High school football: Northridge is back on the map

LAYTON —

Back before his team even started practicing in pads, Northridge football coach Erik Thompson believed the Knights would be one of the great stories of the 2010 season.

Maybe I should start consulting with him before making my football picks each week.

What makes the Knights a great story is that not many people outside of their program expected much from them this season. They didn't make the playoffs last year after going 3-5 in Region 1 and 5-5 overall. Also contributing to Northridge's low expectations is that its sophomore team went 0-9 two seasons ago.

The current Knights have made the past a moot point. They're off to a spectacular 5-0 start, winning four of their games by at least two touchdowns. The one close game has been their sweetest win, a hard-fought 13-9 victory over rival Layton in a game that the players had circled on their calendars long before the season started.

The same players who got their butts kicked every week two seasons ago are now delivering some payback. Northridge has mostly been a finesse team the last few years — loaded with skill-position players while playing with a size deficiency on its offensive and defensive lines.

Finesse has been thrown out of the Knights' playbook. They will hit you in the mouth on both sides of the ball. Their offensive and defensive lines are big and physical. They commit to running the ball until their opponent stops it. So far, no one has. Northridge is rushing for more than 200 yards per game.

No one on Northridge's team shies away from contact. Quarterback Trent Buckley, who started at defensive end last season, brings a physical mentality to the team's offense. He seems to prefer running through a defender than around one.

Brock Johnson, a fullback and safety, is one of the best football players in the state. His 330 rushing yards and five touchdowns lead the Knights in both categories. He led the state in tackles last season.

Austin Gottschalck is one of the state's smartest players. He has intercepted four passes, with three of them coming against Syracuse when he simply knew where to be and when to be there. He's also the team's kicker.

Northridge also features some playmakers in Jordan Lee and Shaymus Bertagnolli, and a defense that is allowing just 10.4 points per game.