Scott Davidson| South Bend Tribune
ELKHART — Winning championships is nothing new for the tradition-rich Jimtown High School football program.
They are also something that Jimmies coach Cory Stoner does not take for granted either.
The blue-collar Jimmies earned yet another title Friday night by grinding out a 19-7 win over South Bend Riley in the Northern Indiana Conference and regular-season finale at Knepp Field inside Sharpe Stadium.
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Jimtown, winners of seven straight games, claims the NIC North-South Division title for the second straight year at 5-0 in league play. The Jimmies sit at 7-2 overall heading into week one of sectional action next Friday night.
Riley, a much-improved team under first-year coach Darrick Lee, falls to 5-4 overall and finishes at 3-2 in conference play.
Stoner, now in his third season in charge of the Boys from Baugo, saw his defense lead the way to this title. The Jimmies forced four Riley turnovers on the night, including two in the opening period in which the hosts took a 12-0 lead.
"We found a way to win tonight and that's a championship mindset," said Stoner, now 23-9 at Jimtown "We knew we would be challenged tonight and we were. My hat's off to Riley and coach Lee and what he is doing there.
"Each week our mantra has to be 1-0 and that was the same this week. When I talk to our guys on Saturday I will tell them to never take winning a championship like this for granted. Very few teams get this chance. They should enjoy it.
"I can't say enough about our senior class. People doubted them and thought we were not going to be very good this year. They have really grown immensely as leaders. I'm very happy for them.
"The turnovers we got tonight were huge. Our defensive backs took a hit last week in a win over Adams. But I thought they responded tonight. I was proud of how they responded to the challenge that Riley presented with their passing game."
More:High school football scores, Week 9, Oct. 14, 2022
The Jimmies also went 4-1 in NIC play in 2020 to share the NIC North-South division crown with Bremen.
Jimtown, which beat Riley 35-0 last season, took a 6-0 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by senior Conner Watts to cap a 48-yard drive. The Jimmies, after Riley's second lost fumble of the opening period, made it 12-0 as on a fourth-and-six play quarterback Bishop Williams hit Kaden Rogers with a 21-yard touchdown toss.
The Wildcats had a golden opportunity to open the second half. The Jimmies fumbled on their first play of the third period. Riley, however, was stopped on downs at the Jimtown 21 yard line.
Jimtown, which opened the season with losses to NorthWood and Concord, made it 19-0 less than a minute into the final frame. The Jimmies converted a key fourth and eight play on a nine-yard pass to Rogers. Junior Colin Christman then bolted in from 14 yards out for the score.
Riley avoided the shutout when speedster Robert Nabieu raced in from 28 yards out on a fourth-and-one play with 7:15 left in the contest.
The Wildcats struggled in their passing game as junior Dominick Jolley and sophom*ore Austin White were just a combined 5-21 for 56 yards with two interceptions. Jolley, the team's second leading rusher, started at quarterback as White returns from an injury.
"Our defense gave great effort," said Riley coach Lee. "We're still growing as a football team and still teaching them how to finish games.
"This is a team that no one thought would be in a position tonight to play for a share of the title. We're glad to be in these types of games with a program like Jimtown. We get to see what it's like and hopefully we get another shot next year with them at our place.
"We're going to keep growing and keep getting better. We just could not get into a rhythm tonight offensively. We wanted to mix it up and ease Austin back into it.
"The four turnovers are a killer. You can't do that. They capitalized on those. It's bittersweet because I feel we gave it away tonight. Take nothing away from Jimtown. But we gave them more chances with the turnovers. We clean those up and we'll be fine."
Sam Garner, who had 276 yards a week ago, led Jimtown with 17 carries for 96 yards.
Nabieu, who had 312 yards rushing and four offensive touchdowns last week, led Riley with 103 yards on the ground.
Riley hosts Northridge and Jimtown entertains Clay in first-round sectional play next Friday night.
Jimtown 19, South Bend Riley 7
| Riley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Jimtown | 12 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 19 |
J: Conner Watts 1 run (kick failed)
J: Kaden Rogers 21 pass from Bishop Williams (pass failed)
J: Colin Christman 14 run (Brayden Fox kick)
R: Robert Nabieu 28 run (kick good)
| Statistics | Riley | Jimtown |
| First downs | 9 | 13 |
| Yards rushing | 125 | 223 |
| Yards passing | 56 | 65 |
| Comp.-att.-int. | 5-21-2 | 7-11-0 |
| Punts-yards | 3-26 | 3-41 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties-yards | 4-30 | 10-85 |
