Northwest, Maize put on one of Wichita’s most thrilling football games in state semifinal
Senior linebacker Josh Carter didn’t care who caught it.
“I just started crying,” he said. “I’m so proud to be a Grizzly.”
Wichita Northwest beat Maize 67-60 in the Kansas Class 5A state semifinals on Friday after a last-minute touchdown and a game-clinching interception from sophomore Todric McGee. The Grizzlies have gotten over the hump in the last high school football game played in Wichita in 2018.
Trailing by a point with 35.9 seconds to go on the Maize 28-yard line, Northwest junior quarterback Reagan Jones rolled to his right on what looked to be a flood play to conserve the time on the clock and move the sticks. It wasn’t.
Junior receiver Zion Jones swept across the middle of the field along the line of scrimmage and cut upfield on a seam route as Reagan Jones went into his drop. The Maize defense never saw it coming.
Reagan Jones dropped the ball in the basket in what proved to be the game-clincher. Zion Jones’ game-winning reception was indicative of the type of season it has been for Northwest. It screamed resiliency.
Earlier in the game, Zion Jones, normally a sure-handed receiver, dropped a couple of passes including one that would have gone for a score and widened the Grizzlies’ lead.
“I lost a little bit of faith in myself,” Zion Jones said. “I had to get my head back together, and it was a roll after that.”
Northwest has been knocking on the door of its second state championship appearance in school history. In 2015, the Grizzlies lost to Lawrence Free State in the sectional championship. In 2016, they fell to Derby in the regional round. And in 2017, they lost to Derby in the state semifinals.
Northwest coach Steve Martin said this undefeated group is different.
“This run started two years ago,” he said. “After that loss to Derby, we check in all our equipment that year as soon as we got off the bus. We said, ‘We’re going to start brand new Monday morning,’ and these guys have consistently shown up.
“I’m kind of speechless that they have the resiliency because you always dream of it, and stuff like that, it’s crazy. It’s just crazy.”
Maize threw everything at Northwest, giving the Grizzlies their closest game of the 2018 season since week 1, a one-point win over Bishop Carroll. Northwest needed every drop Friday.
It’s rare to see Class 6A and 5A schools run players on both sides of the ball. Northwest sent defensive end Marcus Hicks and Carter on offense all season, but Friday, running back Breece Hall and Jones, the quarterback, were sent in to play cornerback for the first time this season.
“They’re special,” Martin said. “Breece Hall is an All-American going to Iowa State for a reason. I think Reagan Jones is a Division I football player. He’s a gamer.”
Martin said he thought his 19-point lead heading into the fourth quarter would be enough. It wasn’t as Maize took a 60-59 lead with 2:51 to go as senior quarterback Caleb Grill hit junior receiver Preven Christon on a double move for their third touchdown connection of the night.
Friday marked the second straight week Northwest has given up 60 points in a win after beating Bishop Carroll 84-67 in a record-setting state quarterfinal. Carter, the emotional leader of the Grizzlies, said the survive and advance to the state championship game against St. Thomas Aquinas (12-0) means so much.
“I’m on top of the world right now,” he said. “This is a big thing for our community. Coach always says, ‘Play for each other.’ But we’re playing for a lot more people out there. They’ve had our backs since day 1, so this is about as good as it gets.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2018 at 11:25 PM.