Wildcats roar through Lions
Chris Jackett
September 26, 2009
Republished with permission of the Novi News
The Wildcats went to The Jungle at South Lyon expecting a tight game, but Novi senior QB Jimmy Gurney wasted no time in putting his team well ahead of the Lions before a helmet-to-knee tackle prematurely ended Gurney’s night in the second quarter.
Novi (3-2, 3-0 KLAA Central) struck first, recovering a fumble by the Lions on the first play and roaring 37 yards down field for a touchdown less than three minutes into the game. Gurney hit senior WR Justin Hopton with a 16-yard pass to the one-yard line and Hopton turned and dove into the end zone as two Lion defenders tackled him.
“We got off to a fast start. Our defense forced a fumble and we were able to capitalize on that. We were able to get that quick turnover in our possession and a short field,” Novi coach Tab Kellepourey said.
South Lyon (0-5, 0-3 Central) couldn’t hold onto the ball, as Novi senior DB Jeremy Mims intercepted a pass up the Wildcats’ left side just 14 seconds later, giving Novi field position with 48 yards to go.
Junior RB Mike Brant heaved a 48-yard bomb to Gurney on the next play, who had broken free on a run up the right sideline and had nothing but empty space after making the catch inside the red zone. Following a two-point conversion by Brant, Novi held a 15-0 lead just 3:06 into the game.
Novi’s defense kept South Lyon at bay and the Wildcats’ offense didn’t back down, as Gurney hit s
...
Read More >> |
| |
|
|
| PreGame |
Lions host ex-KVC foe Novi
September 24, 2009
Jeff Theisen
Reprinted with Permission of the Novi News
For the first time this year, the Lions won't be at a major size advantage during Friday's home game against Novi.
“It's the first game where the kids can feel like these guys are not bigger than us,” said South Lyon head coach Mark Thomas. “They have a couple, but not a whole line like Stevenson or Walled Lake Central.”
But that doesn't mean anything will come easy as Novi's defense has been outstanding all season. The Wildcats allow just 12 points a game, and have only given up 10 points in the last two weeks (both wins).
“Their defense is awesome,” said Thomas. “It's going to be a tough game.”
The Wildcats suffered a major blow early in the year when starting quarterback Brandon Rydzewski went down to injury and has not returned. Jimmy Gurney took care of the quarterbacking duties during last week's 14-10 win against Salem. He went 9-for-22 for 95 yards with one interception.
“Offensively, they are getting better,” said Thomas. “They've had two games without (Rydzewski), I can see them improving. They're about 50-50 with run and pass.”
For the Lions, not giving up the big play will again be the focus. The Lions have been decimated by big plays all years. “We just have to keep our kids' spirits up,” said Thomas. “We're doing the right thing, but we just can't get all 11 guys on the same page.”
Despite the winless record, Thomas and his staff
...
Read More >> |
| |
|
|
| Junior Varsity |
JV Wildcats Dominate South Lyon Pride 35-13
John Haynes
September 27.2009
The South Lyon Cougars fell victim to the Novi JV’s balanced offense and lock down defense as the Wildcats advanced their record to 5-0. Novi scored from the air and on the ground while the first team defense continued their league leading shut out performance en route to a 35-13 victory.
After Novi’s defense stuffed the Cougars on the first possession, the offense took to the air with a 30 yard strike from quarterback Derek Ince to wide out Logan Regnier for the first score after less than three minutes of play. Kicker Joey Kamal and the extra point team put up one to lead the game 7-0.
The Novi kick off special team gave the ball back to the offense after a Derek Cingel recovery on the South Lyon 25 yard line. The South Lyon defense proved solid on the corners for the day so Novi went back to air. On fourth and one, a 26 yard half back pass from Adam Haynes to Regnier put the ‘Cats back in the end zone for 6. The Kamal extra point made it 14-0 with about 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
The defense continued to force the Cougar punting game to put the ball in Novi’s hands. With the ends sealed off, Novi went to work on the inside game where the line opened up the Cougar defense for runs by Haynes and Eloff. Eloff capped off a late second quarter 80 yard drive with a four yard run. The Kamal extra point made it 21-0. For the day, Eloff had 104 yards on 17 carries.
...
Read More >> |
| |
|
|
| Freshman |
Freshman Football Tames Lions
Cathy Schram
September 27, 2009
Novi’s freshman football team defeated the South Lyon Lions 28 – 8 on September 24th at Novi. The freshman Wildcats (2-2-1) delivered a dominate performance from beginning to end on both sides of the ball. The Wildcats got the scoring started in the second quarter with a solid drive which saw long runs by Michael Smith and Kyle Matel then was capped off by a 12 yard touchdown run by Smith. Novi’s defense dug in and South Lyon could get nothing going. Tackles were made by Grant Wheeler, Chris Volpe, Ben Landry and Jon Mencer. The Wildcats forced a Lion fumble which was recovered Riki Nogami. The Novi offense went to work from the South Lyon 34 yard line and delivered another solid drive, key plays included runs by Wheeler, Matel and Smith. Blake Boron completed the drive scoring on a quarterback sneak. Smith’s 2 point conversion made the halftime score Novi 14 - South Lyon 0.
As the second half began the Wildcats went back to work on defense with tackles by Matt Forche, Rob Armiak and Craig Latham. Taking over on a short field the Wildcat offense produced a two play 20 yard drive highlighted by a Matel 12 yard touchdown run. Justin Danks kicked the extra point to make it Novi 21 - South Lyon 0. South Lyon’s next two offensive drives were stopped by a strong Novi defense which got tackles from Tyler Sloan, Rob Deighton, Wheeler and Forche. Early in the
...
Read More >> |
| |
|
|
| Middle School |
MS Season Openers
The MS Varsity football team (8th graders) began the season with a 16-16 tie against Waterford Crary last night. Ali Taha began the scoring by returning a punt 30 yds for a touchdown. Travis Sparling also added a touchdown on a 1 yd dive and also scored both extra points. Issac Burgess connected on a 30 yd pass to Matt Kulie to secure a spot on the highlight reel. Darius Mc Culluogh, Beppin Serraj, Alex Capara, Sparling, and Kulie led the defensive attack. The team will travel to Walled Lake Banks next Wed.
The MS (7th Grade) JV team opened the season opener ended in a 0-0 tie vs Crary Middle School.
...
Read More >> |
| |
|
|
