NCS falls to Varnado on homecoming night

The Northlake Christian School Wolverines finished out their season on a rough note Friday night at William Pitcher Field in Covington as they lost their seventh game, 28-7, to the Varnado Wildcats.

The defeat dropped the young Wolverines’ overall record to 1-8 and their district mark to 0-5.

Varnado used its superior size to control the line of scrimmage, gaining for 293 yards on the ground, with 122 of those yards coming in the first quarter.

The Wildcats first score came on their third play from scrimmage with Derrick Gibson scoring on a 42-yard touchdown run. Varnado was successful on a two-point conversion to make it 8-0 with less than two minutes off the clock.

The Wildcats then forced the Wolverines’ into a three-and-out, and a short punt allowed Varnado to take back possession at its own 42. The Wildcats mounted an eight-play, 58-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 12-yard pass from quarterback Colten Owens to Latruan Weary, giving the Wildcats a 14-0 lead with more than five minutes left in the first period.

NCS then managed only six yards on their next offensive series and were forced to punt to the Wildcats. Varnado posted its third touchdown as Weary blasted in from six-yards out, giving the Wildcats a 22-0 lead, which is how the half ended.

The half ended on a positive note with Wolverines’ quarterback/cornerback Tim Broussard intercepting an Owens’ pass in the end zone to end a Wildcat scoring threat as time ran out.

The Wolverines were limited to five first downs in the first half with 42 yards of offense.

The game’s second half was more evenly matched with both teams managing only one score. The Wildcats opened up the second half marching 70 yards on 12 plays in just under seven minutes to increase their lead to 28-0. Fullback D’Mika Peters tallied on a three-yard run.

The final quarter saw the Wolverines only tally. Broussard returned a punt 30 yards setting the Wolverines up in excellent field position at Varnado’s 30 with a little over eight minutes left in the game. After completing a 10-yard pass to Will Werner, Broussard did the rest with runs of 18 and two yards.

After Broussard’s touchdown, Wolverines’ kicker Kevin Pence completed a perfect season of extra points, bringing the score to 28-7. Pence also hit every field goal he attempted this season.

Following the game NCS said goodbye to its small class of five seniors, Pence, Werner, Taylor Bazzell, Alex Reed and Ryan Jones.

Despite their losing record, Coach Rowland Skinner told his team that he was proud of the way they had continued to battle throughout the season against larger and more experienced opponents. The Wolverines also continued to see improved play from players like Shawn Burst, who finished the night with eight tackles on defense, and Broussard, who finished the night with 47 yards on 12 carries.