Nathan Robertson kicks late field goal to lift Northside over Shaw

Robertson hits 41-yard field goal with 9 seconds left to lift Northside over Shaw

By MIKE PEACOCK

sports@ledger-enquirer.com

Northside's junior place-kicker Nathan Robertson has made some big kicks before in his short career with the Patriots, but none bigger than his boot to give his team its first and only lead on Friday at Kinnett Stadium.

Robertson calmly hammered a 41-yard field goal through the uprights with just over nine seconds left to play to give Northside a 17-14 lead. He then boomed his kickoff into the endzone and the defense got a stop on the only play Shaw had left to preserve a come-from-behind win.

"When two schools are only a couple of miles apart, you know they are going to get after each other. It was definitely that way tonight," said Northside coach Morgan Ingram, whose Patriots even their season mark at 2-2.

After a scoreless first quarter, points came in a flurry at the start of the second period. Shaw scored on the very first play of the quarter as Nick Beason took a pitch and then floated a beautiful half-back pass to Rodney Clark for a touchdown. Giovanni Galvin added the extra point and the Raiders took a 7-0 lead.

Before fans could get seated, the game was tied. Northside's Kalan Watts took in the ensuing kick, found a seam, fended off a couple of would-be tacklers and then raced the rest of the way for a 95-yard touchdown return. Roberton's kick tied it at 7 after only 17 seconds had elapsed in the quarter.

The teams traded possessions before Robertson pinned Shaw at its own 2-yard line with a great

punt. The Raiders, however, would not be deterred. Shaw began a 13-play drive that would end in the go-ahead score. Quarterback B.J. Knight had two different scrambles after the pocket collapsed, gaining 16 and 13 yards respectively to keep the drive alive. His 20-yard pass to Cameron Paulding capped the drive and the extra point gave Shaw a 14-7 lead with 2:54 left in the half. The half ended with that score.

Northside struggled to just over 60 yards of total offense in the half, while Shaw's balanced attack yielded over 200 yards.

The second half would be a different story.

Shaw appeared on the march again on its first possession, but a huge sack by David Pierce and Caleb Johnson took the Raiders from Northside's 39 all the way back to their own 45 and effectively killed the drive.

Northside took over with 7:18 left in the third period and methodically moved downfield on its best drive of the night and most likely its best of the season. The drive started at the Patriot 28 and 21 plays and three different fourth-down conversions later, Watts scooted in from 2 yards out. Robertson tied the score with his extra point with just 32 seconds left in the third.

"I challenged our offense at halftime and they obviously took it to heart. I told them the way we played in the first half was not good enough if we were going to have a chance to win, and I am proud of the way they responded on that long drive and then again at the end," said Ingram.

Shaw turned it over for the first time in the game on its next possession as Keyonn Robinson picked off Knight pass to stop a drive. The Raiders then forced a Patriot punt and mounted what looked like a possible game-winning drive.

Starting it their own 42, the Raiders endured another big loss on a sack and stayed alive. The big play came on a fourth-and-12 play from the Northside 43 when Knight found Paulding for 37 yards. That set Shaw up with first-and-goal at the Patriot 6 yard line. The first two plays lost 4 yards and an incomplete pass left the Raiders with fourth down at the 10. Knight's pass was caught by Paulding, but he was out of bounds and the ball went over to Northside.

The Patriots then mounted what would be the game-winning trek. Starting at the 10, Northside used the legs of quarterback Levi Dunn, Watts, and running back Carson Parker to move upfield. A personal foul penalty aided the drive as a Shaw player carried a tackle too far out of bounds.

The big play of the drive was a key 18-yard jaunt by Watts that got the Patriots to the Shaw 30. The drive stalled at the Raider 24 and Robertson came on to kick the game-winner.

Watts led the Patriots with 100 yards on 22 carries in addition to his 95 yard return. He accounted for both Northside touchdowns. B.J. Knight had 72 yards rushing at the half, but three sacks in the second half left him with 49 yards on the ground. He went 11-17 passing for 194 yards.

Northside travels to Harris County next week, while Shaw returns to Kinnett to face Hardaway.

Friday at Kinnett Stadium

Shaw 0 14 0 0--14

Northside 0 7 7 3--17

Second Quarter

S--Rodney Clark 31 pass from Nick Beason (Giovanni Galvin kick), 11:57

N--Kalan Watts 95 kickoff return (Nathan Robertson kick), 11:43

S--Cameron Paulding 20 pass from BJ Knight (Galvin kick), 2:54

Third Quarter

N--Watts 2 run (Robertson kick), 0:32

Fourth Quarter

N--Robertson 41 FG, 0:09

Team records: Shaw 2-3, 0-1 Region 1-AAAAA. Northside 2-2, 1-0. Next: Shaw, vs. Hardaway, Kinnett, Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m. Northside, at Harris County, Oct. 2, 7:30 p.m.

This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Nathan Robertson kicks late field goal to lift Northside over Shaw ."