LINDEN — The mass dive through the mud on Charger Field was a fitting celebration.
The remnants of Hurricane Helene did not dampen another Montgomery County football classic as North Montgomery edged Crawfordsville 28-22 in overtime Friday.
The Charger players reveled by running on to the muddiest part of the battle ground and dove en masse head first after the victory.
Senior Kelby Harwood slopped through the final three yards in the extra frame for the win after Crawfordsville faltered at a chance for a go ahead score in the first possession.
“I thought we missed a couple opportunities in the second quarter and that was something we talked to the kids about,” North coach Josh Thompson said. “But our kids kept battling and fought to the end. We have to take this mentality to every game rest of the year.”
The homecoming victory secured the Chargers’ second consecutive county championship, continued the home dominance over the Athenians going back to 1988 and was the first overtime game ever against CHS in 57 meetings.
As the wind howled out of the north and rain flew sideways North and Crawfordsville methodically drew to a dead heat after regulation.
Surprisingly, the teams exchanged touchdowns on their first possessions of the game in what many thought might be a muddy, low scoring slugfest. North, usually proficient passing the ball, kept it on the ground while CHS scored through the air.
The home team drove 80 yards to start the game, taking about half of the first quarter. Harwood scored the first of his four touchdowns with a 14-yard run. The conversion was missed for a 6-0 North lead. The entire drive was on the ground, split between Harwood and leading rusher Jayden Thompson.
CHS (2-4, 0-3 Sagamore Conference) answered with a 60-yard drive of its own. Junior quarterback Mason McCarty topped it off with a 17-yard strike to Braedon Hites with the wind and a 7-6 advantage.
“Mason is such a tremendous athlete and playmaker so he’s able to do that. He made it look good,” CHS coach Brad Clark said. “Going into the week we had a plan to take (passing) away defensively. We went to a four-man front the rest of the way after that first North drive.”
Next possession, North (2-4, 2-2 SAC) went four and out and gave the ball back on downs. The Athenians took advantage of the short field as McCarty hooked up with sophomore tight end Landon Gerald from 21 yards four plays later. CHS led 14-6.
North scored on two of its next three times with the ball, both two-yard runs by Harwood and led at the half 22-14.
The rain got heavier and the field harder to maneuver in the second half.
“If you’re playing the game, the elements don’t really bother you,” Thompson said. “Can we do the little things like hold on to the football, catch the snap, catch the pass?”
“We did get stuck on the (south) end of the field, both teams,” Clark added. “It was hard to move in that mud, but both teams had that.”
CHS drove to the North 7 yard line early in the fourth, but turned it over on downs. Three plays later from the 9, the shotgun snap eluded North quarterback Jack Warren into the end zone for a safety. Next possession, the visitors tied it 22-22 on a one-yard dive by Hites. North came up with a big block on the extra point attempt with 3:13 left in regulation to keep the contest even.
North outgained CHS 234-137. Harwood carried 23 times for 95 yards. Thompson added 82 yards on 16 tries. Hites led the Athenian attack with 78 yards on the ground. McCarty threw his third and fourth touchdown passes of the season, part of just three completions on the evening.
“Braedon is a tough kid,” Clark said. “He likes to run between the tackles. That’s what was needed to get those tough yards and turn out drives. He’s a good compliment to Mason, who can get outside. Mason was limited to do that so being able to move between the tackles was key.”
The move of 250 pound senior Keegan Cokel to defensive end was beneficial as he topped the CHS defense. Senior Andy Veselji helped control the North defense.
North travels to Tri-West on Friday while Crawfordsville hosts Lebanon.
Clark credited his team for staying in the game despite the conditions.
“I think our kids kind of enjoyed it more than I thought they were going to. I guess getting the chance to play in the wet and the mud is going to be a memorable experience. They seemed to have a lot of fun.”
Thompson said it is a total team effort.
“Every kid on our team is important. We use every kid in practice. So every one of them is a county champ.”
