory

LAGRANGE — Brant Nine chose the prefect time to play his best game of the season.

The 6-1 (196) senior quarterback rushed for 80 yards and passed for 147 as the NorthWood Panthers defeated the Lakeland Lakers, 25-6, Friday night in a first-round high school football sectional game at LaGrange.

“Nine was ill this week so for him to play like this is impressive,” NorthWood coach Scott Hoover said. “We have been working all year on getting something going on the outside. We decided to do that tonight. We wanted to make Lakeland defend the entire field.”

NorthWood (6-4) will visit South Bend St. Joseph’s next Friday.

The Panthers team kept both its streaks alive by defeating the Lakers for the 10th time in 10 meetings and continuing its record of not having lost a first-round playoff game since 1974. The Panthers have never lost a first-round sectional game since the state went to the current five-class all-inclusive state tournament in 1985.

The NorthWood coaching staff made the decision at halftime to run Nine more in the second half. He carried the ball a total of 15 times and completed 7-of-9 passes.

NorthWood’s “Black Crunch” defense set the tone from the opening possession.

The Panthers’ kickoff went out of bounds and Lakeland got the ball at its own 35. NorthWood snuffed Lakeland’s first play for a two-yard loss and stopped the Lakers on three plays, forcing a punt that traveled five yards.

NorthWood responded with an 8-play 56-yard drive with 5-10 (190) senior Tony Miranda scoring from 2 yards at 5:48 of the opening period.

“Our intensity was there from the first snap,” Hoover said. “We forced Lakeland to go three-and-out and then went down and scored.”

Miranda added a 1-yard touchdown run with :11 left in the second period and 5-10 (183) sophomore Coy Brown a 5-yard scamper with 3:35 left in the third.

Lakeland finishes 7-3.