Kevin Folsom leads Northwest to victory (+video)

Northwest quarterback Kevin Folsom failed in his desperate attempt to banish the memories of his season-ending injury against West in 2014.

“It’s hard not to think about,” Folsom said. “I just use it as motivation. I knew I couldn’t let any play down. I couldn’t take it easy. One play could be it. You never know. I try to leave it all out here for my teammates.”

Folsom ran for four touchdowns and threw for four in a 69-28 win over West on Friday as the Grizzlies, ranked third in Class 6A, improved to 5-0. West is 3-2.

“Kevin was different. Usually I don’t mess with Kevin before games. I let him relax,” Northwest coach Steve Martin said. “He was preoccupied, so we got after that. He did a good job.

“… Once we got rolling, he relaxed and our offensive line took control of the game.”

Folsom didn’t showcase nerves or play with any trepidation.

Folsom was 18-of-23 passing for 275 yards, connecting with Martese Mullins on 11 passes for 135 yards. Mullins and Alex Bott each had two receiving touchdowns. Running backs Jahlyl Rounds and Tony Joyner each added a rushing touchdown.

“I save Kevin for big games,” Martin said. “Kevin’s our catalyst. Our whole offense is based off what our quarterback does. He put on a show tonight.”

Folsom also had 22 carries for 87 yards and four touchdowns.

And Northwest’s first 11 plays consisted of seven carries by Folsom and four passes. Folsom had 21 carries at the half.

“It’s a football game. Football’s a tough sport,” he said. “I’m not scared of anybody.”

Northwest had a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter when Folsom made a rare mistake on a fumbled exchange. West’s Javon Reed scored two plays later on a 46-yard run.

With Northwest leading 28-8 midway through the period, Reed scored on an 81-yard run. He finished with 11 carries for 191 yards, also scoring on a 43-yard fourth-quarter run.

Northwest’s high-powered offense answered after each of those second-quarter scores — the Grizzlies scored 49 points in the period.

“They wear you down,” West coach Weston Schartz said. “It’s their no-huddle offense. We play fast, but we don’t play that fast.

“They’ve got great skill people, great skill people. (Folsom) is the best quarterback in the City League.”

West fumbled twice on kickoffs, and Northwest scored two touchdowns on three plays. Three of the Grizzlies’ scoring drives in the second half were of nine or more plays, while three were five or fewer.

Mullins had a huge night, which Martin attributed to one-on-one defensive coverage.

“You can’t do that with that guy,” Martin said. “He’s pretty special. He’s really grown up since his freshman year, just sloppy routes and relying on his speed. He’s starting to become a technician.”

Northwest sacked West quarterback Chaz Capps three times and outside of Reed’s big runs, allowed 127 rushing yards and 45 passing.

“They got two big runs on us, and after that, we came together and locked it down,” Northwest senior Justin Onwugbufor said.

This story was originally published October 2, 2015 at 11:25 PM with the headline "Kevin Folsom leads Northwest to victory (+video)."