Timberwolves football comes back with a roaring victory
Neon pride: The Northwood student section rallies the team to victory against Crean Lutheran.
September 29, 2021
Northwood’s Varsity Football team won their first game of the season 17-14 against Crean Lutheran High School after an intense contest at Irvine stadium on Aug. 27.
By the end of the first half, Northwood was leading 10-7. The game remained close throughout, but during the final play, the Timberwolves batted down the Hail Mary pass, helping them clinch victory.
“My most memorable moment was the last play when our safety (Adam Harper) smacked down the football,” junior Jonathan Kang said. “I was about 15 yards away from the quarterback. Once I saw the ball go past my head, it was all up to the safety and he pulled through.”
While the team came out victorious, they faced considerable setbacks due to the ongoing pandemic and the resulting COVID-19 protocols.
“A few weeks before the game, four of our players tested positive for COVID-19,” football captain junior Andrew Penrod said. “We had to shut down practice and get everyone tested, which hurt our team a lot because every practice is so valuable for all of us to improve each and every day.”
The pandemic had also prevented the football team from engaging in competitive football games with other schools for almost two years, so there was plenty of anticipation for this first game of the season.
“I was hyped but at the same time nervous,” Kang said. “It’s been two years since Northwood had a real football game and everyone had high expectations of us. It also felt really good having the student section and marching band back!”
For students who are interested in attending future games, most home football games are held on Fridays at the Irvine stadium. Marching band, Cheer and ASB all help create an atmosphere that highlights Northwood’s team spirit and school pride.
“Football games were one of the most fun events I went to in freshman year because of all the spirit and the effort ASB puts into it,” junior class vice president Neela Michelsen said. “I was really excited to go to a game again because of the year off, and it was a huge success and just as fun as I remembered it to be.”
