CENTERBURG — Northmor headed to Centerburg on Friday evening looking to remain undefeated and in the hunt for a prime playoff spot.
When the clock reached all zeroes, the Golden Knights emerged with the 34-0 shutout of the hosting Trojans. The black and gold improve to a perfect 9-0 overall and 6-0 within the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference. Centerburg drops to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the KMAC.
To wrap the regular season, Northmor will be on the road at Highland for a meeting atop the KMAC with the Fighting Scots. The winner of the finale will claim the conference title. As for Centerburg, they will end their season on their home field against the visiting Fredericktown Freddies.
It took Northmor just 45 seconds to get on the board against the Centerburg defense as quarterback Hunter Mariotti found Blake Miller for a 49-yard touchdown pass for the quick-six and after Nate Ruhl’s extra-point conversion it was 7-0 Knights. Conor Becker got the visitors on the board next with a one-yard run, follow by a 71-yard dash and with two extra-point conversions by Ruhl, it was Northmor up 21-0 with 9:07 remaining in the first quarter. Tony Martinez got in on the scoring, putting the ball into the endzone after a three-yard run and Ruhl would knock the PAT through to bring the score to 28-0.
Becker would add another one-yard touchdown carry in the second quarter which would prove to be the last scoring of the contest as Northmor cruised to the 34-0 shutout victory.
On the evening, the Golden Knights posted 339 (101 passing, 238 rushing) yards of total offense as the hosting Trojans managed just 70 (10 passing, 60 rushing) yards of offense. Northmor turned the ball over twice to Centerburg’s three miscues. The black and gold also did a good job of controlling the pace, holding possession of the ball for a total of 26:19 to the Trojans’, 20:58.
Becker led all members of the Knights’ offense on the evening with 188 yards on 23 carries, resulting in three touchdowns. Becker also caught a Mariotti pass for six yards in the win. Mariotti finished at 7/11 on his pass attempts, good for 101 yards and one TD while also carrying the ball three times for 20 yards.
Miller had just the one catch off of Mariotti but it was good for the 49 yard score. Cole Dille snagged two passes on the night for 29 yards while Logan Randolph brought in one Mariotti pass for a dozen yards as Northmor cruised to a 9-0 record.
Also in the KMAC on Friday were: Danville (4-5, 4-2) 48 and Mount Gilead (0-9, 0-6) 0; Highland (8-1, 6-0) 50 against East Knox (7-2, 4-2) 7 and Cardington (1-8, 1-5) earned their first win, defeating Fredericktown (1-8, 1-5); 28-6.
