Red Dragons down Howland Tigers 28-6

By BOB ETTINGER

sports@vindy.com

HOWLAND

Niles football coach Jim Parry has carried a bad taste in his mouth dating back nearly 30 years to his senior season when the Red Dragons fell to Howland. He’s got a new taste following the Red Dragons’ 28-6 victory over the Tigers.

“Howland is the biggest game on our schedule,” Parry said. “Given that we were both 1-6 coming in, that’s easy to say. Year in and year out, we want to win this game. I’ve got a bad taste for 29 years. We lost to Howland my senior year. This helps soften the blow.”

Zack Leonard led the Red Dragons, contributing on three of four touchdowns for Niles (2-6).

“Everything worked off our power game,” Parry said. “We were more the team we wanted to be. We felt more comfortable with the offense.”

Leonard threw for two touchdowns on 10-of-14 passing for 113 yards and ran for another score.

“We ran the ball really well,” Leonard said. “Robbie Savin had a great game. The line blocked really well and the receivers caught passes. The coaches had a great gameplan.”

Leonard got the Red Dragons on the board first with a 13-yard run after the Tigers (1-7) were pinned deep in their own territory on the opening kick and again after a Niles interception.

“Obviously, the way we began the game when our return man stepped out of bounds or whatever happened down there — I didn’t see it — the field position there and a three-and-out didn’t help the defense,” Howland coach Steve Boyle said. “[The call later in the half], as well, was hard to come back from. When you lose field position, you lose momentum.”

Niles took a 14-0 lead with 2:50 remaining in the first half after Leonard hit David Mays for an 8-yard scoring pass. Following that touchdown, the Red Dragons’ Kyle Lundgren intercepted Howland quarterback Jordan Fronzaglio and returned it to the Howland 30 where he fumbled it away. Though the Tigers recovered, the ball was awarded to the Red Dragons and 15 yards was marched off because there was a personal foul on Howland after the initial turnover.

“What was explained to me was an interception occurred and after the interception, there was a personal foul on us,” Boyle said. “The fumble was null and void after that penalty.”

Savin scored on a 6-yard run three plays later to put Niles ahead, 21-0, with 1:02 left in the first half to break the game open.

“They committed a personal after a turnover,” Parry said. “It’s like the first touch rule after a punt. They got it right. They were originally saying we’d take the penalty from where the infraction occurred, but all personal fouls have to be taken at the end of the run. I wasn’t sure of that rule myself and I used to be an official. You’ve got to score any time you get in the red zone. That was huge.”

Travis Molnar took a throwback pass 41 yards to make it 28-0 for Niles with 7:58 to play in the third period.

“We’ve had that in the playbook for a while,” Leonard said. “We ran it one time, I think. We were saving it for a special occasion.”

Nathan Barrett’s 14-yard touchdown reception from Fronzaglio and a failed two-point conversion pass made it 28-6 with 8:04 to play in the game.