NWOAL SHOWDOWN … Archbold receiver Anderson Bentley looks to escape the tackle by a Delta defender.
PHOTOS BY RACHEL NAGEL / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
SECOND HALF CARRY … Alex York of Delta carries the football in the second half of Friday night’s NWOAL opener with Archbold.
By: Elliot Schneider
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
DELTA (September 12, 2025) – The Archbold Bluestreaks escaped with a thrilling win over the Delta Panthers in a back-and-forth battle Friday night, opening NWOAL league play with a statement victory behind quarterback Maddox Pinter’s stellar performance.
Pinter was nearly flawless through the air, completing 22 of 27 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, while also finding the end zone on the ground for a three-score night.
Delta’s offense was equally impressive, powered by a dominant rushing attack. Vincent Martinez gashed the Bluestreaks’ defense for 163 yards on just 13 carries (12.5 yards per attempt), while Marcus Nagel added 104 yards and three touchdowns to keep the Panthers within striking distance all night.
Archbold set the tone early, scoring on its opening possession in just eight plays as Pinter connected with Ryder Ryan for a six-yard touchdown strike, putting the Bluestreaks ahead 7-0.
Delta answered immediately with a 13-play march of its own, converting two fourth downs along the way. Nagel finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.
The Bluestreaks wasted no time reclaiming momentum, piecing together another efficient drive before pulling off one of the highlight plays of the night.
On a perfectly executed trick play, Pinter hit Isaiahs Gracia on a lateral before Gracia lofted a strike to a wide-open Morgan Harris in the back of the end zone, putting Archbold back in front 14-7 late in the first quarter.
Delta once again leaned on its ground game to respond, grinding out another long possession to keep Pinter and the Bluestreaks’ offense off the field.
Nagel punched it in from four yards out for his second touchdown, but a blocked extra point kept Archbold in front, 14-13, midway through the second quarter.
Both defenses tightened up from there, forcing punts on the next three drives. With under 30 seconds left in the half, Martinez broke free for a 17-yard gain, and a facemask penalty against Archbold tacked on another 15 yards.
That proved costly, as Delta’s Alex York drilled a 37-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Panthers a 16-14 lead at the break.
Coming out of halftime, Delta continued to control the tempo. The Panthers chewed up the clock with another deliberate drive, and Nagel capped it off with his third touchdown of the night, a two-yard run, pushing Delta’s lead to 23-14, its largest of the game.
The Bluestreaks answered right back with another methodical drive, and on the ninth play, Pinter called his own number, punching it in for a rushing touchdown to trim Delta’s lead to 23-21.
Delta’s offense stayed relentless, answering with another efficient eight-play drive. Martinez capped it off with a 16-yard touchdown run, pushing the Panthers’ lead back to nine at 30-21, just minutes into the fourth.
But Pinter and the Bluestreaks refused to go away. They quickly answered with a lightning-fast drive, capped by Pinter’s 39-yard strike to Anderson Bentley, who finished with six catches for 105 yards, cutting the deficit to 30-28.
The Bluestreaks’ defense finally came up with a crucial stop, forcing a punt and giving the offense the ball back with under five minutes to play.
Pinter and company went back to work, engineering a nine-play drive that ended with Ryan plunging in from two yards out, giving Archbold its first lead since 14-13 back in the first half.
Archbold added to the momentum by converting the two-point try, with Pinter finding Bentley in the end zone to make it 36-30 with just 2:31 remaining.
Delta, which had relied on methodical, clock-chewing drives all night, now faced the challenge of going the length of the field in a hurry.
Delta’s final drive began at its own 44-yard line, and the Panthers methodically moved the ball to the Archbold 37 in just seven plays.
Facing a crucial fourth-and-two, Nagel powered his way forward, barely picking up the first down to keep the drive alive with under a minute to play.
With under 30 seconds remaining and facing second-and-16, Delta quarterback Emric Friess heaved a desperation pass toward the back of the end zone.
But Archbold’s Aranjer Krieger was there to make the game-clinching interception, giving the Bluestreaks possession with just 17 seconds left and no timeouts remaining for the Panthers.
Archbold lined up in victory formation and took a knee, sealing the 36-30 win and earning its first league victory of the season.
In a game dominated by offensive fireworks, it was the Bluestreaks’ defense that delivered when it mattered most, coming up with the critical late game stop and interception to secure the hard-fought victory.
UP NEXT: September 19 – Evergreen (4-0, 1-0 NWOAL) at Archbold (3-1, 1-0 NWOAL); Delta (2-2, 0-1 NWOAL) at Swanton (0-4, 0-1 NWOAL)
DHS AHS
First Downs 17 18
Rushing Yards 51-308 17-78
Passing Yards 28 275
Passing 1-10-1 23-29-0
Total Yards 336 353
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0
Penalties 8-60 11-80
AHS 14 0 7 15 – 36
DHS 7 9 7 7 – 30
A – Pinter to Ryan 6-yd pass (Q. Sauder kick)
D – Nagel 12-yd run (A. York kick)
A – Gracia to Harris 22-yd pass (Q. Sauder kick)
D – Nagel 4-yd run (kick failed)
D – York 37-yd FG
D – Nagel 2-yd run (A. York kick)
A – Pinter 1-yd run (Q. Sauder kick)
D – Martinez 16-yd run (A. York kick)
A – Pinter to Bentley 39-yd pass (Q. Sauder kick)
A – Ryan 3-yd run (conversion good)