T’bolts lose opener 20-5 to Lebanon
By Ron Nunnari
Rnunnari@aimmediamidwest.com
CLAYTON – Penalties and mistakes proved costly Friday night for Northmont during a 20-5 loss to Lebanon in the first game of the season.
Colby Barr kicked a 35 yard field goal with 10:27 left in the second quarter to give the Thunderbolts a 3-0 lead that evaporated almost instantly.
On the ensuing kickoff 6-foot-2, 190 pound sophomore Wyatt Lassen returned the kick 99 yards for a touchdown. A Northmont defender got a clean shot at Lassen, but instead of wrapping Lassen up he tried to deck him.
Lassen shook off the hard hit and rambled through traffic down the right sideline and outran Northmont defenders for the TD. Shane LaRue blocked the extra-point to keep it a 6-3 game.
Later in the quarter Northmont faced a fourth down at its 32. Barr set up to punt but the snap soared over his head. Barr scrambled back to scoop up the ball and managed to get off the punt with ball downed at the Lebanon 49.
Luke Faler hit wide receiver Daniel Wallace with a pass for a first down at the Northmont 20. Faler then hit sophomore wide receiver Connin Zellner with another pass for a first and goal at the nine.
Two plays later Faler found 6-foot-5, 235 pound tight end Nick Lauter in the right corner of the end zone for a touchdown. Logan Lane’s point after gave the Warriors a 13-3 lead, a score that stood at halftime.
With 8:50 left in the third quarter Lebanon safety Jack Sako intercepted a pass intended for Northmont receiver Davis Salone and returned the ball 33 yards for a touchdown. Lane’s kick boosted the Warriors’ lead to 20-3.
Northmont responded by mounting a long 16-play drive that ended in disaster. Starting at their 37, the Thunderbolts moved the ball to the Warriors nine yard line. On third and goal Lebanon senior safety intercepted a Staggs pass in the end zone and returned the ball to the six with less than 20 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Thunderbolts defense kept the Warriors pinned with their backs to the end zone. Lebanon pulled off a fake punt and picked up a first down, but a penalty nullified the play. On the next punt attempt the ball sailed over Logan Lane’s head and out of the end zone for a safety.
Neither team scored the remainder of the game as Lebanon walked away with the 20-5 victory.
“Lebanon is a great team that we had to face coming out of the gates for our first game of the season and there are a lot of mistakes that we have to fix,” said Northmont coach Ben Rulli. “Always in my career after week one, you see a nice move to positive. Headed into next week we have a big opponent in LaSalle, but we have a lot of positives to build on tonight.
“The scoreboard doesn’t show it, but our boys fought hard. Our defense played lights out tonight. Lebanon scored on a kickoff return and then a pick six. Our kids fought hard. I think that itself is a positive. Sure, there are a lot of penalties we need to cut down on but for a fairly young team and guys playing in their first varsity game – again the scoreboard I am not happy with – but there are a lot of positives to build on,” Rulli added.
Northmont vs.
Lebanon Statistics
1st downs: Lebanon 14, Northmont 13.
Total yards: Lebanon 269, Northmont 210.
Pass completions: Lebanon 12, Northmont 11.
Pass attempts: Lebanon 24, Northmont 20.
Passing yards: Lebanon 140, Northmont 100.
Rushing: Lebanon 19-129, Northmont 32-110.
3rd down efficiency: Lebanon 3-9, Northmont 5-13.
4th down efficiency: Lebanon 0-2, Northmont 1-1.
Turnovers: Lebanon 0, Northmont 3.
Penalties: Lebanon 13-100, Northmont 9-65.
Possession: Lebanon 19:45, Northmont 28:55.
Reach Ron Nunnari at (937) 684-9124 or email Rnunnari@aimmediamidwest.com.
Photos Ron Nunnari | The Register-Herald