Northmont’s perfect season ends with heartbreaking cancellation

Even for players and coaches used to uncertainty in a pandemic-dominated year, this was a cruel blow. Harding praised the resilience of Northmont and the attitude everyone had throughout a trying season that really began June 1 when teams were allowed to resume on-campus workouts.

The Thunderbolts won’t play again and finished the season 8-0.

“We got the call at the last minute from the health department that we had to shut down,” Harding said. “It’s unfortunate. My heart breaks for the kids. My heart breaks for the coaches. My heart breaks for the community. Football unifies a community. The community was unified around this team and this playoff run. What really hurts is our kids and coaches since June 1, I think you’d be hard pressed to follow COVID protocols as strictly as our team and coaches and athletic trainers. They did everything they way you were supposed to, sanitizing everything, keeping kids in pods. For this to happen, it hurts.”

Springfield (7-1) advanced to play No. 1 seed Dublin Coffman (8-0) or No. 4 Powell Olentangy Liberty (7-1) in the regional final. The Wildcats were close to getting on the bus to make the 34-mile trip to Northmont when they got the news.

“I received a phone call at 4 o’clock this afternoon from the Northmont athletic administration,” Springfield Athletic Director Mike Dellapina said Friday, “and they informed me what was going on. But in the meantime, during that phone call, they received a phone call from their administration and were told to hold off, that they were trying to make some phone calls and do some more checking and that they were going to call me back. Then within 10 minutes, they called me back and said unfortunately that they were going to have to have to cancel the game.”

Springfield was going through a walkthrough on the field in Springfield at that time. It was supposed to leave at 4:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. game. Dellapina gathered the players and coaches together to deliver the news.

“It was a somber moment because our coaches all know each other,” Dellapina said. “(Northmont coach) Tony Broering has been one of my closest friends since we were kids. Our kids were really looking forward to this game. More than anything, they desperately wanted to prove it on the field and play. Northmont has had such a tremendous season and has really been living a charmed life. To have it end this way, after the season they had and the way they faced adversity on the field, it’s really unfortunate. While we’re certainly thrilled to be representing the GWOC and advancing on to the final, it’s not the way that we wanted to get that. I know our thoughts are certainly with the Northmont team and the Northmont community and their coaches and kids.”

Northmont is the latest area team to exit the playoffs because of a positive COVID-19 test. Troy had to forfeit its game against Edgewood. Fairborn had to forfeit a game against Cincinnati Withrow. Hamilton Badin advanced because of a positive test at Wapakoneta.

“We weren’t done yet,” Northmont wide receiver Markus Allen wrote on Twitter. “Haven’t been 8-0 since 1980. Every piece to the puzzle to win a championship. Memories captured. Moments that’ll last forever. I’ll forever love Northmont.”

Northmont may be the highest-ranked team in the state to see its season end this way. It ranks fourth in Division I. Springfield is sixth. The teams played one of the most exciting games of the season in Week 4. Springfield blew a 28-7 first-half lead and a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead and lost 38-35 in overtime.

Northmont won five games by seven points or fewer. Its latest dramatic victory came in the second round of the playoffs when Cade Rice threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:20 to beat Marysville 48-41. Rice threw seven touchdown passes in all and 30 in eight games.

The news Friday proved once again just how fragile the situation is for every team.

“It really magnifies the fact that we’re not in any way shape or form out of the woods yet with this with the COVID stuff going on,” Dellapina said. “Yesterday the governor announced the highest number of new cases since the whole thing began. It’s not stopping, and it’s not slowing down, and people need to realize that if they don’t do what they’ve been asked to do and don’t comply, then you’re you’re putting everything at risk. You’re putting other people at risk. People want to downplay it like it’s not harmful, but tell that to the 200,000-plus people who have passed away. It’s a serious thing, ultimately we’ve been very fortunate our athletes have able to do what they’ve been able to do.”