MOUNT GILEAD — Northmor found its efficiency here Friday night.
The Golden Knights upped their record to 5-0 and set the stage for a KMAC showdown with East Knox by virtue of its 47-13 win over the Indians, who slip to 2-3.
“We’re excited to be 5-0. We played a complete football game tonight,” Northmor head coach Scott Armrose said.
“The offensive line and the defensive line did a good job. I’m very pleased. We had specific things to work on in practice and we worked on those things and it showed tonight.”
The visitors gained 300 yards rushing and another 144 through the air.
Leading the way was senior Wyatt Reeder, who gained 188 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns.
“Wyatt’s always been an athlete. We know that about Wyatt. What he’s becoming now is a running back,” Armrose said.
“He’s starting to see things better; he’s finding seams he wasn’t seeing early in the season. He’s becoming a really good running back. He flies around on defense and is learning to be a linebacker too, after playing safety for us last year.”
Quarterback Hunter Mariotti found Gavin Ramos on a 6-yard scoring strike and Reeder added a 5-yard run as Northmor held a 19-7 halftime lead.
Reeder added scoring runs of 2 and 11 yards in the second half.
Nate Rogers got the Indians on the board with a 3-yard run with 1:28 left in the first half.
Mount Gilead coach Phil Mauro said his team didn’t tackle well.
“I’m really mad at myself. We should have played for the field goal before halftime and been down 19-10. We threw that pick and I was probably a little greedy there.”
Logan Randolph made a leaping interception in the end zone to stop the MG drive.
“We don’t take anything away from Northmor. They’re a good team and senior-laden,” Mauro said.
Several illegal procedure penalties hurt the Indians as they were driving downfield.
“Our young kids are doing a great job. They’re just young. It’s not the result we wanted obviously, but we will look at film and re-group,” he said.
Joel Butterman hit Rogers with a 13-yard pass for the Indians other score in the fourth quarter.
“We’re making progress. They’re a great bunch of kids,” Mauro said.
Tyler Boggs added a late TD for Northmor on a 19-yard run.
Mariotti hit on 11-of-15 pass attempts for 131 yards. Butterman was 10-of-17 for 116 yards through the air.
The Knights held Mount Gilead to 43 yards on the ground.
Northmor turns its attention to homecoming opponent East Knox, a 69-0 winner over Fredericktown.
“We’re excited. Two undefeated teams playing each other with a lot of things on the line,” Armrose said.
“I think they’re a more physical football team than they’ve been in the past. They’ve been kind of a spread team. They’ve got athletes now and they’re physical.”
The Indians travel to Centerburg (3-2) Friday night.
