Noblesville’s Nick Rusie eludes a Brownsburg defender during the Millers’ 22-21 win Friday night.
BROWNSBURG — Noblesville came back from a three-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter Friday night to beat Class 6A No. 6 Brownsburg 22-21.
Nolan Ginther caught two touchdown passes in the closing minutes, the last with 1:08 remaining, then snagged a two-point conversion for the improbable triumph.
“We just told our kids to keep swinging,” said Noblesville coach Jason Simmons, whose offense didn’t cross midfield until 7 minutes into the third quarter. “We did not play our best football, and more than anything else, our coaches kept coaching and we got some poise in the second half.”
If Noblesville (4-4, 3-2 Hoosier Crossroads) gained poise down the stretch, Brownsburg lost all semblance of it. The Bulldogs gave up just 65 yards in the first half, controlled the third quarter, then melted down as ailments mounted.
“We got dinged up in the offensive line, subbed some guys in, and in retrospect probably should’ve let them finish,” Brownsburg coach John Hart said. “That’s on me. Sometimes you do things for the right reasons but it’s not the right call.”
Brownsburg (7-1, 4-1) scored midway through the second quarter after a 9-yard Noblesville punt into a fierce wind, as Hunter Johnson hit Bryce Kirtz on a 20-yard pass to the right corner of the end zone. The duo connected again 3 minutes before the break on a 5-yard route to the other side.
Special teams came up big for Brownsburg in the third, when Trestin Patterson recovered a blocked punt by Oliver Lasu in the end zone for a 21-0 lead.
An Andrew Scheib 1-yard touchdown run put Noblesville on the board with 7 minutes remaining, and Ginther notched his first score with 2 minutes left. The decision to go for two on any subsequent TD was made after that.
“I said, ‘Hey, we’re gonna get one more stop defensively. When we go back, we’re gonna go and score, and I’m telling you we’ll go for two, so don’t be shocked,’” Simmons said. “Our kids needed that. They needed to learn how to win and finish a game.”
Johnson went 17-for-37 for 197 yards but had five completions and three interceptions over his final 15 throws.
Gremel was 20-of-41 for 224 yards, 163 of which came on his last 14 throws of the fourth quarter.
“We begged the kids for a long time to believe in themselves, and they did that tonight,” Simmons said.
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NOBLESVILLE 22, BROWNSBURG 21
|
Noblesville |
0 |
0 |
0 |
22 |
— |
22 |
|
Brownsburg |
0 |
14 |
7 |
0 |
— |
21 |
B – Bryce Kirtz 20 pass from Hunter Johnson (Devon Steinman kick)
B – Kirtz 5 pass from Johnson (Steinman kick)
B – Trestin Patterson 31 fumble recovery on Oliver Lasu punt block (Steinman kick)
N – Andrew Scheib 1 run (Jack Knight kick)
N – Nolan Ginther 12 pass from Grant Gremel (Knight kick)
N – Ginther 8 pass from Gremel (Ginther pass from Gremel)
Rushing — Noblesville, Chandler Hurst 10-29, Grant Gremel 4-5, Andrew Scheib 2-3, Tyler Gonzalez 5-minus-3. Brownsburg, Donnie Marcus 16-80, Devin Robinson 10-44, Hunter Johnson 15-28, Will Berens 2-16, Bryce Kirtz 1-7, Kabril Waters 1-minus-1.
Passing — Noblesville, Grant Gemel 20-41-224-0-2. Brownsburg, Johnson: 17-37-197-3-2.
Receiving — Noblesville, Nolan Ginther 4-58, Ben Gruver 4-48, Jackson Thurman 2-38, McGwire Plumer 2-30, Nick Rusie 3-20, Blake Taylor 2-18, Andrew Scheib 1-8, Ben Heron 2-6. Brownsburg, Kirtz 7-89, Dequincy Davis 6-60, Eli Johnson 3-34, Will Berens 1-14.
