| W.L. Central 20 Novi 6 |
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Central in rare company at 2-0 Scott M. Burnstein September 4, 2009 Reprinted with permission of the Oakland Press NOVI — Please excuse the Walled Lake Central football team and its fans for being so ecstatic. With the Vikings; thorough, 20-6 defeat of host Novi in a Kensington Lakes Activities Association crossover on Thursday, Central is in some rare territory. Following two down years, Central is off to a 2-0 start for only the sixth time in school history and the first time since 2003. Both wins have come on the road, as the Vikings recorded a 37-0 shutout win at South Lyon last week. “This was a statement game,” Central head coach Bob Meyer said. “We’re big and physical on the line this year. I’ve never had that before. Usually we’re small and agile, but this year we’re both. We were young the past two years and the underclassmen all got a lot of time on the field. It’s starting to pay dividends now. A lot of people counted us out early, but the record speaks for itself.” Central garnered the victory by dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, with the Vikings outrushing the Wildcats 211-135 yards. Central was led by a pair of true gems, senior quarterback Joe Diamond and senior wide receiver Sam Pearlstein. Diamond led Central’s rushing attack with 116 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, and was 7-for-9 passing for 77 yards. He also connected with Pearlstein, who had three receptions for 52 yards, on a 37-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the first half to give Central a 13-6 lead at halftime. “This win feels great,” said Diamond, who after two games has six total touchdowns. “My goal is to be one of the best quarterbacks in the county, and after two games, I think I’m doing pretty well. It’s always been my dream to be the starting quarterback at Central and the last two years I’ve been able to make that a reality. I’ve learned a lot the last two years and it’s starting to pay off on the field. We’re stacked on the line and it showed tonight. Our offense played really well and our defense played even better.” Diamond’s 9-yard touchdown run with 9:47 left in the third quarter gave the Vikings a comfortable, 20-6 lead. Novi had trouble moving the ball all night and lost its quarterback, Brandon Rydzewski, to a shoulder injury. Rydzewski played through the first half, but was taken out of the game after halftime. He had a hand in Novi’s lone touchdown before leaving the game though, when he hit Justin Hopton for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 1:04 remaining in the first half to tie the game at 6-6. The momentum was short lived, though, as Diamond’s touchdown pass to Pearlstein gave Central life going into halftime. The Wildcats looked poised to cut into their deficit midway through the fourth quarter when they marched down to Central’s 10-yard line. Unfortunately, Novi’s drive stalled there, as Central stopped them on four consecutive running plays and took over on its own 13-yard line with 6:26 remaining in the game. Central then converted two short fourth down plays on its next drive to run out the clock. Central will open both the home and KLAA North division portion of its schedule next Friday when it hosts Waterford Kettering. Novi’s Jordan Jabbori and Alex King led the Wildcats on defense with eight tackles apiece. |
