Portland slips past Niles for regional championship

Published 11:27 pm Friday, November 10, 2023

By Scott Novak

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NILES — The best season in Niles football history came to an end at the hands of undefeated Portland 21-14 in the Division 4 Regional championship game at Viking Stadium Friday night.

Despite holding a 277-255 in total offense, Niles was done in by two drive-killing penalties and a fumble.

After taking a 7-0 lead on a 10-yard Paul Hess run and Andrew Cutajar extra point. The Vikings (10-2) appeared to be driving toward another score when a holding penalty stopped the drive and gave the Raiders (11-0) some momentum.

Portland, ranked No. 3 in the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association final poll, marched down the field, using up the remainder of the first quarter and nearly two minutes of the second quarter before scoring on a Dominic Novara 16-yard pass to Evan Gross with 10:18 left in the first half.

A Raiders interception with two seconds remaining in the end zone ended Niles’ attempt to reclaim the lead heading into the locker room.

The game would remain deadlocked throughout the rest of the first half and the entire third quarter.

“We told the kids at halftime if we could stay away from the penalties, we would be okay,” said Niles Coach Scot Shaw. “Then we had trouble stopping them. That was probably more so the case. We couldn’t get the ball away from them.”

The Raiders would take the lead two plays into the final 12 minutes when Caden Thelen took a pitch and weaved his way through the Niles’ defense for a 49-yard touchdown.

Portland would extend its lead to 21-7 with 8:38 to play with another long touchdown run.

Novara faked a handoff to Barrett Brennan and then raced 44 yards into the end zone for what would turn out to be the game-winning touchdown.

Down two scores, Niles would make one last run at the Raiders as on the ensuing kickoff the Vikings drove 56 yards, scoring on a Hess 2-yard run with 5:47 left.

Niles would not threaten again. Portland was able to run out the clock as it drove inside the Vikings’ 30-yard line as time expired.

“I was proud of the way we started and the way we finished,” Shaw said. “There were times in the middle, I think we either let our concentration go or something. But that is a really good team. They are by far the most physical team we have played. They were hard to stop, and they hit us pretty good, too.”

Niles finished the night with 238 yards rushing, led by Julian Means-Flewellen, who ran for 95 yards on 17 carries. Hess added 75 yards on 20 carries and Sam Rucker 57 yards on seven totes. Talon Brawley was 4-of-6 for 39 yards. Brenden Olsen had three receptions for 39 yards.

Portland ended the night with 215 yards rushing, led by Thelen’s 169 yards on 31 carries. Novara was 4-of-8 for 40 yards.

Alex Cole led the Niles defense with 12 tackles. Hess and Rucker both finished with eight tackles, while Brandon Hamilton had six stops.

The Vikings have plenty to reflect on and be proud of this season.

Niles won its first Wolverine Conference championship and its first title of any kind since it won the SMAC West Division in 2001. Niles set a new record by scoring 50 or more points in seven games and finished the 2023 season with a new record for points in a single season with 558 points.

The Vikings also set a new record for wins in a single season with 10. The district championship was also a first for Niles.

“I just told our seniors they were going to be our bell cow here,” Shaw said. “They are the ones that are going to be remembered for going 1-6 as freshman to being in the regional championship as a senior. They are special kids in that group, who have led us all my three years here. They led us through some not-so-good times into very good times. They have nothing to be ashamed about. A loss at this level is bad and hurts more because it is so finite. When it hits now, you know you are done. The kids have given everything to be where they are.”

 

Division 4 Regional Championship

At Niles

PORTLAND 21, NILES 14

Portland          0          7          7          7 – 21

Niles                 7          0          0          7 – 14

N – Paul Hess 10 run (Andrew Cutajar kick)

P – Evan Gross 16 pass from Dominic Novara (Aidan Pulling kick)

P – Caden Thelen 49 run (Pulling kick)

P – Barrett Brennan 44 run (Pulling kick)

N – Hess 2 run (Cutajar kick)

Records: Portland 12-0, Niles 10-2

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