By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
When a veteran team is playing at the level everyone expected, with just one loss for the second straight season, there’s more than just good players and coaches making an impact.
The Northwood Falcons are sailing along, 6-1 overall, with one of the best power rankings in Non-Select Division I – even though they are the smallest school in that division, and are one of a handful of Class 4A teams that will line up with the 5A squads come playoff time.
Northwood is 3-1 in District 1-4A. The only blemish is a much-more-competitive-than-it-looks 52-26 loss Sept. 26 to unbeaten rival North DeSoto, in a contest that was in doubt well into the second half. The Griffins, ranked No. 1 in 4A, have a win at West Monroe, ranked fourth in 5A, to their credit.
Northwood hasn’t blinked since dropping its district opener, outscoring the next three foes by 138-22. In their six overall wins, the Falcons are averaging 52 points.
The last victory was a 48-14 cruise by a much-improved Bossier team on the road last Friday night, earning Northwood the Shreveport-Bossier Journal Team of the Week honor as it prepares to play another improved district foe, Southwood, Thursday night.
How have the Falcons handled their own lofty expectations?
“It starts with the senior leadership,” said sixth-year coach Austin Brown. “They were young players when some great role models were coming through, and they saw first-hand Northwood at its peak. Then they were sophomores and a lot of them were counted upon to be starters. They weren’t exactly ready for it; we went 5-6, still made the playoffs, but that ignited the hunger to be better.
“This has been my best team as far as being player-led. They have no problem telling me what this team needs: ‘Coach, I know today’s not supposed to be a padded practice, but we need a padded practice.’ Or ‘Coach, this kid needs to be starting.
“If they feel strongly about something, we as coaches take a long look and almost always we listen to them. Pretty much every time, it’s paid off and it’s created more buy-in as we go along,” said Brown, who has a 26-man senior class, with 10 starting on defense and 7-8 on offense.
But it’s not just those front-line players that have made Northwood so successful.
“We’ve bought into going two ways, and guys contributing off the bench in some way, even if it’s just 10 plays a game. We practiced it all summer and it’s gone well. These players accept the concept of it’s how can you help the team, no matter whether it’s your primary position or not,” he said.
For the Falcons, “the MVP of our team IS our team,” to use a catchphrase that legendary Northwestern State basketball coach Mike McConathy pioneered before Brown spent a couple of years watching his squads as a graduate assistant football coach with the Demons.
Northwood senior stars like cornerback/receiver Justin Thomas, running back Kyran Johnson, receiver Jayden White, defensive back Jerimiah Johnson, linebacker Gaige Lummus, and a stalwart offensive line are obvious cornerstones. But don’t overlook the infantry.
“The backups, the role players, and the younger guys are making a big difference every day,” said Brown. ”It’s a testament to these seniors as to how much we’ve grown as to our depth. We’ve overcome the normal injuries and not seen a dropoff in performance. The guys who aren’t starters have stepped up, and they have come along because these seniors, and the other starters, have prepared them to get better.”
The convincing victory margins Northwood has posted have allowed the reserves to get more game action, honing them for significant contributions this year and much bigger roles in the future.
There was one big question for the Falcons as the season began: quarterback. It’s now a strength.
“Nate Cervantes was a big-time baseball player, but he’s never had a lot of focus on football because he was not the guy. The last six months, he’s bought in,” said Brown. “We didn’t know what we were going to get when the lights turned on, but it’s been really, really good.”
After Southwood, the Falcons cap the regular season against Minden and Loyola, and begin their drive to make a deep Division I playoff run. Before then …
“I want to get a little more multiple on defense,” said Brown.
“We’re playing in one of the toughest playoff brackets in the nation, and we’re going to be the smallest school in Non-Select Division I. We’ve done this for a few years now, and we know what we’re going to face. We’ve had some success, won some playoff games, gotten to quarterfinals.
“We know what it takes, and the end of the regular season is about us trying to get prepared for that, along with taking care of business against our final three opponents, who can’t be taken for granted.”
Neither should anyone on the Northwood roster.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com