TIFFIN 31, NORTHWOOD 23

By Kyle Holsinger

TIFFIN — If the game played between Tiffin and Northwood on Saturday were a stage production, most of the action was saved for the final act.

Tiffin survived a late rally by Northwood to get their first Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) win of the season, 31-23.

Dragon quarterback Alex Johnson found a wide open Ethan Holbrook near the left sideline, and Holbrook walked it in from there to give Tiffin a comfortable 21-point lead with 5:52 left in the game, 31-10.

That’s when the Timberwolves (2-1, 0-1) made things uncomfortable for the Dragons. On the next play from scrimmage, Northwood QB Jacob Barlage completed a short pass over the middle to Dawson Leffler, who turned the catch into a 26-yard gain to get the Timbys to midfield. 

Barlage then threw a deep pass to senior wideout Brendan Teal who took it the rest of the way for a 52-yard scoring strike. Max Gonos converted the point after, and Northwood was back to within two scores with just 37 seconds taken off the clock.

A failed onside kick attempt by the Timberwolves gave Tiffin great field position to start their next possession. Northwood’s defense and a false start penalty forced the Dragons into a three-and-out scenario on their next drive. Tiffin’s Joseph Weiers made a nice punt that was downed at the Northwood four-yard line with 2:19 remaining in regulation.

The Timbys then took it 96 yards down the field over the next 15 plays. They earned six first downs on the drive with the first couple being on third down conversions. Barlage then lobbed a short pass to the left to freshman wideout Braylon Gardner who was able to get down into Dragon territory for a 30-yard completion.

After Barlage scrambled for seven yards, he was sacked by Tiffin senior linebacker Jalen Coles. A tackle-for-loss by Kennth Byrd and Gio Albanese moved Northwood back for a fourth-and-fourteen situation.

Although the pass was incomplete on the next play, a roughing the passer penalty was called on the Dragons to breathe life into the Timberwolves hopes for a win. 

Northwood gained another first down when Northwood QB Ethan Hamby found Leffler for an 11-yard pitch-and-catch. On the next play, Albanese sacked Hamby, forcing the Timbys to call a timeout with 29 seconds to go in the game.

Hamby tossed a short pass to Gardner for 23-yards to get down to the Dragon 5. Hamby threw it to Gardner again, this time over the middle for a touchdown. Hamby’s pass was incomplete on the two-point conversion, but Northwood was within a score with 20 seconds left in the contest.

Fortunately for the Dragons, the Timby’s onside kick attempt failed, and they were able to take a knee to seal the conference win.

“I think both teams came out and played really hard,” Tiffin coach Brett Ekkens said. “I think that it was a battle all the way to the end and credit to them. They fought for 60 minutes both sides of the ball, and it was a great game.”

The Dragons started out the game with a 96-yard scoring drive of their own that was highlighted by runs of 10, 14, and 17 by junior running back Ronald Blackman. Blackman capped off the drive with a 21-yard TD pass from Bellevue native, Keegan Ray, on a wheel route towards the left sideline. The Dragons were out to a 7-0 lead with 8:58 remaining in the first quarter.

Backup QBs for each team, Hamby and Ray, took snaps sporadically throughout the game for their teams respectively.

Northwood responded on their next drive with run game to get to midfield. Devin Brown had three attempts for 22 yards plus a six-yard run by Brandon Teal on the drive helped to move the chains. Three straight completions by Barlage put the Timberwolves in the end zone. Barlage first hit Gardner for 12 yards, then Bryan Kinley snagged a pass for nine yards, and Mark Tocco caught a deep pass to the right for the 26-yard score.

Toward the end of the first quarter, the Dragons started a 15-play, 70 yard scoring drive that took 8:05 off the clock.

Blackman ran up the middle for 31 yards to get the Dragons to midfield. Blackman then picked up four yards on a third-and-four scenario to keep the drive alive. Four plays later, Tiffin had a fourth-and-eight at the Timberwolves 34 when Johnson scrambled left for a 12-yard pickup and a first down.

Another four plays later though, Coach Ekkens elected to send the field goal unit out, and Ben Rudolph nailed one from 37-yards out to put the Dragons ahead roughly five minutes into the second quarter, 10-7.

Later in the quarter, Tiffin junior Khris Walton sacked Barlage to put the Timbys in a second-and-18 situation. After a 12-yard rush by Devin Brown, Barlage was intercepted by Dragon defensive back Justin Wimpye to thwart the Timberwolves scoring chance.

Tiffin couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity, and the score remained the same going into halftime.

On the first play to start the second half, Wimpye again intercepted Barlage at the Northwood 44. A holding penalty set the Dragons back on the ensuing drive, and they were forced to punt.

The Timberwolves then had their longest drive of the game, taking 6:16 off the clock as the offense went 57 yards over 14 plays. Barlage picked up a first down on an eight-yard rush in a third-and-four situation, Devin Brown moved the sticks with a six-yard run, Barlage then completed a short pass to Brown who took it 12 yards, and Barlage had an 18-yard scramble to get Northwood down to the Tiffin 24. Three plays later, Hamby was sacked by redshirt freshman Uzonna Nzekwe to force Northwood to settle for a 41-yard field goal by Gonos. The score was tied with 4:49 to go in the third quarter.

The Green & Gold then went on a three-score run before Northwood’s rally.

On a third-and-10 from their own 21, Johnson tossed a deep pass to the left to senior receiver Jalen Thomas for 38-yards to get into Timby territory. The next play, Johnson again threw a deep ball to the left. This time it was to redshirt sophomore Javier Wills for a 41-yard touchdown. The Dragons had regained their lead, 17-10.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves found themselves in a fourth-and-four scenario. A QB keeper by Barlage failed when Jalen Coles stopped him short to create the turnover-on-downs for the Dragon defense.

A roughing the passer penalty on the following drive got Tiffin into their opponent’s territory. Johnson then completed a short pass to Ethan Holbrook who took it down the right sideline for 33 yards to the Northwood 13. On a third-and-one from the four-yard line, Blackman ran it in for six points. The PAT gave the Dragons a 24-10 lead with 11:24 left in competition.

Tiffin had 424 yards of total offense with 243 through the air and 181 on the ground.

Johnson completed 19-of-29 passes for 222 yards, two TDs, and 22 rushing yards. Blackman rushed for 118 yards and a TD on 24 carries while also having three receptions for 26 yards and a TD. Wills finished with 67 yards and a TD on five catches, and Holbrook caught three balls for 62 yards and a TD.

Wimpye had five tackles, two interceptions, and a pass break up. Albanese had four tackles, two for loss, and 1.5 sacks on the day for the Dragons.

Northwood passed for 254 yards while rushing for 113 yards for 367 total yards.

Tiffin’s defense had five sacks while the offensive line gave up zero.

The Dragons dominated time of possession, holding onto the ball for 36:49 to Northwood’s 23:11.

Tiffin travels to Ashland (1-2, 1-0) next Saturday to face the Eagles in G-MAC play.