| Novi drops close game to Northville, in overtime, 14-8. |
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Chris Jackett October 9, 2009 Reprinted with Permission of the Novi News It had been eight straight years since the Brown Jug went to Northville in the annual Eight Mile Road border battle with Novi. But the Mustangs treaded water through a steady drizzle into overtime Friday night in order to break the Wildcats’ streak with a 14-8 win at Novi. The win secured Northville (5-2, 4-1 KLAA Central) second place in the division – while Livonia Stevenson (5-2, 5-0 Central) took first with a 47-20 win at South Lyon East – and moved the Mustangs to within one win of securing a state playoff berth. The loss eliminated Novi (3-4, 3-2 Central) from playoff contention and put the Wildcats third place in the division. With puddles forming on the field, both teams struggled to hold onto the ball early on, combining for eight pass attempts, six fumbles and a botched snap that resulted in a safety, all during just the first half. Northville’s first drive ended with Novi’s first score. A high snap at Northville’s 24-yard line got over the Mustang punter and bounced out the back of the end zone for a safety, giving the Wildcats a 2-0 lead just 2:36 into regulation. Junior RB Mike Brant recovered his own fumble on the following Novi drive, but the Wildcats couldn’t get a first down, turning the ball over on downs at the Northville 40-yard line. Junior DL Dan Burris forced Mustang senior RB Brett Smith to fumble at Northville’s 47-yard line 49 seconds later, recovered by Novi senior DB Jeremy Mims. Mims’ recovery set up a six-play Novi drive that featured a 10-yard pass from senior QB Jim Pitcher to senior FB Adam Paul and a 22-yard rush up the center by Pitcher. Pitcher capped the drive with a six-yard touchdown run to the left corner, but a wide extra-point kick by senior RB Brett Kuhn kept the score at 8-0. Both teams struggled to maintain possession and get yards on their next several drives, but Paul and Pitcher kept the chains moving for the Wildcats, racking up 65 and 61 yards on the ground, respectively, by halftime. Big plays were canceled out by wet ones, however. Novi junior CB Brian Bush nabbed his fourth interception of the season from Northville junior QB Mike Wegzyn at Novi’s 45-yard line with 9:01 remaining in the half. Novi was forced to punt away on the following drive and Northville did the same on their drive after. Novi’s Paul fumbled on the next drive, and it was recovered by Mustang junior Devon Pearson at Northville’s 20-yard line with 1:29 left in the half. Sensing urgency before halftime, the Mustangs got three consecutive gains plays from junior RB Jonathon Alandt, who moved Northville up 23 yards to their 43-yard line. After Wegzyn hit junior WR Brad Wagner with a 12-yard pass, he connected with Alandt for a 45-yard touchdown that Alandt took up the left sideline. Connecting with senior RB Kyle Galdes on the right side for a two-point conversion, Wegzyn tied the game for Northville at 8-8 with 22 seconds left in the half. Northville started with good field position in the second half after junior OLB Matt Celentino recovered a fumble by Pitcher at Novi’s 30-yard line, but the Mustangs were penalized on third and one-yard to go when senior lineman Nicco Buffone got in the face of and shoved Novi junior LB Greg Kollis twice after the whistle. The 14-yard personal foul penalty set up a field goal attempt, but a bad snap resulted in a 10-yard loss and turnover on downs. Neither team could muster much offense the rest of the third quarter, as a pair of 11- and 18-yard runs by Novi’s Pitcher and a 12-yard run by Northville’s Alandt were the only double-digit gains and play remained in the midfield as the wet ball anchored each teams’ punts. Northville got the chains moving to start the fourth quarter, as the rain had slowed and Wegzyn connected with senior WR Dan Mills for a 34-yard gain to Novi’s 20-yard line. Taking the snap from the 15-yard line, senior Jake Robideau’s 33-yard field-goal attempt was blocked and recovered by Northville senior OLB Tyler Stevens at the Novi 26-yard line for a turnover on downs. Both offenses continued to sputter through the wet field conditions, but Novi wrapped up regulation with a 67-yard, 10-play drive over the final 5:56. Pitcher had runs of 11 and nine yards, while Brant had a 16-yard gain up the left to the Northville 49-yard line. On fourth and nine on Northville’s 48-yard line, the Wildcats called a time out with one second remaining in the game and welcomed back into the season senior QB Brandon Rydzewski, who was injured in the first half of week two’s game against Walled Lake Central. Rydzewski connected with senior WR Justin Hopton along the right sideline for a 25-yard gain, but Northville junior LB Michael MacLean made the tackle to put the game into overtime. Starting from 10 yards out, Paul, Rydzewski and Pitcher each took a shot at running the ball into the end zone, but only gained three yards total for Novi. Junior Scott Stanford boomed a solid kick wide left of the uprights to turn the ball over to Northville without a Wildcat score. Alandt needed just two tries to punch the ball into the end zone for the Mustangs. After a three-yard rush right of the center, Alandt took it into the end zone with a seven-yard run to the right side, bringing the Brown Jug back to Northville for the first time in eight years. The Wildcats outran the Mustangs 211-40 in rushing yards, but Northville’s 117-35 passing yards advantage kept them in the game as Wegzyn went 8-for-11. Novi went 2-for-4 in the air between Rydzewski and Pitcher, who ran for 109 yards on 22 attempts to lead the team. Paul ran for 75 yards on 14 attempts. Novi outgained Northville 246-157 in total yardage, while Northville was flawless in penalty prevention, other than Buffone’s shove. Novi was called for eight penalties for a loss of 61 yards. Novi (3-4, 3-2 Central) will travel to Plymouth 7 p.m. tomorrow in the first-ever matchup between the two Wildcat schools. Plymouth (5-2, 3-2 KLAA South) is coming off a 31-8 win at home against Livonia Franklin (3-4, 2-3 South) and needs one win to secure a state playoff spot. Chris Jackett is a freelance writer and former Novi News staff writer. |
