TUNNEL HILL, Ga. – Football is said to be the ultimate team sport, but there often are times when one individual steals the show.
Northwest Whitfield sophomore quarterback Luke Shiflett accounted for more than 300 of the Bruins’ 412 total yards Friday night in a 43-29 win over Ridgeland in a game with large playoff implications in Region 7-AAAA.
The Bruins (6-3, 4-2) kept their hopes alive for the No. 2 playoff seed with two games to play, while the Panthers (3-5, 2-3) likely need to win their final two to get in.
“He’s a good football player, isn’t he?” Northwest coach Josh Robinson rhetorically asked of Shiflett. “He’s all the difference in the world to us, and it’s not just his ability, it’s his decision making. That’s what makes a great quarterback. He threw maybe two bad balls all night – and he’s a sophomore, which isn’t too bad, either.”
Shiflett ended with 148 rushing yards on just 10 carries, including a 46-yard touchdown scramble on Northwest’s first drive in which he weaved in and out of several chasing defenders. He also completed 14 of 17 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns in just over three quarters of play.
“Our line blocked real well and our receivers were open all night,” said Shiflett, deflecting praise. “That first drive gave us a lot of confidence, and we built on it all night.”
Ridgeland, despite rushing for 358 yards with its pair of bulldozing running backs, Jalyn Shelton and Chris Henderson, had the ball only twice trailing under 14 points. That drive, however, lasted just two plays when the center-quarterback exchange went awry and the Bruins took over at the Panthers’ 22.
Five plays later, Dominque Sistrunk ran untouched for a 7-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
Ridgeland, after having a long drive end on downs deep in Northwest territory, got a break when a tipped Shiflett pass was intercepted by Markeith Montgomery early in the second quarter. On the next play Ivy Boehm connected with a leaping Montgomery for a 35-yard touchdown pass.
The Panthers forced a Northwest punt, but the Bruins held and soon took over at the Ridgeland 43. A Shiflett scramble netted 3 yards, and he and Jay Jones hooked up for a perfectly executed stop-and-go route for a 38-yard touchdown. Jones then caught the Ridgeland defense off guard and ran in the two-point conversion for a 22-7 lead.
The teams exchanged touchdown drives, with Shelton scoring from 13 yards out with 1:53 to go in the half, but Shiflett completed seven of eight passes to move the Bruins right back down the field and connected with favorite target Will Blanchard for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
That would be the beginning of the end for the visitors as Northwest, finding success on the ground, scored on its first two drives of the second half and held a 43-14 lead before putting in reserves.
“This game is huge because those guys are really good,” Robinson said. “For our guys to come out and play this well is really encouraging for the playoffs, but we’ve got to win at least one more.”
Blanchard caught seven passes for 80 yards to lead Northwest receivers. Shelton had 148 yards rushing and Henderson added 121 for Ridgeland.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.