EVANSVILLE — What is the immediate takeaway from this game?
Memorial football coach John Hurley has a few answers. Some aren't positive, considering he labeled the first half among the bigger disappointments in his recent memory. There's a plausible scenario where the No. 1 team in Class 3A returned to Lincoln Avenue with a black eye and a loss on the scoreboard.
Why it didn't is the other answer. One which showed what Memorial could do with its back against the wall — if it heeds an important lesson.
The Tigers escaped with a 21-17 victory over North on Friday at Bundrant Stadium. Escape is the appropriate description. Memorial had the football for only 15 minutes and didn't lead until the final quarter. The defending Southern Indiana Athletic Conference champions are still 2-0 for the fourth straight season.
"Our guys compete," Hurley said. "I don’t know if I’ve ever been more disappointed than the first half, but I was awful proud with how we competed in the second."
How Memorial emerged unscathed in the loss column lies firmly in its halftime response.
The Tigers emerged from the locker room, trailing 10-0, with a different energy. Geno Aimone gave the offense a quick jolt with a 56-yard touchdown run on the second play of the third quarter. The senior scored again on the final offensive snap of the frame — a 16-yard burst up the middle finished by running over two defenders at the goal line — to answer a North touchdown.
Where the game officially flipped came on defense. Grayson Carter forced a fumble deep in North territory. It led to a 25-yard touchdown strike from Luke Brown to Mick Blake that gave Memorial a 21-17 cushion. With the Huskies driving inside the red zone on the next possession, and the clock ticking inside five minutes left, Liam Schmitt ripped the ball away to force another turnover.
Moments which don't go unnoticed if Memorial runs the table in this conference for the third straight year.
"Coach expects us to make big plays," Schmitt said. "It's one of those times where you just get outside and make a play. (North) has a very good running game. It's hard to stop. We got them in the second half."
How it got to that point is why the Tigers still have plenty to learn. North (0-2) chewed up clock behind a big offensive line and tough running back Hunter McKinney (135 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown). The halftime deficit could have been three scores — the Huskies settled for a field goal in the second quarter and threw an interception at the goal line. North was still the aggressor and more physically dominant team to start the game.
Hurley noted it was an extension of the effort in practice this week. Memorial failed to come down from its Week 1 success at Jasper and arguably overestimated its next opponent. It's a recipe that results in a loss more times than not.
"I’ve been harping on this idea," Hurley said of his team's preparation. "It ain’t good enough. Just because we beat Jasper by more than some people thought we would, we felt like we’ve arrived. North did a great job. They’re big. They’re physical. You can’t make mistakes. We weren’t competing like we needed to."
Among the bright spots was Aimone. The senior running back carried a larger offensive burden with junior Dru Ellis (four touchdowns in Week 1) out with an injury. Aimone had a career-high 114 yards on 17 carries and two scores. Memorial made the necessary plays late — a pair of first-downs from Evan Heldt and Grant Rogier extended the final drive before punting with 20 seconds left — to put the game away. The defense also forced three takeaways for the second straight week.
The Tigers extended their regular-season win streak to 20 games. Only three SIAC teams remain undefeated as of Friday night with Reitz facing Tri-West on Saturday in the United Fidelity Bank Bowl at Gibson Southern.
"We’ve been waiting for Geno to have a game like that for a while," Hurley said. "We’re not the biggest, but we can also do our job. When you make a mistake, you own it and get better from it. Nobody is going to come and fix it. There’s no reset or blame anybody else. In the second half, we made less mistakes. Forcing those turnovers is a big deal."
Week 2 showed how fine the line can be. Memorial faced little resistance in the season opener, only to face a wildly different test at Bundrant Stadium. The road to another SIAC championship doesn't get easier with Mater Dei (2-0 after beating Castle) circled as a looming battle in two weeks.
How the Tigers responded at halftime was telling. How it responds after Friday night might speak volumes.
"We've got to prepare better during the week of practice," Aimone said. "We can't come out flat. We've got to come out with energy. Coach gave us a speech (at halftime) and really put it in us to come out and compete."
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: No. 1 Memorial learns valuable lesson in comeback victory against North
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