Despite the dearth of returning starters from last year, High School North was hoping to return to the tradition of winning it’s been building in recent years.
If the first two games of the season are any indication, it seems the Knights may have to focus on rebuilding instead.
The team suffered a season-opening 28-14 loss at Trenton High on September 10, followed by a 48-6 manhandling by Notre Dame at their home opener on September 17.
The Knights look get off the schneid on Saturday, September 24, at 1 p.m. against Princeton. The game is North’s annual homecoming game.
The following week, they play at Hamilton West on Saturday, October 1, at 2:30 p.m.
Against Notre Dame, the Knights’ lone score came on a 9-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter from quarterback Jack O’Connell to Tom Tantillo.
In total, the Knights managed 28 yards rushing on 17 carries, and 29 yards receiving on 13 pass attempts.
The Knights’ chances to win were better in the previous week’s effort against Trenton.
With the score standing at 13-0 in Trenton’s favor at the start of the third, North got on the board when quarterback Josh Bloom threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Harrison.
The Knights came close to tying the score on the following possession, when Billy Woodward almost scored on an 80-yard play that would have brought the Knights within an extra point.
Woodward was tackled on the 6 yard line, and the team was only able to advance to the 2 yard line, turning the ball over to Trenton after getting stopped on a fourth-and-2.
In the fourth quarter, Trenton scored on a touchdown run with 9:45 left in the game. Several seconds later, the score was 28-6 after Trenton recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. That led to a 50-yard touchdown pass and a quick 15 points in 12 seconds.
Woodward scored late in the game on a 9-yard run to notch the final score at 28-14.
Knights Coach Chris Casamento lauded Trenton for its weapons and speed. “We didn’t get many breaks,” he said. “We missed a lot of tackles too, and that gave them touchdowns.
