The Northwestern High School Trojans overcame an early deficit with a suffocating second-half performance, pulling away from the Clover Blue Eagles for a 52-24 conference victory Friday night.
Northwestern broke open a tight halftime contest with a dominating third quarter, scoring 21 unanswered points to turn a precarious seven-point lead into a commanding 45-17 margin.
The Blue Eagles came out firing in the first quarter, jumping ahead with a rushing touchdown and a subsequent passing score to take a 14-10 lead into the second period. Clover briefly tied the game at 17-17 in the second quarter with a field goal, but Northwestern quickly responded. Running back Xavier Means was instrumental early on, scoring two rushing touchdowns — one in the first quarter and one in the second — to give the Trojans a 24-17 lead heading into the locker room.
The third quarter proved decisive, with the Trojans’ offense finding the end zone three times via two rushing touchdowns and a passing score, while their defense pitched a shutout. The outburst pushed the game out of reach for Clover.
Both teams exchanged a touchdown and a point-after in the fourth quarter, with Clover finding the end zone once more via a late passing score before Northwestern added the final points of the game.
