Ken James and his Northwood Rangers will look to win their fourth consecutive Toledo Area Athletic Conference championship, keep possession of the Big Apple Deli Trophy, and clinch a second consecutive playoff berth this week when they host Cardinal Stritch.

The Rangers have put together a solid season with their only losses coming in week 3 to Hopewell-Loudon at home and the real shocker came when the Rangers were outplayed and were defeated 15-7 at Delta High School on October 24th.

The Rangers won last season’s game, 64-7, but Coach James and company know they cannot look past the Cardinals, who will have some extra motivation to send Coach Joe Gutilla out with a victory.

“This is a backyard rivalry.  That alone is gonna make it intense.  Everyone knows everybody.  We’re sure our kids will be ready.  Some of our kids live in the same neighborhoods. We don’t want to give the trophy back.  We want to make sure the trophy stays in our case.  I’m excited.”

Gutilla, who will be moving to Texas following the conclusion of the season, has turned around the Cardinals this season after a 1-9 finish in 2009.  His team is much improved, beating the teams they should, but the Cards have not been able to compete with the upper tier teams in the TAAC this season.  All of Stritch’s wins have come against teams with losing records.

Timmy Langlois will carry the load for the Cardinals and try to best Zack Bermejo in a battle of top TAAC running backs.  Langlois has averaged 7.5 yards per carry this season and ranks sixth in the TAAC with eight touchdowns.

Says James: “They run the ball well.  Like us, they keep opponents off the field—a break here or there and they have seven or eight wins.  They have a good defense and are much improved from a season ago.  Coach Gutilla has done a great job with those kids.  I am sure they will try to send him out with a victory.” 

A battle in the trenches can be expected when these two rivals meet on Friday night.  Both teams rank near the bottom of the TAAC in passing yards and passing touchdowns, so Northwood’s standout running back Zack Bermejo will try to do what he has done all season long—tear apart defenses and carry the Rangers to victory.

Bermejo leads the TAAC in yards per carry, averaging just a pinch over 10 yards per run.  Bermejo, one of several seniors on James’ team, trails only Danbury’s Lucas Kennedy in rushing yards but has the edge on Kennedy with 19 touchdowns.

“It comes as no surprise that we run the ball.  Zack has had a real good senior year for us.  He has been playing very well. He plays hard, gives credit to his lineman and he is our big play guy.  He is so fast and strong.  He just outruns and outmuscles defenses.  He can turn a 5 yard run into a 50 yard run.  He’s an exciting player and a great leader,” says James.

Bermejo hasn’t been the only bright spot on offense.  Senior quarterback Eric Russell has been a good field general for James and has played turnover free football, handing off to Bermejo most of the time and completing big passes when he needs to. 

“He does a good job of managing our offense.  He’s really good at moving the chains for us and protecting the football.  We are doing a good job hanging onto the ball and it helps control the opposing teams’ offense.  He does what he is supposed to do and that is all that we can ask for,” says James.

Northwood’s defense has played well all season long for James.  The defense has been consistent and dependable, only allowing opponents to score an average of 12 points a game.  Sophomore linebacker Nick Whitmore leads the team with 115 tackles and has been a real enforcer on the defense.

“Nick has played great; the whole defense had been great,” says James.  “Our corners are solid and the front four has done an excellent job.  It is a credit to my defensive staff.  They have done a great job rotating guys in and it helps that we have so much depth.”

The Rangers are currently ranked 7th in Division 5, Region 18.  After last season’s 7-4 finish and a playoff berth, the Rangers are expecting to make it back to the playoffs and do some damage.

“It should be interesting to see how things shake out,” says James, “and hopefully we make it back again.  Right now, there are about nine teams fighting for eight spots.  I like our chances.  It should be interesting.”

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