The Kokomo Post Sports - Game of the Week: Maconaquah vs Northwestern (Photo Gallery)
Northwestern came into its homecoming matchup riding a three-game winning streak, all on the road, and carried the confidence of a team ready to challenge Class 3A No. 6 Maconaquah. For two quarters, the Tigers went blow for blow with the unbeaten Braves. But the second half told a different story, as Maconaquah pulled away with 14 unanswered points to secure a 42-28 victory.
The Braves wasted no time setting the tone. Quarterback Aidan Robinson opened the game with a 36-yard strike to Nolan Tarrh, and Casten Hollars finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Even when Northwestern’s Ty Kidwell flipped the field with a perfectly placed punt downed at the one-yard line, Robinson engineered a 99-yard response, capped by a 19-yard scoring pass to Marcell Sims for a 14-0 lead.
Northwestern refused to fold. Colin Cook delivered back-to-back touchdown passes—first to Jayden West from 13 yards out, then to Bradyn Wilson for 20 yards after a Sedric Garcia interception—tying the game at 14. The Tigers then grabbed their first lead when Michael Arrick muscled in from a yard out midway through the second quarter. But Maconaquah struck before halftime, with Sims powering across the goal line to even the score at 21.
The second half belonged to the Braves. Sims added another short touchdown run to put Maconaquah ahead, though Arrick answered with his second score of the night to tie things once more. With the game hanging in the balance, Sims delivered the decisive blow—a 52-yard sprint down the sideline that gave the Braves a 35-28 edge.
From there, Maconaquah’s defense clamped down. Cameron Metcalf’s interception halted a Northwestern drive, and Sims capped the night with his fourth touchdown, bouncing outside for a five-yard score to make it 42-28. Tarrh’s late interception sealed the win, keeping the Braves unbeaten at 6-0.
Northwestern (3-3) will look to regroup next week at Wabash, while Maconaquah returns home to host Lewis Cass in search of a seventh straight victory.
