It was the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game between East Noble and Snider, and the Knights, well in control, were still delivering punishment.
As sophomore running back Lucas Niman turned the edge and headed downfield, he lowered his shoulder and barreled over a Panthers defender, flattening him to the ground. East Noble celebrated the 39-yard score more for the statement the pancake made than the score itself, a 29-7 rout in the Knights’ first-ever win over Snider in three tries.
The Niman demolition wasn’t the only time in the game that East Noble instilled its will on Snider. For four quarters, the Knights showed they were the better team, particularly physically.
You see, that’s Snider’s thing. The gold and black take the field, the roster bursting with big, strong terrors all over the field. It demoralizes some teams before the opening kickoff. The Panthers roll. Repeat the next week.
Not this time. Not against this team. It was East Noble that set the tone, forcing a Snider punt to start the game, then putting together a long drive that ate up over six minutes off the clock. Four yards here. Five yards here. It was very Snider-esque in its execution and precision. But it was being done TO Snider, and that’s just something you don’t see very often.
“Man, the third time was indeed the charm,” said senior quarterback Rylee Biddle after two losses in the last two years to Snider. “We played for each other tonight and it showed, but I think what’s most important is our coaches, honestly.
“They get us so motivated to play behind them. It’s crazy energy.”
That “crazy energy” translated into crazy dominance for the Knights (2-0). They rushed for 318 yards in the game. Even when Ian Ramey went down with a foot injury, the sophomore Niman and freshman Austin Phillips stepped up.
Snider, meanwhile, had no answer. Play after play it was pushed off the ball or run over. There were occasional highlights, particularly Jaywin Harris’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Harris in the first half. But by and large, the night left the Panthers with more questions than answers, 0-2 for the first time since 2020 and just the fifth time in program history heading into SAC play.
The night belonged to East Noble. New turf. New scoreboard. Honoring its 2000 state championship team. The biggest roars from the crowd and the sideline were when a big hit or pancake leveled a Snider player. It happened with way too much frequency for the Panthers’ liking.
Overall, the past and present were both on display in Kendallville.
What did it all mean?
East Noble may not just be the best team in the Northeast Eight right now, it may be the most complete squad in northeast Indiana.
“On to tearing up the NE8,” Biddle said.
And that’s worth running somebody over in Kendallville.
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