Northwood football fights hard but can't finish comeback in 55-35 loss to Chapel Hill

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CHAPEL HILL — The Northwood football team didn’t quit, but it could not overcome the early hole it put itself in Friday night against Chapel Hill High.

Despite taking an early 8-7 lead, the Chargers gave up the next 28 points. Head coach Chris Kenan’s team battled to make things a two-possession game late, but the game was always in hand for the Tigers, who eventually won 55-35.

Things started on a sour note for the Chargers (1-2), as they went 3-and-out on their opening possession, and a bad snap on the ensuing punt gave Chapel Hill the ball at Northwood’s 19-yard line to start its first possession. The Tigers immediately capitalized with a 19-yard touchdown run by senior Cayden Forbes to make it 7-0.

Northwood marched right back down the field and scored on a 28-yard scamper by quarterback Will Smith on 3rd-and-11, and a successful two-point conversion gave the Chargers their first, and only, lead of the ballgame.

Just two plays later, Chapel Hill scored on a 70-yard run by senior Drew Allen. The Tigers ended up scoring on three of their next four possessions to take a commanding 35-8 lead early in the third quarter.

Northwood struggled to contain Chapel Hill’s high-octane offense. The Tigers finished the night with 305 rushing yards on 25 carries, 183 of which came from Allen. Forbes, meanwhile, had 66 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries.

Trailing by 27 points early in the second half, the Chargers could have laid down and prayed for a running clock, but they started stringing together some of their best drives of the night in the second half. After forcing a turnover on downs on Chapel Hill’s next possession, Northwood drove downfield and scored on a 5-yard run by freshman Robert Tripp.

Chapel Hill fumbled the ball on the first play of its next possession, and eight plays later the Chargers found the end zone again on a seven-yard keeper by Smith to cut the game to 35-20. Smith scored a third rushing touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter and later threw a 43-yard score to sophomore Gus Ritchey to trim Chapel Hill’s lead to 48-35. This was as close as the Chargers could get to completing the comeback, though.

Northwood was led offensively by the duo of Smith and Tripp, who combined for 242 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries. Tripp earned the start at running back for the injured Carson Fortunes, who was injured in the Chargers’ Week 2 win over Jordan-Matthews.

The Chargers are 1-2 but have a strong chance to get back to .500 next week as they host Seaforth. The Hawks are 0-3 and have been outscored, 128-0, so far this season.

Northwood, football, Chapel Hill, Will Smith, Robert Tripp, Chris Kenan, Carson Fortunes, Drew Allen, Cayden Forbes, Josh Kelley, Chargers, Tigers