Northgate blanks Mapletown, 37-0
BELLEVUE — Mapletown’s 2016 campaign came to an end last Friday night, as the Maples had no answer for Northgate’s speed and athleticism in a 37-0 loss in WPIAL Class A first-round action at Alumni Stadium.
Northgate was led by their dynamic playmaker Mike Allen, as the senior wideout scored four of the five touchdowns for the Flames (9-1) and racked up 180 total yards in the win.
The Maples (5-6) had a strong rushing attack once again, but their passing game was limited and they couldn’t sustain long drives against an athletic front seven.
“Northgate was fast and has a lot of skilled guys,” Mapletown coach George Messich said. “We thought they would run the ball to the outside a lot and throw it deep. We were prepared for both and I love our effort on defense. We blew a couple of assignments and missed some tackles, but I’m really proud of our kids.”
This marked both teams’ fifth playoff appearance since 1997, as the Flames won their first postseason contest since a first-round victory over Mars in 2003.
Northgate will play the winner of Bishop Canevin-California next Friday at a site and time to be determined.
Mapletown won the opening coin toss and elected to receive the ball. The Maples were near midfield two plays into their first possession after a 32-yard completion to Tristan Franks from Dylan Rush.
A high snap derailed the drive a couple of plays later and Northgate recovered the loose ball at the 41-yard line.
After both teams traded scoreless possessions, the Flames got onto the scoreboard after a 19-yard rushing touchdown by Allen.
Kicker Chase Rowsey faked the extra point but rushed in for the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead with 4:51 left in the first quarter.
The Maples recovered a fumble deep in their own end in the early stages of the second quarter, but three plays later Mapletown turned it back over to Northgate after an interception by Allen.
Two plays later, Allen hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Stefon Adams.
Northgate extended its lead to 22-0 at halftime after a 24-yard scoring toss to Elijah Thomas from Adams and a two-point pass from Adams to Allen.
After the Flames went three-and-out on their first drive of the second half, the Maples had their most sustained drive of the night, picking up three first downs. Unfortunately for Mapletown, it was stopped on third-and-long near midfield and had to punt the ball.
The Flames capped off their next series, a 10-play, 58-yard drive, with a 20-yard halfback pass from Allen to Rowsey with two seconds left in the third.
The lone score in the final 12 minutes of regulation was a 69-yard punt return from Allen that sealed the win for Northgate and put the Mercy Rule into effect.
Despite the tough loss, both Rush and Gavin Uphold ran tough behind a steady offensive line for the Maples.
“We are a running team and we are always going to rely on the run,” Messich said. “Dylan is Dylan and he does his thing every game. I was really impressed with Gavin tonight. He started the year as an offensive guard, and we switched him to fullback. He has really adapted to the spot and was a key component to our offense.”
Rush, who went over 4,000 career rushing yards this season, and had a school record 1,852 yards on the ground this season, carried the ball 24 times for 56 yards, while Uphold finished his night with 50 yards on 11 attempts.
Mapletown returns a core nucleus for 2017, but will miss their six seniors (Uphold, Franks, Caleb Reynolds, Riley Seward, Tanner Griffin and Brandon Smotzer). Those seniors are the first class to make the playoffs twice in a four-year span for the Maples.
“Every season you have your controversies or things that don’t go your way,” Messich said. “These kids stuck with it and never gave up. They gave 110 percent effort tonight and that’s all we can ask. These seniors meant a lot to this team. They are great kids and they never let you down. It will be hard for us to replace them next year.”