The Northeastern football team played in front of a large Homecoming crowd on Friday, Sept. 19. The Knights put up 62 points, defeating Union City by the final score of 62-0. It was the fourth time in five games that the Knights exceeded the 50-point mark and the second time they have held their opponent scoreless.
The Knights were impressive on both offense and defense. The likely outcome of the game was quickly established when the Knights built a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and then pushed it to 42-0 by halftime to trigger a running clock in the second half.
Caden Retter started the fireworks by returning a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown in the first minute of the game. Less than a minute later, Retter scored on a 45-yard pick-six. Marshall Phillips added the PAT kick both times. Retter scored again early in the second quarter, this time on a 35-yard touchdown reception from Phillips.
Already leading 28-0, Trent Deloney ran 22 yards for a touchdown and less than a minute later scored on a 20-yard pick-six. Retter topped the first half scoring by scoring his fourth touchdown on a 7-yard reception from Phillips. The sure-footed Phillips added the PAT kicks after each score to make the halftime score 42-0.
The scoring pace slowed in the second half as the clock continued to run, but the Knights got a 55-yard touchdown run from Corbin Isaacs in the third quarter. Luke Billings rushed for a 2-yard TD and a two-point conversion, and Olympus Yancy added a 50-yard rushing touchdown to complete the scoring in the fourth quarter.
Phillips completed eight of 13 passing attempts for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Retter caught four passes for 80 yards and Deloney caught two passes for 83 yards. The Knights rushed for 199 yards. Six different Knights ran the ball. Isaacs was the rushing leader with 76 yards.
The defense was just as impressive. Gavin Harrison and Charles Shaffer both had 10 tackles. Isaacs and Dakota May each had seven tackles.
The defending Tri-Eastern Conference champion Knights, ranked ninth in the 2A poll, are riding a 13-game TEC win streak. They will travel to 14th-ranked Centerville on Friday, Sept. 26, with league lead implications on the line.
Northeastern (5-0, 5-0 TEC) 14 28 6 14 62
Union City (0-5, 04 TEC) 0 0 0 0 0
A version of this article appeared in the September 24 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.