Northwest football plays in annual spring game

The new generation of Northwest football players stood at midfield in the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse. After coach Rich Wright finished introducing the incoming freshman, Wright called out the seniors from the 2022 season out to the field.

“Why are they walking?” Wright said with a grin while watching the players take their place next to him.

While Northwest’s spring game April 22 allowed fans to see some of their favorite players for the first time before the 2023 campaign, it also provided Wright an opportunity to see his seniors for the first time since the Bearcats’ season-ending, 13-8 loss to Grand Valley State.

“It’s awesome, and it embodies what this place is all about, right?” Wright said. “We started a tradition about 10 years ago, where we had our former players come down on the sideline, and there’s anywhere from 25 to — on a big game — 100 players … For them to want to come back, it’s truly special, and it says that we’re doing things the right way in terms of our culture.”

As spring practice wrapped up, coaches and players were given a chance to experience a game-like environment before the start of summer and camps.

The Bearcats have practiced since the start of the spring schedule March 27, but the contest was the fans’ first look at the team before the 2023 season. Wright said he wanted to see what kind of depth his squad has.

“Now it’s about establishing our younger guys, and, you know, that’s kind of been a work in progress for the entire spring,” Wright said.

The spring game looked a bit different this year, as the exhibition was moved into the Hughes Fieldhouse rather than the team’s typical home in Bearcat Stadium. The white team, or the offense, attempted to drive at least 60 yards against the green team, the defense, multiple times.

The white team scored 19 points, largely due to the legs of junior kickers Cole Lammel and Noah Guastella and sophomore kicker Devin DeRousse. The lone touchdown of the game came off a 6-yard connection between senior quarterback Mike Hohensee and senior wide receiver Trevon Alexander.

“We’ve been making a lot of strides this spring, and it’s great because we got a lot of experience under our belt from last year,” Hohensee said. “So, coming into this spring, we really just focused on building from there, and I think we’re able to plug different guys in different spots to be successful around the field.”

The game ended with Wright and the rest of the Bearcat coaching staff announcing the team awards from the 2022 season.

Defensive lineman Zach Howard, who will try to advance to the professional level with the NFL Draft April 27-29, was given the Al Cade Spirit of Bearcat award. Running back Jamar Moya was named the Offensive Player of the Year. Defensive lineman Elijah Green, the reigning MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, was named the Scott Bostwick Defensive Player of the Year. Rounding out the awards was Lammel as the Special Teams Player of the Year.

Spring practice also gave the team opportunities to build chemistry and camaraderie for the first time in preparation for the fall. Junior linebacker Andrew Dumas said it’s been a fun spring, and he’s excited for the season.

“It was great just to see everybody having fun again, playing the game that they came here for, basically,” Dumas said. “I mean, that’s what it’s all about. We’re in the weight room, pushing each other, and it can be a hell of a thing, but, I mean, coming out here, you just get to have fun for once. And that’s what football is.”