MIDDLEBURY – The Northridge football team awoke this morning to find itself tied atop the standings in the Northern Lakes Conference.

The Raiders earned their lofty perch there Friday night.

An opportunistic Northridge team, sparked by its defense, turned back NorthWood 24-14 in a huge NLC clash Friday night.

The host Raiders, ranked No. 6 in Class 4-A, scored the game’s final 10 points to knock off the Class 4-A No. 5 ranked and defending  conference champion Panthers.

Northridge, which lost twice to NorthWood a year ago, improves to 6-0 overall and goes to 4-0 in NLC play. The Raiders are tied for the league lead with Concord, who is also 4-0 in league action. Concord beat Jimtown 41-7 in a non-conference game Friday night. Northridge plays at Concord on October 6.

NorthWood drops to 4-2 overall and moves to 2-2 in the NLC.

In a matchup billed as a battle of two great defenses, the tough and veteran Raiders won out in this one.

Northridge got a 42-yard field goal by Nolan Laughlin in the third period to take the lead for good at 17-14. The hosts then iced the win as Julius Graber hit Jordan Contreras with an eight-yard touchdown toss with just 2:57 left in the game.

The clinching score for the Raiders came after Ricky Howey blocked a NorthWood punt. Northridge took the ball over at the NorthWood 33-yard line on the drive that sealed the victory.

Graber scored on a two-yard run and Mason Troyer went in from four yards out in the first quarter to give Northridge a 14-8 lead. Gerber stepped in at quarterback with starter Nick Hooley nursing a shoulder injury from the Raiders’ win at Warsaw last week. Hooley did play some in the game after Graber was injured on his touchdown run before returning later in the contest.

The Raiders held the explosive NorthWood offense to just 177 total yards. NorthWood, which rushed for 454 yards in a win over Wawasee last week, had just 72 yards on the ground on 24 carries.

Bronson Yoder scored on a 35-pass from Landen Gessinger in the first quarter for the Panthers. Gessinger then scored on a two-point conversion run to cut the Raider lead to 14-8. The Panthers tied the game in the third period on a 12-yard touchdown run by Gessinger.

NorthWood, which was just 2-9 on third downs, had a pair of turnovers on the night on a lost fumble and an interception. The Panthers, who were only allowing five points-per-game prior to Friday night, also allowed a season-high point total.

Northridge, which was 3-3 on fourth downs in the win, outgained the Panthers 224-177 in total yards and had a 14-7 edge in first downs. The Raiders, who had no turnovers, rushed for 160 yards on 58 carries.

NorthWood, which beat Northridge 14-0 during the regular season and 44-13 in the sectional in 2016 en route to a 14-1 record and a state runner-up finish, had won 33 of the last 37 meetings versus the Raiders prior to Friday night.

Gessinger had 13 carries for 42 yards for NorthWood. Brayton Yoder had six carries for 20 yards and Bronson Yoder four for 10. Bronson Yoder had six receptions for 87 yards and Brayton Yoder four catches for 16 yards.

Conner Graber led the ground game for the Raiders with 22 carries for 84 yards. Julius Graber had 20 carries for 53 yards.

Top tacklers for NorthWood included Jake Lone, Evan Bonne, Will Ingle and Bronson Yoder.

NorthWood plays at Elkhart Memorial (1-5, 0-4) and Northridge hosts Goshen (1-5, 1-3) in NLC action next Friday night. Memorial beat Indianapolis Shortridge 46-14 in a non-conference game for its first win and Goshen lost 21-0 to Warsaw in NLC play Friday night.