Northview gets win over Wetumpka

On the final play of the game, Northview defensive back Kenneth Miller put a crunching hit on Wetumpka’s Zante Carliss as he tried to take in a pass, knocking the ball loose in the front of the end zone to preserve the Cougars’ 17-13 win Friday night at Rip Hewes Stadium.

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“Right place at the right time,” Thomas said of the fumble return that put Northview up 10-7.

“I wanted to win,” Thomas said of his determined 14-yard scoring run, which gave the Cougars a 17-13 advantage after Wetumpka had wrestled the lead back away.

“Big Preston Hatcher (offensive lineman) gave me the push I needed. The O-line did the job.”

Northview improved to 2-3, while Wetumpka fell to 2-3.

Thomas rushed for 124 yards on 24 carries against a tough Wetumpka defense that bent but wouldn’t break through the first three quarters.

Wetumpka took a 7-0 lead with 40 seconds left to go in the first quarter when Dantavious Carroll took a toss from quarterback Jamal Golden and ran 8 yards around the left side for a touchdown. Tyler Lynn kicked through the extra point.

Northview’s only points of the first half came when Dustin Holland kicked through a 24-yard field goal with 6:05 to play in the second quarter.

Thomas, playing in the secondary on defense, came up with the big fumble return for a touchdown as Wetumpka was marching down the field behind the running of Golden on its third possession of the third quarter.

On a second-and-10 play from the Cougars’ 35, Golden got free over the right side and was fighting for extra yardage when the ball popped loose and into the hands of an alert Thomas, who took off down the field untouched to give Northview its first lead.

Wetumpka, however, battled back with its most impressive drive on the night on the ensuing possession — going 83 yards in 12 plays to regain the lead when Golden connected with Carliss in the right corner of the end zone for an 8-yard scoring pass.

Lynn, however, missed the extra point, and Wetumpka held a 13-10 advantage.

Northview then came storming back, after holding on to an onsides kick at its own 46.

A pass interference call got the Cougars down to the Wetumpka 28 four plays into the drive, then three plays later Thomas ran over the left side for a 14-yard touchdown, bullying his way the final 5 yards. Holland kicked through the extra point with 3:27 left in the game.

On the touchdown drive, the Northview offensive front of Bart Whigham, Jeremiah Carroll, Hunter Hamm, Senn Christian and Hatcher opened up some nice holes for Thomas to run through.

Wetumpka was held on four downs on the ensuing possession, and Northview took back over on the Wetumpka 31 with just 2:41 left in the game.

After gaining one first down, Northview eventually gave the ball back up at the Wetumpka 24 with 38 seconds left when B.J. Chitty’s pass to Marquez White on a fourth-and-16 play fell incomplete in the end zone.

Wetumpka then quickly went to work, getting a 29-yard run from Golden and a 30-yard completion from Golden to Carliss to get all the way down to the 18 of Northview.
On first down, Golden threw incomplete in the end zone with just 7.2 seconds remaining following the incompletion.

On what turned out to be the final play of the game, Golden scrambled under heavy pressure and then spotted Carliss across the middle, but Miller hit the receiver right as the ball arrived to knock it loose.

There was a penalty on the play as Wetumpka was whistled for an illegal block, so had Carliss held on to the football, the play would have been called back.

Defensively for the Cougars, David Grace, Isaac Tunstall and Craig Shirley had eight tackles, while Terrion Williams had seven and Tony Vickers 5.

Chitty was 5-of-9 passing for 41 yards.

Golden ran for 176 yards on 20 carries to lead Wetumpka and threw for 86 yards on 8-of-16 passing with an interception.