When his Northwest team turned the ball over on downs after sustaining a five minute, 17 second drive down to their opponents 13 yard line last Friday, head coach Michael Neubeiser was more than frustrated about his teams miscues.
He ripped his headset off, spelling out feuded words to his team that was down 14-7 to Seneca Valley heading into the third quarter. Senior quarterback, Mark Pierce, was livid – slamming his helmet down on the bench in anger. Northwest fans put their hands over their heads in disbelief that there Jags were on the verge of an upset alert.
Each team traded punts in the fourth quarter until Northwest got the ball for the final time, with their backs against the wall on their own 17 yard line with 18 seconds left, still down 14-7.
It ended in forgetting fashion for the Jags as Pierce heaved a prayer down field that was picked off by Antonio Fox of Seneca Valley.
After squeaking out a win to Gaithersburg in Week 1 and losing possession of The Kings Trophy to rival Seneca Valley, the Northwest community is frantically rushing around to put tabs on their teams hiccups – possibly pushing the panic button.
It’s easy to speculate such a thing as in the nine drives the two-time 4A champs sustained last Friday, five of them ended in some kind of turnover. As Neubeiser walked off the field, he oversaw Seneca Valley celebrate The Kings Trophy presentation on his home turf and it stung him to witness.
He knew he would face many daunting questions – has the Jags magic that won the past two 4A state championships run out? Neubeiser doesn’t like to think so, but he knows it’s time to step up.
“We have a lot to work on,” he said.
And indeed they do. In last Friday’s game, both of Seneca Valley’s touchdowns came off of Northwest turnovers including a 65-yard fumble return that set the tempo at the 1:30 mark in the first quarter.
An assigned block or two or tighter grip on the football could have been the difference for the Jags, but that was not the case. Miscues and untimely fundamental errors plagued Northwest the entire night.
“The things that we did tonight just can’t happen if we want to win,” Neubeiser said.
Northwest also came across a Seneca Valley team that is rejuvenated and boasting in liveliness which perhaps came at an unfortunate time given that it’s Week 2.
“They’re a good football team,” Neubeiser said. “The thing to take away is that they earned it and we didn’t.”
You also have to put in consideration that the schools all-time leading rusher, E.J. Lee, is no longer in the huddle for the Jaguars. And many players on the defensive side of the ball are still trying figure out their roles.
“We’re very young and we will grow if we put in the work,” Neubeiser said.
So while the two time defending 4A state champions have appeared to stumble out of the gates, it’s only Week 3. There’s no need to push the panic button with senior gunslinger Mark Pierce at the helm and offensive threats Khalil Owens and Reggie Anderson around him.
Let’s just hope the fundamental errors are cleaned up by Week 7 when they face 4A West and county foe, Quince Orchard.
You can follow me on Twitter at @k_fadd and Maryland Sports Access at @MDSportsAccess for more coverage of Northwest football throughout the season.
