Northridge moves to IHSAA sectional semifinal, but future is bright at Riley

SOUTH BEND — The level of pep in Darrick Lee’s pep talk sounded more pregame than postgame after his Riley Wildcats had just fallen 33-12 to Northridge in Friday night’s Class 4A sectional football opener at Jackson Field.

Lee wasn’t about to go quietly to cap his first season as Riley coach, and his Cats made some noise of their own on the way to trailing the Raiders just 14-12 at halftime, before the defending state finalists finally pulled away after the break.

“People better watch out for the Wildcats,” a future-minded Lee declared. “We’re going to take a week off, but then we’re going to be back to work. Every kid is going to play (a winter sport), and those that aren’t, hey, we’re getting in the weight room. We’re gonna get bigger, stronger, faster and you can mark it down — South Bend Riley is going to be a force next year in 4A.”

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The Cats weren’t bad this year, especially in light of where they stood heading in.

They finished 5-5 after going just 1-6 last fall and 3-7 the year before.

They’ll likely close 2022 with the best record among all South Bend schools, public or private, and they could return nine offensive starters and seven of their top eight tacklers next season.

“We have some solid pieces,” Lee said. “The foundation is there. We’ve just got to continue to build on it. We’ve got guys who care. We’ve got a long way to go, but I think our players progressed and our coaches did a great job this year, and I’m proud of the smaller senior class we have. They did a great job trying to change the culture, and now we’re going to keep stacking those bricks.”

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Northridge coach Chad Eppley isn’t doubting that.

“They have a lot of special players on that team,” Eppley said. “That’s a South Bend Riley team that’s going up for sure, and Coach has done a heck of a job transitioning them from where they were to what they are now.”

As for the Raiders (6-4), what they are now is on their way to the sectional semifinals, where they’ll host Logansport (8-2) next Friday.

Jethro Hochstetler caught 10 passes for 182 yards and the game’s first touchdown against the Wildcats, a 45-yarder midway through the second quarter in which he turned a short throw from fellow senior and heavily pressured quarterback Qade Carrington into a squatting catch before breaking a tackle to go the distance.

Sophomore running back Derek Sherwood, in for injured McClain Miller, added Northridge’s second TD just two minutes later, as well as a two-point conversion, to make the count 14-0 after a Riley three-and-out.

Sherwood splashed onto the scene with 145 yards on 25 carries — after entering the night at just 36 yards and eight attempts all season.

“We knew we had a special kid there,” Eppley said. “Obviously, behind Mac, it’s kind of hard to see time there, but he broke through in a big way, kind of like Mac did last year (in the playoff win) against Leo.”

Miller was sidelined late in the first quarter with what Eppley described as an injury to the “shoulder collarbone area. He could be iffy (for next week), but not sure.”

The Cats closed to 14-6 with 31 seconds left in the first half on senior Caleb Francis’ leaping end zone catch between two defenders of a 34-yard throw from sophomore QB Austin White.

Then, on the Raiders’ very next play from scrimmage, sophomore linebacker Quatez Foster intercepted a short toss by Carrington and returned it 30 yards for a score and his team’s 14-12 halftime deficit.

Northridge responded with an 11-play, 75-yard TD drive to start the second half, highlighted by a 19-yard Hochstetler reception on fourth-and-3, and capped by Max Petersheim’s fourth-and-goal tally from the 1.

The Raiders scored a TD on their next possession as well, then went up 33-12 by early in the fourth quarter on Carrington’s second TD pass of the evening.

Carrington completed 16-of-25 throws for 261 yards.

On the defensive side for Northridge, senior Jaiden Medina picked off a pair of fourth-quarter White passes, the first setting up the Raiders’ final touchdown.

Riley’s defense registered many sparkling moments of its own despite the 33 points allowed.

In addition to his pick six, Foster recorded a sack and at least one tackle for no gain.

Junior De’Anthony Johnson, junior Travaris Townsend and senior Antwann Simpson each recovered Northridge fumbles for the Cats, with Johnson and Townsend each in on multiple tackles for loss or no gain as well.

Offensively for Riley, Francis made five catches for 111 yards, while sophomore Marvin Schindler hauled in four for 54.

N: Jethro Hochstetler 45 pass from Qade Carrington (run failed).

N: Derek Sherwood 3 run (Sherwood run).

R: Caleb Francis 34 pass from Austin White (kick failed).

R: Quatez Foster 30 interception return (pass failed).

N: Max Petersheim 1 run (kick failed).

N: Jackson Bontrager 24 run (run failed).

N: Kade Sainz 8 pass from Carrington (Dylan Ritchie kick).

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA football sectional: IHSAA Class 4A, Northridge at Riley