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Northwest sheds losing ways

From the outhouse to the penthouse that’s how far Northwest football has come in the last five years. Sure the Knights may only have one playoff victory in that span but considering the abyss that the program was swimming in before 2010 the leap to becoming a consistent winner has been monumental. The foundation is now rock solid on Pippin Road.

Brandon-Shelton-Northwest

Head coach Nate Mahon embraces what has been built. “We are very excited about our football program at Northwest and how far we have come over the past two-five years. There have been some great coaches come through our program and we are enjoying the success from the foundation that has been laid. We are excited about the opportunity of the 2015 season and trying to continue our run of three consecutive playoff appearances. We are at the height of Northwest football and we want to continue that momentum. We have a hard working, very coachable group of kids this year. We are very excited about them and anxious to see them compete,” Mahon states.

What about the 2015 version of the Knights? “Offensively, we should have some firepower returning from last season in key positions. We should also be deep on the offensive and defensive lines, as we have a lot of young players who saw a lot of action last season. We are excited about our youth and our depth returning in 2015. They are a fun group to be around and really want to get better,” says Mahon.

Division III, Region 10
2014 RECORD: 6-5, 4-2 SWOC
COACH: Nate Mahon (15-8 at Northwest, two years, 15-8 overall)

HONOR ROLL
Andrew Reenan, Jr, OL – The 5-foot-9, 250 pound Reenan was an immovable force as a sophomore earning Second Team-All-SWOC honors for his work.

Larry Bruce, Sr, WR/DB – An Honorable Mention All-SWOC selection a year ago Bruce was in on 39 total tackle with and interception. His athleticism may be too much to keep off the field so look for him to see time at receiver as well.

OTHER RETURNEES
The offensive line has a huge upside with Reenan, his classmate Cameron Liford along with seniors TE D.J. Granville, Jesse Ralston and Devin Williams who have all been through the wars. That’s good news for quarterback Brandon Shelton who threw for 832 yards with two rushing and three passing touchdowns as a sophomore a year ago. Receiver Devin Schnurr is back for his third season as a starter. His numbers should increase dramatically as he plays a bigger part in the offense. David Martin will lineup on the opposite side of Schnurr. Running back Lloyd Witcher isn’t big but explosive. He now get his time to shine as a senior.

Junior defensive linemen Michael Carter and Riley Schirmer have to step up and be leaders of a very “green” group that lacks experience but not talent on this side of the ball. Secondary star Harvey Berry is versatile enough to play multiple positions in the back seven.

NEWCOMERS
Ronnell Turner, Jay Harris and Myron Brown, Jr. are athletes that will see plenty of snaps. Where they play on Friday night is still to be determined by coach Mahon. Juniors WR Greg Jackson and RB Devonte Faulkner will add depth at the skill positions. Sophomore OL Alec Schon has grown up watching this program and siblings get better and now looks to keep his family tradition proud.

On defense seniors Kevin Coffey and Khalil Clark will be fine compliments to classmate Bruce. Keep an eye on sophomore DB Derrick Leist who has all-league potential by the time his career is finished.

PLAYOFF HISTORY
(four appearances, 1-4) – 2014, 2013, 2012, 1990

2015 SCHEDULE
Buy your season tickets now to Northwest home games. Knights Stadium will play host to four 2014 playoff teams Talawanda, Harrison Mount Healthy and LaSalle. That’s good news for fans but hair pulling time for the coaching staff.

BEATEN BY THE BEST
The last 10 losses by Northwest have all been to teams that made the playoffs in the year in which the Knights fell to them. Two of those defeats were at the hands of eventual Division II state champions Loveland (2013) and LaSalle (2014). The last non-playoff team to beat Northwest was Harrison on October 12th, 2012.

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