Staff Writer
MONROVIA – Ask any football coach at any
level, and most will agree that beating the same team twice in one year is one
of the greatest challenges a team can face. For Class 2A second-ranked North
Putnam, it was the second straight week for such a challenge.
The Cougars,
fresh off a 27-14 win at Speedway in the semifinal
round of Sectional 30, once again hit the road Nov. 2 to face Monrovia, which was looking for its first
sectional title since 1989 and only the Bulldogs’ second ever. Riding a strong
second half from both their offense and defense, the Cougars knocked off Monrovia, 26-7.
The road
warriors now get to host next week’s regional, where they will tackle
pass-happy No. 11 Heritage Christian.
“It’s so
hard to win a sectional championship and beat a good football team twice in one
year,” said North Putnam coach Dave Pasch. “When you compound those two things,
it requires a superb effort.
“I thought
our seniors stepped up and gave us an unbelievable effort tonight.”
Monrovia got the on the board first with an
impressive second drive. Starting at their own 43, the Bulldogs marched 57
yards in 11 plays, scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run by Garrett Johnson on 4th
and 2. The extra point from Jeremiah Byrum made it 7-0, underdogs.
“I thought
we came out, for whatever reason, a little bit flat,” Pasch said.
Added
North Putnam quarterback/linebacker Griffen Dahlstrom: “They really drove it on
us there. It kind of surprised us – they had more intensity than we did.”
North
Putnam’s second drive was also impressive, but also much shorter. Dahlstrom took
the Cougars’ first play 78 yards to the house and, just like that, we had a tie
game. Only we didn’t – Monrovia
blocked the ensuing extra point to keep it at 7-6.
Believe it
or not, that was the score when the two teams went to intermission. North
Putnam had its chances, but the Bulldogs’ defense rose up to the challenge each
time, including two stops in the red zone.
Monrovia had chances also, but two
turnovers proved costly as the stout Cougars’ defense held up their end of the
bargain.
“All year
long, our defense has stood in there,” Pasch said. “Defensively we were up to
speed, and we recognized some things and were much more consistent.”
To start
the second half, North Putnam used 7:30 off the clock in marching 79 yards down
the field to gain the lead. Riding the legs of Dahlstrom and Kyle Rooker, North
Putnam wore down the Monrovia
defense.
Finally,
on the drive’s 14th play, Dahlstrom scored from two yards out. The Cougars went
for two, but J.T. Francies dropped Dahlstrom’s pass in the back of the end
zone, giving North Putnam a 12-7 lead.
“We
finally started executing a little bit in the second half,” Pasch said. “I didn’t
think we matched their effort early.
“We had
some problems to solve at halftime, something we haven’t had to do much of this
year. We made our adjustments and came out with a different look and used some
things we didn’t think we were going to have to use.”
After the
Bulldogs’ third turnover 2:30 into the fourth quarter, the North Put offense
again went back to work. On the drive’s third play, a personal foul moved the
Cougars back to their own 25. But Dahlstrom hit Jerrett Ban for a 75-yard
touchdown pass the very next play.
Again, the
Cougars went for two, and this time they converted when Dahlstrom scampered in
to make it 20-7.
After Monrovia’s fourth and
final turnover on its next possession, North Putnam scored one last time. This
time it was Rooker tallying on a 23-yard touchdown run with only 2:01 left. Rooker
was stopped on the two-point conversion attempt, leaving the final at 26-7.
“Once we
took over physically, we were able to have success in the second half,” Pasch
said.
Added Dahlstrom:
“The intensity from the offense really picked up after halftime. We knew we got
outplayed in the first half, (and) we also knew intensity would be the
difference.”
“We made
the adjustments and everyone stepped up.”
The loss
ends the season for Monrovia
at 7-5 in coach Kevin Hutchins’ first season at the helm. Looking for progress?
This is the Bulldogs’ first winning season since 2001, when they went 6-4. It’s
also the school’s most wins since 2000, when Monrovia won 10 games.
With the
win, North Putnam advances to the regional round for the second straight year
and third time ever.
“It’s
great (winning two sectionals in a row),” Dahlstrom said. “It’s the first time
it’s been done in school history.”
“Some
people still have their doubts, which really motivated us to come out and get
the job done tonight.”
Last year,
the Cougars knocked off Speedway
in the regional. This time it’s Heritage Christian. The Eagles, who are coming
off a 35-0 win over Lawrenceburg that improved their record to 11-1, have won
10 in a row.
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