The Northeastern football team traveled to Fairland, Indiana, on Friday, Oct. 31, for a sectional semifinal game with the Triton Central Tigers. The game, played at scenic Mendenhall Stadium, was the first meeting of the two schools in football.
Both schools entered the contest with identical 9-1 records and both were conference champions. Triton Central, ranked seventh in the final AP 2A poll, was the Hoosier Legends Conference champion. Northeastern, ranked 14th in the final AP 2A poll, was the Tri-Eastern Conference champion.
The two teams’ styles were statistically diametrically opposed. The Knights were more explosive offensively, averaging 50.8 points per game. The Tigers were more defensively oriented, only allowing 14.2 points per game. The Knights never scored less than 29 points in any game this season. The Tigers never surrendered more than 21 points in any game this season. The game’s outcome was expected to boil down to which team could impose their will on the other.
It was the Tigers who imposed their will and they did so in shocking fashion.
The Tigers dominated from the opening kick. Fueled by Knight turnovers, the Tigers raced to a 21-0 lead after the first quarter and pushed their advantage to 49-0 at halftime to trigger a running clock in the second half. Just about everything that could go wrong for Northeastern did.
The Knights had the ball first, but slightly over a minute into the game they fumbled it and the Tigers recovered it on the 47-yard line. Back-to-back pass plays, the second for a touchdown, and a PAT gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
On the next Knight possession, the Tigers intercepted a pass and moved quickly to add to their lead. Braden Brown gathered in a 19-yard touchdown pass, and the Tigers added the PAT to go up 14-0 halfway through the first quarter. After the Knights turned the ball over on downs, Brown scored on a 2-yard run late in the first quarter. The PAT gave the Tigers a 21-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Tigers added to their lead in the second quarter. Touchdown passes of 15 yards and 35 yards with successful PATs pushed the Tiger lead to 35-0.
The Knights put together a serious drive late in the first half moving to the 3-yard line. A fumble Triton Central recovered on the 7-yard line killed the drive. To make a bad situation worse, Brown ran 93 yards from scrimmage on the next play for a touchdown.
The Tigers intercepted a Knight pass in the final minute of the half. Brown rushed for another touchdown; that together with successful PAT kicks after each score propelled the Tigers to a 49-0 halftime lead to trigger a running clock in the second half.
Neither team scored in the second half until, with 18 seconds remaining in the game, Dylan Ross ran in a touchdown to avoid a shutout.
Marshall Phillips completed 12 of 25 pass attempts for 101 yards for the Knights, but was intercepted three times. Ross was the leading ground gainer picking up 98 yards on 18 carries. Trent Deloney rushed for 32 yards, caught passes totaling 52 yards and had kickoff returns of 49 yards. Gavin Harrison left the Knights with 13 tackles, Dakota May and Charlie Shaffer each had eight.
Tiger quarterback Matthew Wilkins completed 10 of 12 pass attempts for 160 yards and four touchdowns for the Tigers. Brown caught four passes for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Brown was also the leading rusher for the Tigers. Triton Central gained 160 yards as a team; Brown gained 139 yards and scored three touchdowns.
It was the last game in a Northeastern football uniform for seniors Bryce Brittenham, Jacob Buchs, Brayden Chapman, Cam Gipson, Kale Hansen, Riley Isaacs, Dakota May, Marshall Phillips, Dylan Ross, Ja’Von Sampson and Charlie Shaffer.
Triton Central (10-1) 21 28 0 0 49
Northeastern (9-2) 0 0 0 6 6
A version of this article appeared in the November 5 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.