By Logan Riddick / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Fittingly, it was a cast of Northside seniors who led the way as the Vikings completed a two-week eradication of their Brookville-Jeff Woody playoff curse.
Senior quarterback Dominic Dunnaville averaged over 15 yards per rush as he sliced through the Monticello defense for 168 yards. He added 128 more through the air, including a touchdown to senior wideout Harold Buckner. Senior tailback Sam Krizner was an effective workhorse, carrying 26 times for 140 yards and two scores. Senior cornerback Eric Johnson came up with two huge interceptions, including the game-sealer. And senior kicker Zach Large knocked through two field goals in the final 18 seconds of the first half, points Northside needed in the end, as the third-seeded Vikings hung on for a 33-27 victory in the second round of the 3A West playoffs.
“It was a great football game,” said Northside coach Burt Torrence. “We expect with that program and with our program, we’ll see each other in years to come.”
Northside never trailed on the night, as they started by holding Monticello to a quick three-and-out to open the game and then drove 51 yards in six plays. Krizner went for 34 on the first play, and Tra Jackson punched it in from two yards out. Monticello countered with one of its trademark 80-yard drives, consisting of 18 plays and a 3-yard touchdown run by T.J. Tillery.
“One of the game plans we had was to pound the football, be patient with three and four yards, and keep chunking it down the field,” said Woody. “This is the best defensive front we’ve seen all year. We weren’t able to maintain those long 13, 14, 15-play drives like we wanted to.”
Over the rest of the first quarter and much of the second, the offenses stalled with four turnovers-on-downs, a Monticello fumble, and a Northside 57-yard punt. With less than four minutes before the break, the Vikings caught a spark when Dunnaville broke a 60-yard run down to the Monticello 15. Three plays later, Krizner scored from eight yards out. Instead of heading to the locker room down one score, though, Monticello surrendered additional points in the closing moments. After a three and out series lasting 52 seconds, Northside drove to the 19 and Large converted a 36-yard field goal for a 17-7 lead. Then, with the ball at the 30 after the ensuing kickoff, St. Hill’s pass was intercepted by Johnson and returned to the 24 with three seconds still on the clock. Large came back on and hit again from 41 yards.
“Maybe we should’ve held on to the ball, run the clock out, so we were down 14-7 at halftime instead of 20-7,” said Woody. “Those six points, allowing them to kick two field goals, came back to bite us.”
It appeared the game might slide out of control as Northside took the second half kickoff and drove 70 yards in eight plays, the last two on Dunnaville passes for 24 yards to Krizner and 26 yards to Buckner. After the teams traded punts, Monticello found itself trailing 27-7 late in the third quarter. However, the visitors battled back with three touchdown receptions by senior receiver Alex McNair.
“He’s got good size, good speed, and we needed to get him the football,” Woody said. “Felt like that was a mismatch we had against them. We’ve been wanting McNair to step up and shine like that. Today, he proved why he should be a Division I prospect.”
First, Monticello had a short field thanks to a shanked punt. St. Hill hit McNair in the back-right corner of the endzone from 12 yards. After forcing another punt early in the fourth quarter, a screen to Tyler Wagner went 59 yards. Five plays later, St. Hill hit McNair over the middle for an 11-yard score. After a short kickoff, Northside was able to create some breathing room with a 57-yard drive, highlighted by Tyler Doyle’s one-handed grab of a Dunnaville pass on second and long that picked up 20 yards into the redzone. Krizner scored on a 12-yard run to give the Vikings a 33-20 lead with 5:34 remaining.
“Something’s got to be said about that catch by Tyler on his back,” said Torrence. “That was an absolutely incredible catch at a pivotal point in the football game.”
Monticello came right back with an 85-yard drive. With the game on the line, St. Hill hit McNair for 49 yards on fourth and six. They connected again on the next play for the last 22 yards and a third touchdown.
“The call was a slant, and the corner was a little far back,” said McNair. “In practice last week, we really emphasized focusing on the ball and catching under pressure. Good pass, good protection, and I was able to do my job.”
Monticello opted to kick deep with 3:39 remaining and three timeouts. Facing third and three near midfield, Dunnaville broke a 26-yard run. However, the defense held from there to setup a fourth and one at the 11 with 1:13 left. Opting to go for the clinching first down, Krizner was stopped a half-yard short. Thus, with 1:09 on the clock, the Mustangs’ offense took the field with a chance to tie for the first time since the second quarter.
“Give us a chance, and we’re going to take a shot,” Woody said. “These kids fought their hearts out. You can’t ask for anything more than that.”
On third and 10, Tyler Wagner had a wheel route down the Monticello sideline, but St. Hill’s pass came down by the numbers. Johnson made his second pick to seal the win.
“Eric Johnson’s been our go-to corner all year long,” Torrence said. “In two situations, he got two critical interceptions for us. That three [before the half] turned out to be really important to us.”
Tillery led Monticello with 96 yards on 28 carries. St. Hill completed 13 of 27 passes for 222 yards; McNair caught five for 105 yards, all in the second half. Monticello finishes the season with a 10-2 record.
Northside (11-1) will host Magna Vista (11-1) in a 3A State Quarterfinal next week.
