SHICKSHINNY – Except during the very unusual season marred by a pandemic back in 2020, playing varsity football during the week is a very infrequent occurrence – and one that comes with a set of challenges.
Northwest was able to step up and meet those challenges as it hosted Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech on Tuesday night, as the Rangers showed up prepared and ready to play against an overmatched and banged up Rams’ squad that came out of the game even more banged up.
And while CMVT will need to likely find another quarterback for its game on Saturday that will be its third in an eight-day span, Northwest will head to its next game 10 days from now 4-0 for the first time since 2022 after the Rangers shut out the Rams 76-0.
“With the short week, our goal was to come out of last Friday’s game healthy and with the win and they did that, and that’s a testament to how hard they worked in the offseason to prepare for these types of games,” said Northwest coach Greg Mullins. “Our guys did the job to open up the holes and with them executing the game plan and the plays, and our speed is able to be used because they’re doing their job.”
Northwest held CMVT to just 39 total yards, and a flat zero on the ground, and forced five turnovers by the Rams, including interceptions on their first two possessions of the game. The Rangers scored touchdowns on all nine of their first half possessions, and on two of three in the second half as well. The second half was shortened to two eight-minute quarters.
In fact, Northwest only ran 23 offensive plays in the game, not including four kneel-downs at the end of the game. Of those 23 plays, nearly half – 11 – resulted in touchdowns, and they produced a total of 389 yards, or nearly 17 yards per play.
Caleb Ide led the way with 124 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on just four carries. Loegan Diltz also had just four carries, three of which resulted in touchdowns for a total of 88 yards. Cole Cavuto threw just five passes, completing four of them, with three for touchdowns.
It helped that eight of Northwest’s nine drives in the first half started on CMVT’s end of the field, with an average starting field position at the CMVT 29-yard line.
Robby Voyton got the scoring started with a 13-yard touchdown run at the 8:43 mark of the first quarter after Mason Bilby picked off a Zimmerman pass at the CMVT 40.
Bilby got another interception on CMVT’s next drive, and the Rangers took over at the Ram 40 again. Cavuto then connected with Wyatt Orlowski over the middle on the first play of Northwest’s resulting drive, making it 14-0 with 8:01 to play in the quarter.
The Rams then turned the ball over on downs on their next two possessions – although one of those came on a fumbled snap while attempting to punt – and both times, Northwest needed just two plays to find the end zone. Cavuto connected with Ben Bonham down the right sideline for a 26-yard touchdown pass, and then Diltz punched it in from three yards out.
CMVT then lost a fumble at their own 17 and once again, the Rangers needed just two plays to score, this time on a one-yard plunge by Cavuto to make it 34-0 with :56 left in the quarter.
CMVT picked up two of its three first downs of the game on its ensuing drive and managed to get the ball past midfield for the first time all night, but that drive ended on downs at the Northwest 43. The Rangers took over and on the first play, Diltz got loose around the right side for a 57-yard touchdown run. The Rams then lost another fumble on their next possession, and Diltz found the end zone for the third time on the night with a 19-yard run to make it 48-0 with 5:53 left in the first half.
Northwest would stop the Rams on downs on their last two first half drives, and tacked on two more touchdowns on its resulting possessions. Those came on a 15-yard reception by Boone May and a 29-yard run by Ide.
The Rangers’ second half touchdowns came on a 34-yard run by Noah Arnett in the third quarter and a 24-yard run by Ide in the fourth.
CMVT’s Cody Zimmerman, who was starting at quarterback because Jaxon Hartman was injured, was tackled awkwardly late in the game and got his left twisted under him, which forced him to leave the game in the waning seconds. That play was emblematic of the evening for the Rams as next to nothing went right, and now, will likely be searching for a quarterback as they look ahead to Saturday’s contest.
“Cody was the one quarterback we had left, and now we have no quarterback left, so I’m a little lost for words right now,” said CMVT coach Mark Varner. “We’ve had a tough two weeks health-wise so our injuries are piling up.
“We’ve tried a lot of different sets and schemes but it just comes down to execution and all guys doing what they’re supposed to be doing – stepping the correct way, and everyone being on the same page, and we’re just not. We’re not executing and it’s not just one person, it’s everyone. One play, we have one breakdown, next play is another breakdown from another position, so we just need to get everyone on the same page and executing the same way on every play.”
Northwest will now have nine days off before it takes its 4-0 record into a home game against Hughesville next Friday, Sept. 25.
“Northwest is for real. We executed in all phases and did what we were supposed to do,” said Mullins. “Hughesville looks good and we’re eager to play them. We didn’t take CMVT lightly, and now we’re already thinking about Hughesville.”
Northwest 76, Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 0
CMVT (0-4) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Northwest (4-0) 34 28 7 7 – 76
First quarter
8:43 – (N) Robby Voyton 13-yard run (Orlowski kick), 4-60, 1:36
8:01 – (N) Wyatt Orlowski 40-yard pass from Cole Cavuto (Orlowski kick), 1-40, :07
4:41 – (N) Ben Bonham 26-yard pass from Cole Cavuto (Orlowski kick), 2-34, :46
1:23 – (N) Loegan Diltz 3-yard run (Orlowski kick), 2-11, :47
:56 – (N) Cole Cavuto 1-yard run (kick failed), 2-17, :14
Second quarter
6:23 – (N) Loegan Diltz 57-yard run (Orlowski kick), 1-57, :12
5:53 – (N) Loegan Diltz 19-yard run (Orlowski kick), 2-19, :17
3:57 – (N) Boone May 15-yard pass from Cole Cavuto (Orlowski kick), 1-15, :10
1:13 – (N) Caleb Ide 29-yard run (Orlowski kick), 2-29, :43
Third quarter
2:03 – (N) Noah Arnett 34-yard run (Orlowski kick), 4-99, 2:19
Fourth quarter
6:03 – (N) Caleb Ide 24-yard run (Orlowski kick), 2-19, 1:00
Statistics
VT N
First downs 3 16
Rushes-net yards 31-0 21-283
Passing yardage 39 106
Passing 4-13-0-3 5-6-3-0
Fumbles-lost 4-2 2-1
Penalties-yards 2-10 2-20
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: CMVT: Cody Zimmerman (16-(-2)), Keegan Moyer (9-(-8)), Liam Patraw (7-20), Hoyt Kelley (2-(-10)) Team (1-0); Northwest: Caleb Ide (4-124-2), Loegan Diltz (4-88-3), Robby Voyton (4-26-1), Team (1-(-4)), Cole Cavuto (2-9-1), Noah Arnett (1-34-1), Ben Bonham (1-13), Mason Bilby (1-(-7))
PASSING: CMVT: Cody Zimmerman (4-13-39-0-3); Northwest: Cole Cavuto (4-5-97-3-0), Mason Bilby (1-1-9-0-0)
RECEIVING: CMVT: Blake Sponenberg (3-31), Wyatt Bodnar (1-8); Northwest: Wyatt Orlowski (2-49-1), Boone May (2-31-1), Ben Bonham (1-26-1)