| Wildcats roar through Lions |
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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 sophomore WR Mike Jocz with a 36-yard heave up the side to South Lyon’s 16-yard line. Just one minute later, Gurney hit Hopton with a 35-yard heave up the left side, which Hopton caught barely in bounds at the two-yard line and tip toed past the end zone pylon as he was pushed out of bounds by a Lions defender. The ensuing point-after kick was good by senior RB Brett Kuhn, putting Novi ahead 22-0 in the first quarter. With a commanding lead, Novi’s footwork continued racking up yards, as Gurney hit Brant with a short pass and Brant ran up the right side for a 36-yard gain to South Lyon’s 32-yard line. “Mike Brant is a developing young running back. He’s running plays just the ways he’s supposed to,” Kellepourey said. “The offensive line does a tremendous job.” Brant was hit for a five-yard loss on the very next play, fumbling and losing the ball; one of Novi’s three lost fumbles on the night. This inevitably set South Lyon up for a 35-yard field goal by senior Ben Rhoad early in the second quarter, cutting Novi’s lead to 22-3. The Wildcats also continued to struggle with penalties, getting called 12 times for a loss of 96 yards. “You’re supposed to produce at a higher level. You hope that it sinks in after awhile. We talked about holding onto a football. It’s a concentration level problem if you’re not holding onto the football,” Kellepourey said. “It’s on that individual to get better in those areas in order for our team to be better as well.” After hitting junior WR Alex Willson with a 14-yard pass and Hopton with 16- and eight-yard passes, Gurney avoided a sack with a run toward the right side on second and two with 5:19 remaining in the half. As he tried to avoid a diving tackle from the front, he was caught from behind and the diving defender’s helmet connected with Gurney’s right knee, sidelining him for the rest of the game. South Lyon senior Jared Elliott and junior Ian Herman combined for the stop. “He took a pretty hard hit on the leg. Two kids hit him pretty hard,” Kellepourey said. “It was a good tackle and that’s just what happens if you don’t keep your feet up.” Gurney finished with 161 yards passing (7-for-14) and three touchdowns in less than half a game. Powered by seniors QB Tim Hartland and RB Tom Symanski, the Wildcats’ offense kept pressure on the Lions in the second half, as South Lyon failed to get through a strong Novi defensive line led by seniors Tim Kolis (seven tackles), Masaru Nogami and junior Nick Litteleton (five tackles each). “Nogami came back with some really good tackles that night. I was real impressed with his tenacity,” Kellepourey said. “Our defense is a pretty sound group of guys. We’re going to be ready to tackle our opponent.” On defense, senior Jordan Jabbori, juniors Jonathan Robinson, Austin Wertheimer, Ryan Crodes and sophomore Alex King each had five tackles, while two of junior Joe Mikkelsen’s four tackles were sacks. The Wildcats had one big offensive push left in them, starting with a safety forced by Novi’s defense when a snap for a punt at South Lyon’s 31 went over the punter’s head and was chased down by the Wildcats. The Lions got there first though, slapping the pigskin out the back of the end zone as both players dove for the ball. The safety put Novi ahead 31-3. On the next drive, Novi got a 19-yard rush up the left side from senior Adam Paul to set up a 29-yard touchdown run up the right from Brant. Following the point after by junior Scott Stanford, Novi led 38-3. Both teams failed to generate much offense during the fourth quarter, but South Lyon got some points by forcing a safety of their own with 4:36 remaining. The Lions had the ball for 10:38 of the fourth quarter. After a failed fourth-and-three attempt by the Lions came up one yard short, Novi gained possession on downs at their own five-yard line. Junior RB Andre Taylor rushed for no gain on first down before being tackled in the end zone by South Lyon senior DE Nick Evans for the safety on second down, cutting Novi’s lead to 38-5. South Lyon’s final drive got within scoring distance during the final minute, but came up short. The Lions’ senior QB Aaron Shelp hit Evans with a 27-yard pass to Novi’s six-yard line, but Robinson and junior CB Gage Liberati combined to make the tackle as time expired. Novi set a team record with four passing touchdowns, powered by a 226.5 efficiency rating and 221 yards in the air. Gurney led the Wildcats with a 23.0 yards average per completion. Novi (3-2) hosts Livonia Stevenson 7 p.m. tomorrow during the homecoming celebration. After facing the Spartans (3-2), Novi will host Northville (3-2) 7 p.m. Oct. 9. “Stevenson is a good squad, obviously. They made it to the finals at Ford Field last year. They’re a big team. We expect a physical game both offensively and defensively,” Novi coach Tab Kellepourey said. “It’s going to be homecoming and that’s the time the student body gets very activated. But we know our job is to get it done on the field. This is a big game to guarantee a share of the Central Division.” Novi’s three victories have all come against previously winless KLAA Central opponents, whereas Stevenson and Northville were both 2-0 in the division until they played each other last week. Stevenson won 31-0. In division games against Northville, South Lyon and Salem the past three weeks, Stevenson has outscored opponents 102-7. Novi has outscored South Lyon, Salem and South Lyon East by a total of 75-15. Chris Jackett is a freelance writer and former Novi News staff writer. |
