CUMBERLAND — Northern gave Logan Stewart an inspired effort in the coach’s first game, but Braelyn Younger and Fort Hill had too much in the tank.
Younger exploded for touchdown runs of 81 and 72 yards as part of his 255-yard debut as the Sentinels’ feature back, and top-ranked Fort Hill navigated a feisty Northern effort to win its opener 27-0 on Saturday night at Greenway Avenue Stadium.
Fort Hill was far from a finished product, committing seven holding penalties and struggling in its shotgun offense, but few teams are in Week 1.
“Great hard-fought game between two really great programs,” Fort Hill head coach Zack Alkire said. “Northern did a great job. They came ready to play. I was happy with our guys responding when times got tough.”
Saturday’s matchup drew similarities to the teams’ meeting last December in Annapolis. Northern hung around for a half, trailing 7-0 at intermission before Fort Hill pulled away for a 35-0 victory, its fourth consecutive state title and 11th in school history.
After graduating much of its talent and starting a new chapter with a first-year coach, Northern came into Saturday with something to prove, and it proved it.
Northern made it a game even longer in the rematch, as Fort Hill’s lead stood at 3-0, 10-0 and 17-0 following the first three quarters.
“We went on a huge roll last year, and the plan was, carry on that momentum,” said Stewart, who took over for longtime coach Phil Carr after his 28 years at the helm.
“And we have a lot of intrinsic motivation. We have a lot to prove, from a new head coach, to we lost a whole bunch, ‘state championship run, was it a fluke?’ We’re definitely here to compete.”
Fort Hill was forced into three field goals, making two on kicks of 37 and 26 yards by Bobby Brauer, and was held to 0 for 4 on third down in the first half.
In the end, however, Fort Hill’s big-play ability was too much to overcome.
Down 3-0 after the first quarter, Northern moved into Fort Hill territory for the first time after a 33-yard gain by Landon Yoder on a quarterback keeper, and Elliott Myers-Shirer pinned the Sentinels on their own six-yard line with a well-placed punt.
Two plays later, Younger took a handoff, made a cut at the second level and was gone 72 yards to the house.
Younger nearly broke another on the second play after halftime when his 74-yard run was brought back by a holding penalty.
The speedy Chase Lamb found pay-dirt four plays later, finding a seam off left tackle on a sweep and cruising 40 yards untouched to the end zone.
Northern then embarked on its longest series, a 14-play, 51-yard drive that ate up 8 minutes and 28 seconds before the Huskies were stopped on downs.
One play and 15 seconds later, Younger exploded 81 yards for a touchdown.
“He’s worked really hard in the offseason, he’s put on 10 pounds of muscle,” Alkire said of Younger, who also hauled in a diving 20-yard reception. “He’s brought his 40-time down too. You can see the breakaway speed. It’s going to be very difficult to bring him down.
“He had a great game tonight, both blocking and running too.”
Carson Bender was second in the Sentinels’ run game with 85 yards on 10 carries, and Lamb added 62 on two totes.
Fort Hill rushed for 396 yards on 32 carries, out-gained the Huskies 416-192 and had a 15-10 edge in first downs.
Still, the Sentinels have plenty to work on before a highly anticipated matchup with Dunbar next week.
Fort Hill was penalized eight times for 75 yards, 70 of which were credited to its offensive line — something Alkire attributed to the coaching staff’s emphasis on playing “meaner” and more aggressively up front on top of first-game jitters.
The Sentinels were also uneven in their spread offense, which they ran for one drive at the start and nixed in favor of their bread and butter Wing-T and I-Formation sets after having to settle for a field goal.
“Noah (House) has done a great job all preseason,” Alkire said of his quarterback. “We just weren’t very successful tonight with it. We’re going to keep working at it until we are. It makes us a more explosive offense when you’re able to do both.”
Northern had something to do with that, with Yoder, an All-Area cornerback in 2024, Evan Graham and Caleb Hinebaugh doing their part to limit the Sentinels.
Graham and Hinebaugh were also workhorses in the Northern backfield. Graham, the fullback, had 16 carries for 69 yards, Hinebaugh added 22 yards on six carries, and Emmitt Lipscomb rushed for 24 yards on nine totes.
Northern also utilized its mobile quarterback Yoder in read option and spread sets, allowing the senior to pick up 56 yards on 10 rushes.
Northern won the time of possession battle 27:13-20:47, and neither team turned the ball over.
“Extremely proud of the effort,” Stewart said. “That’s what we talked about coming into this. We’re going to show up, give it all we got. We knew there were a couple things we could do offensively. … A lot to build from.”
Kyler Miller had two sacks for Fort Hill. Cole France and Nick Rosenberger had one each for Northern.
Brauer, who was 3 for 3 on extra points, missed a 39-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Northern will look to get the first win of the Logan Stewart era when it heads to Albert Gallatin (3-0) on Friday at 7 p.m.
Fort Hill turns to a Friday rematch with Dunbar (0-1), a 7-6 loser to Virginia power Stone Bridge on Saturday in a game that was called in the fourth quarter due to lightning.
Dunbar defeated the Sentinels, 26-13, at Morgan State in Baltimore last year, but Fort Hill is looking for a reversal of fortunes on its home turf.
Kickoff at Greenway Avenue Stadium is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a great atmosphere,” Alkire said. “I’m sure there are going to be all kinds of people here from around the community, whether they’re Fort Hill fans, Dunbar fans or football fans in general.
“It’s a very anticipated game, and Dunbar brings an exciting brand of football and some explosive play. Hopefully, it lives up to its billing.”