Nighthawks Shut Down Ravens In Homecoming Win

Last Friday, the Northfield Nighthawks beat the South Ravens 10-3 in a defensive battle in front of an enthusiastic homecoming crowd. It was a game where neither offense scored a touchdown, and both defenses dominated. The lone touchdown of the game came off a pick six by Nighthawks’ senior linebacker Oliver Michalec in the second quarter. Northfield’s defense kept South’s offense quiet all night. They held the Ravens to under 200 yards of total offense and only 35 rushing yards.

Michalec’s pick six gave Northfield a 7-0 lead going into halftime. In the second half, Junior kicker Jack Sitzman would extend Northfield’s lead to 10-0 with a field goal. The Ravens were finally able to get on the board after a 25-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late, and Northfield sealed the game by recovering South’s onside kick attempt.

The Nighthawks are grinding out wins to start their season against a tough schedule. They have started the season 3-2 against the same five teams they started against last year, when they went 1-4. The Nighthawks have already beaten two teams they lost to last year and forced overtime against another, Heritage, who beat them 40-15 a year ago. As of now, the Nighthawks are ranked 13th in 4A in Colorado, five spots higher than they finished last year. They are competing at a high level in their second year as a 4A team. As the calendar turns to October and division play begins, Northfield will face some weaker opponents and should be able to rack up wins.

The Northfield Nighthawks came into this season looking to build off of some of the momentum they picked up down the stretch in 2024. Last year, Northfield won the 4A metro division handily. They went 5-0 and beat every division opponent by more than two scores. The Nighthawks finished the season with an overall record of 6-5 due to some tough, early-season, non-division games. This season’s schedule follows the same pattern, but Northfield is having more success in games outside of their division.

Northfield football could be moving to the 5A division next year as the school continues to grow. CHSAA is making new classifications for the 2026-28 cycle. According to the preliminary classifications, Northfield would fall into the 5A category based on enrollment. The football team will need to continue to improve to be competitive in the state’s highest division. Head Coach Ben Startzer is optimistic about the future. He said about this year’s freshmen, “It’s the best freshman class we’ve had as far as skill. The skill coming in this year was really big for us and a nice windfall given that we’re going to be 5A next year.”

Games like this victory over South highlight the continued upward trajectory of Northfield football. The competition the team will face is going to get tougher, but the Nighthawks have become a solid team that is only going to get better.