Northwest closes out unbeaten regular season (+video)
Northwest quarterback Kevin Folsom would be the first to admit he’s no expert when it comes to explaining Kansas’ district football playoff system.
But he understood heading into Friday’s regular-season finale against visiting Hutchinson that basic math would be a much better option for the Grizzlies than the state’s tiebreaker calculus.
“I really don’t know about the criteria thing,” Folsom said after No. 2 Northwest held off Hutchinson 28-21 to win the Class 6A-District 8 title. “They were talking about it, but we just focused on this game and we were worried about winning it.”
Folsom, a senior, helped the Grizzlies get the job done, completing 10 of 15 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Martese Mullins hauled in touchdown passes of 79 and 77 yards in the first half to help Northwest improve to 9-0 and complete an unbeaten regular season for the first time since 2005.
All was not lost for Hutchinson. The Salthawks, who finished second in 6A last season, got the second playoff spot from District 8 with the help of Dodge City’s 21-20 victory over Garden City. Hutch, Dodge and Garden finished 1-2 in district play, but the Salthawks moved on by virtue of owning the best point differential.
The Grizzlies, which won the district at 3-0, were pleased to avoid that situation.
“The whole goal was to win a football game,” Northwest coach Steve Martin said. “I did tell one of my assistants, ‘Hey, if we’re down by 22, make me kick a field goal.’ That’s the only time we mentioned points and that was 10 minutes before the game.”
It never came to that, as senior Alex Bott gave Northwest its winning points on an 8-yard touchdown run just 44 seconds after Hutchinson tied the score at 21 in the third quarter.
Hutchinson provided Northwest with its closest test since the Grizzlies’ 31-24 victory over Bishop Carroll in the season opener. Running back Ruben Benitez, who finished with 15 carries for 105 yards, scored on Hutch’s third offensive play. A couple minutes later, the Salthawks pounced on a Northwest fumble.
But the Grizzlies turned the tide in breathtaking fashion. Folsom hit Mullins on a fly pattern for a 79-yard touchdown that helped tie the score at 7. On Northwest’s next possession, Mullins took a quick slant pass from Folsom, broke two tackles and raced 77 yards to put Northwest up 14-7 late in the first quarter.
“Sometimes things aren’t going to work out for you,” Folsom said of Northwest’s early deficit. “But football is four quarters for a reason.
“You can’t hang your head on the first drive. You’ve just got to keep working and think about the next play, and that’s what happened.”
Folsom had his third touchdown pass before halftime, connecting with Jahlyl Rounds for 36 yards to put Northwest up 21-7. The Grizzlies finished with a 346-340 edge in total offense and used two interceptions to hold off Hutch.
“We’ve still got a lot more work to do, a lot more stuff to keep working on,” Folsom said. “But it feels pretty good (to be 9-0). I don’t think this has been done in a long time. It’s nice to make some history.”
Hutchinson | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | — | 21 | |
Northwest | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | — | 28 |
H—Benitez 46 run (Culley kick)
NW—Mullins 79 pass from Folsom (Deckinger kick)
NW—Mullins 77 pass from Folsom (Deckinger kick)
NW—Rounds 36 pass from Folsom (Deckinger kick)
H—Smith 35 pass from Maldonado (Culley kick)
H—Benitez 4 run (Culley kick)
NW—Bott 8 run (Deckinger kick)
Individual statistics
Rushing—Hutchinson, Maldonado 16-105, Benitez 15-105, Smith 13-38, Richards 5-36, Harris 6-9. Northwest, Rounds 12-34, Joyner 9-29, Folsom 8-13, Bott 3-3.
Passing—Hutchinson, Maldonado 3-9-47-2. Northwest 10-15-267-0.
Receiving—Hutchinson, Smith 2-36, Richards 1-11. Northwest, Mullins 3-163, Rounds 4-85, Darr 2-13, Bott 1-6.
This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Northwest closes out unbeaten regular season (+video)."