| Novi loses battle of the Wildcats; Plymouth tallies 330 rushing yards, wins 35-23 |
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Chris Jackett October 18, 2009 Reprinted with permission of the Novi News Fighting back from an early deficit, Novi couldn’t contain Plymouth’s running game, as Plymouth was the victors of the two Wildcat teams Friday, 35-23 at Plymouth. Novi’s South-Division counterparts got off to a quick start, as junior QB Victor Hicks and senior RB Jernarian Caldwell combined for 78 yards in five plays, capped by a 41-yard Caldwell touchdown run up the middle. Junior Kyle Brindza’s point-after kick put Plymouth (6-2, 3-2 KLAA South) up 7-0 just 1:41 into the contest. Two plays later, Novi senior QB Jim Pitcher was hit for a fumble and Plymouth junior DB Philip Emminger recovered the ball at Novi’s 20-yard line, setting up a two-play touchdown drive. Hicks hit junior WR Jacob Morris for a 19-yard score and Brindza’s extra point put Plymouth ahead 14-0 in the first four minutes. Looking to keep the pace going, Novi grinded up the field a few yards at a time until they broke free when Pitcher hit senior WR Justin Hopton with a 39-yard touchdown pass to complete a 64-yard drive. Senior RB Brett Kuhn’s point-after kick brought the Novi ‘Cats within seven of Plymouth, 14-7. Plymouth’s quarterback wasn’t to be outdone, connecting with junior WR Brennen Beyer for a 36-yard gain to Novi’s 49-yard line. A few plays later, Hicks fumbled the ball on third-and-two at Novi’s 16-yard line, but picked it up and ran in up the left for a 16-yard touchdown. Brindza’s kick made it 21-7 Plymouth. A Pitcher 11-yard gain and three consecutive penalties against Plymouth’s defense wrapped up the high-scoring first quarter. Plymouth was plagued by 17 penalties on the day for a loss of 163 yards. Novi was called for nine and 52 yards lost. Pitcher had a 25-yard pass intercepted by Plymouth senior DB Alexander Ruffin-Johnson at Plymouth’s 21-yard line to start the quarter. Plymouth couldn’t move the chains, however, and were forced to punt on fourth-and-25 from their six-yard line. Junior DL Joe Mikkelsen got in front of Brindza’s punt and recovered it in the end zone for a Novi touchdown; putting the score at 21-14 Plymouth after Kuhn hit the extra point kick. The ensuing kickoff was dropped by Plymouth junior Anthony LeMerise and recovered at Plymouth’s 31-yard line by senior DB Jeremy Mims. Following a 15-yard personal foul by Plymouth after a two-yard Pitcher run, Pitcher ran the ball in up the right side from 14-yards out. Kuhn’s kick tied the game 21-21 after the two-play touchdown drive. Despite the crisp, 43-degree evening at Plymouth-Canton Educational Park, Pitcher had a star-studded outing. He set a team record for most offensive plays with 48 (28 rushing, 20 passing) and his 28 carries was only three back from tying the record for most carries, set by Paul Favorite in last year’s playoff game against Detroit Catholic Central. Pitcher was 6-for-20 for 104 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions Friday, tacking onto his 71 rushing yards (101 gained, 30 lost). After a 18-yard run up the right side to the 50-yard line by Caldwell, Plymouth was flagged for four straight penalties and forced to punt from fourth-and-25 on their own 23. Despite a 17-yard run by Pitcher, Novi was also forced to punt after just five plays. On the first play of Plymouth’s next drive, Caldwell took the ball 83 yards up the right line for a touchdown. Brindza’s kick put Plymouth ahead 28-21 with 5:23 left in the first half. Two plays later, Pitcher had a 20-yard pass intercepted by sophomore DB Dante Fox and returned 30 yards to Novi’s 10-yard line. Caldwell tried to break through the middle for another touchdown run on Plymouth’s first play, but the ball was stripped by Novi junior LB Krister Engja and recovered by junior CB Brady Sheldon for a touchback. Other than a 28-yard run on a reverse by Kuhn to Plymouth’s 49-yard line, Novi couldn’t get a first down and punted away. Caldwell came off the sidelines with a 15-yard run up the right for Plymouth to their own 43-yard line, but Plymouth was forced to punt away 52 seconds later. Pitcher connected with Hopton for a 30-yard reception at the mid-line and a pair of Plymouth penalties got Novi within 25 yards of the end zone, but Novi’s ‘Cats couldn’t capitalize before the half, as Plymouth took a 28-21 lead to the locker room. The teams traded unsuccessful drives to start the second half until Caldwell broke free for a 51-yard touchdown run up the left side on the first play of Plymouth’s second drive with 3:26 remaining in the quarter. Brindza’s kick put Plymouth ahead 35-21. The fourth quarter featured both teams struggling to complete first downs, as play stayed in the middle of the field. With 9:06 left in the game, Pitcher and Kuhn completed a series of short gains, and a 32-yard pass from Pitcher to junior Mike Brant, during a 5:18, 49-yard drive, but were unable to convert from fourth-and-one on Plymouth’s five-yard line. Plymouth couldn’t get the ball out of their zone, however, as senior DL Jordan Jabbori hit Caldwell for a safety on second-and-12 from Plymouth’s three-yard line, bringing Novi within 12 points at 35-23. Four incomplete passes from Pitcher to four different receivers with 2:24 remaining gave Plymouth the ball back, but they were forced to punt back to Novi with 47 seconds remaining. On fourth-and-19 from their own 24, Novi turned the ball over on downs with 13 seconds left and Plymouth took a knee to run out the clock and secure a 35-23 win in the first-ever meeting between the two Wildcat squads. Plymouth outgained Novi 391-238 on total yardage, spurred by a 330-134 rushing advantage. Novi had 104 passing yards in comparison to Plymouth’s 61. Hopton led Novi’s receivers with 69 yards and one touchdown on two catches. Plymouth’s kickoffs continually set Novi back deep, as Plymouth averaged 60.3 yards per kickoff on seven kicks from Brindza, in comparison to Novi’s 43.8-yard average over four kicks. Novi had time of possession for 29:32, a full 11:04 more than Plymouth, and also had two more first downs at 15, but couldn’t compete with Plymouth’s big plays from Caldwell. Novi (3-5, 3-2 Central) will travel to Pinckney 7 p.m. Friday to wrap up their season with a conference crossover confrontation. Pinckney (1-7, 0-5 KLAA West) is coming off a 21-18 win on the road at Waterford Kettering (1-7, 1-4 North) and looks to finish the season with a two-game winning streak after losing the first seven. Chris Jackett is a freelance writer and former Novi News staff writer. |
