Niles vs Howland

Gallery

The Tigers beat Niles, 10-7, to clinch the
MAC title and
a playoff berth.

By STEVE RUMAN

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

NILES — While coaches often use the term “team effort” to describe a victory, Howland coach Dick Angle went a step further Friday in describing the Tigers’ hard-fought 10-7 road win over Niles.

“This victory belongs to every coach and every player who has been a part of this program since 1998,” Angle said. “When I got here 10 years ago, we strove to get better each year. Everyone who has been a part of this program over that period has a reason to share in this moment.”

Indeed, Howland’s win over the Red Dragons was special. With the victory, the Tigers logged their first 10-0 season and clinched the last Metro Athletic Conference championship. The Tigers also assured themselves of playing host to a first-round playoff game.

Friday’s game, played on a wet and breezy night in front of a large Bo Rein Stadium crowd, was everything Angle has come to expect from the backyard rivalry. Niles (7-3), playing without an injured Nate Ganyard, trailed 10-0 at halftime before dominating play in the second half. The Red Dragons had several opportunities to take the lead late in the contest.

Angle owns a 2-8 record against Niles.

“I knew Niles was banged up, but I also knew that if they showed up with six guys, they’d fight us to the very end,” Angle said. “There have been some crazy games in this series, so we weren’t taking anything for granted. We knew Niles would never give up.”

Niles gained just 104 rushing yards, but Red Dragons quarterback Vince Melillo made up for Ganyard’s absence by completing 14-of-20 passes for 176 yards.

Howland quarterback Matt Preston completed just two of four passes, but the sophomore rushed for a game-high 98 yards. Dante Marsh added 86 yards on 16 carries, while Solomon Jackson made the most of his five carries — he scored the game’s only touchdown on an 8-yard scamper.

It was Howland senior Josh Reeher who put the first points on the scoreboard when he kicked a 24-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Tigers maintained their 3-0 lead until the latter stages of the second period, when they put together a 14-play, 72-yard drive which was capped by Jackson’s TD run.

The touchdown occurred on a fourth-and-1 play with 23 seconds remaining in the half.

“That was a huge momentum swing,” said Niles coach Tim Johnson. “Against a quality team like Howland, there’s a big difference between going into the locker room down by three and down by 10.”

However, the Red Dragons didn’t quit. On their first possession of the second half, they marched 58 yards on 11 plays to cut the Howland lead to 10-7. A 14-yard pass from Melillo to Chris Lykins moved Niles inside the Tigers’ 10-yard-line. Then on a fourth-and-2, the Melillo-to-Lykins combo hooked up for a 2-yard touchdown pass.

On its next possession, Niles moved to the Howland 30 before a turnover halted the drive. The Red Dragons’ attempt to tie the game in the final minute of play failed on a missed 36-yard field goal attempt.

“I can’t describe how proud I am of this team, and especially this group of seniors,” Johnson said. “I think every one of them made a big play somewhere along the line tonight. They played their hearts out.

“We battled to the end against a very good football team.”

Howland entered the night ranked third in the Division II, region 5 computer rankings.