Tuggle, Roeder open strong for Panthers
NAPPANEE — Nitro Tuggle was going the wrong way — and more than once, or at least it seemed — but ultimately, he and the NorthWood Panthers always wound up headed the right way, and often headed right into the end zone.
Highlighted by Tuggle’s breathtaking improvisational abilities, the high-octane Panthers opened their high school football season with a 42-22 win over visiting Jimtown on Friday night at Andrews Field.
Tuggle, a receiver who has committed to No. 1 Georgia, caught seven passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
His second TD was a 23-yarder in which he snatched a short pass on the left side, then cut back wide all the way to the other side, yet it still paled compared to his first catch of the evening.
On that one, Tuggle appeared momentarily and genuinely committed to being the second coming of Wrong Way Riegels (look it up if you don’t know), going virtually straight backwards with a right-side reception for roughly 10 yards, before cutting up the left side for a weaving 31-yard gain that read like an adventure book.
Powered by Tuggle and the quarterback play of fellow senior Owen Roeder, NorthWood led 16-0 through one quarter and 36-8 through three periods while rolling to its 10th straight win over the Jimmies.
Player of the game
If not Tuggle, then Roeder, who completed 18-of-22 passes for 316 yards with four touchdowns against no interceptions.
Jo’Ziah Edmond, a transfer from Warren Central bound for Michigan, wasn’t bad, either.
In his Panther debut, the senior rushed for a 17-yard TD on his way to 53 yards across just five carries to go with a pair of two-point conversions. Defensively, where the Wolverines recruited him as a cornerback, he forced a fumble.
What they said
“It’s just vision. I practice it, but you really can’t practice it for real. It’s skill, a God-given ability, and I took advantage of it as best as possible. … The first one, I fumbled, so it wouldn’t have even mattered if we didn’t get the recovery, but we did, so I was relieved.” — Tuggle on his two weaving catchand-go plays.
Up next for NorthWood and Jimtown
NorthWood (1-0) visits 6A Portage next Friday for a first-ever matchup. Jimtown (0-1) makes the short jaunt to Concord (1-0) for the annual Cable Line Cup.