Tigers win season opener at Ashland

ASHLAND — The Northwestern Tigers opened the season with a 34-6 win over the Ashland Oredockers Friday night in Ashland.

Zach Anttila led the Tigers with 165 yards rushing and touchdown runs of 8, 71 and 12 yards. Mark Pooler also had a pair of touchdown runs and Jordan Orme kicked four extra points.

The Tigers took the opening kick and just 3:33 into the game made it 7-0 on Pooler’s 1-yard touchdown run and Orme’s kick.

Mike Parkins fumble recovery and Justin Alexson’s 35-yard run helped set up Anttila’s 8-yard touchdown run. After the kick hit the upright, the Tigers led 13-0 with 5:35 left in the first quarter.

The Oredockers moved the ball to the Northwestern 1-yard line on the first drive of the second quarter, but an incomplete pass on fourth down gave the ball back to the Tigers with 7:39 left in the first half.

Northwestern took over the ball and took a 20-0 lead on Anttila’s 71-yard touchdown run with 3:56 left in the second quarter.

The Tigers added to their lead, 27-0, the first time they had the ball in the second half when Pooler busted over from 2 yards out and Orme booted the extra point with 5:57 remaining in the third quarter.

Pooler then recovered a fumble on the kickoff, giving the Tigers great field position, but two plays into Northwestern’s drive Pooler fumbled the ball back to Ashland.

That set up the Oredockers’ first touchdown of the game when Josh Bender scored from 1-yard out with 16 seconds left in the third quarter. The score remained 27-6 when Nolan Graff blocked Ashland’s extra-point kick.

The Tigers got that touchdown back in the fourth quarter on Anttila’s second score of the night with 4:26 remaining. Orme’s extra-point kick gave Northwestern at 34-6 lead.

Anthony Mrdjenovich led Ashland with 88 yards rushing on 13 carries.

TIGER TALES: The Tigers host Medford at 7 p.m. Friday. ... Northwestern has now won 19 straight regular-season games. … NHS defeated Ashland 27-8 to open the 2010 season.

Northwestern 13 7 7 7 — 34

Ashland 0 0 6 0 — 6

First Quarter

N—Mark Pooler, 1–yard run (Jordan Orme kick), 8:27

N—Zach Anttila, 8-yard run (kick failed), 5:35

Second Quarter

N—Anttila, 71-yard run (Orme kick), 3:56

Third Quarter

N—Pooler, 2-yard run (Orme kick), 27-0), 5:58

A—Josh Bender, 2-yard run (kick blocked), 0:16.

Fourth Quarter

N—Anttila, 12-yard run (Orme kick), 4:26 (34-6)

Team Statistics

N A

First Downs 17 10

Rushing/Yds 50-368 42-155

Passing Yds 0 8

Total Yds 368 163

Passing (C-A-I) 0-0-0 1-2-0

Punts/Ave 0-0.0 2-40.5

Penalties 10-68 5-45

Fumbles 3-1 3-2

Individual Statistics

Rushing — N: Anttila 10-166, Alexson 7-61, Miesbauer 13-50, Pooler 12-61, Lindsay 7-24, Blair 1-6; A: Mrdjenovich 13-88, Hudack 12-34, Hibbard 8-16, Bender 5-13, Hebert 4-4.

Passing — A: Hebert 1-2-0-8

Receiving — A: Hibbard 1-8.

Tags: sports, football, northwestern, tigers, ashland, preps, updates