Chris Jacket
October 29, 2009
Reprinted with permission of the Novi News


Caked in mud, Novi dropped their final game of the season to host Pinckney, 22-3, last Friday to finish the season with an overall 3-6 record (3-2 KLAA Central).

Neither team could cap off their drives in the first half, as the Pirates' (2-7, 0-5 KLAA West) tossed an interception to end a 13-play, 69-yard, eight-minute opening drive. Novi senior CB Michael Schwanz stole Pinckney QB Alex Burkholder's 10-yard pass at Novi's one-yard line and carried it out for a 19-yard return.

Novi pushed to Pinckney's 49-yard line before senior QB Ricky Enright fumbled the ball on a rush attempt and the Pirates' John Battle recovered it at Novi's 45-yard line with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.

“It had rained since the JV game the night before. The conditions were very difficult for both squads,” Novi coach Tab Kellepourey said, adding that the mud at center field would completely cover the soles of players' feet if they stood still.

Novi and Pinckney went three and out on two offensive series each before Pinckney got the first first down of the second quarter with less than five minutes remaining. Pirates RB Ryan Erps rushed for several short gains, as Pinckney ran the ball on 11 consecutive plays to move from the mid-line to Novi's six-yard line before Scotty Schmaltz kicked a 23-yard field goal on fourth and one with 43 seconds left in the half.

Novi senior QB Jim Pitcher led a 35-second, 42-yard drive that concluded with a 17-yard pass to senior WR Justin Hopton at the Pirates' 20-yard line. This set up a 37-yard field goal by junior Scott Stanford to tie the game 3-3 as the clock struck zero to go into the break.

“I was impressed with Jimmy Pitcher. Hopton made a nice catch and turn. We were able to get in field goal range with two seconds left,” Kellepourey said. “That was a great job the quarterback and offense group had going into the half.”

Novi got the ball back to start the second half, but had to kick away without earning a first down. Pinckney continued utilizing their running backs, pushing up to Novi's 44-yard line before Erps broke free up the right side for a 44-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving Pinckney with a 9-3 lead.

The Wildcats continued to struggle, as back-to-back false start penalties kept Novi from advancing past Pinckney's 32-yard line despite starting their drive on Pinckney's half of the field.

Pinckney ran out the final 5:52 of the third quarter with nine running plays to move from their own 32-yard line to Novi's 35-yard line before Erps, who had 150 yards from 26 attempts in the game, rushed for 10 yards on fourth and one to set the Pirates up on Novi's 25-yard line to start the fourth quarter. Six rushing plays later, Konnor Seyfried ran over Novi's left tackle for a 10-yard score. A failed two-point conversion rush kept Pinckney's lead at 15-3.

“Erps, he was able to grind out the yards that they needed,” Kellepourey said. “We really didn't threaten offensively. We had difficulty with the blocking.”

Novi couldn't keep the chains moving; as four consecutive passes from Pitcher to four different receivers all fell incomplete. Turning the ball over on downs at the Novi 40-yard line, Pinckney continued their rushing assault. Six running plays later, Forrest Johnson ran over the left tackle for a 24-yard touchdown. The Pirates took the point-after kick this time, jumping to a 22-3 lead when Chris Schaffer put it through the uprights.

Senior QB Tim Hartland took over for the Wildcats, but two incomplete passes led Novi to turn back to their running game. Senior Tom Symanski rushed to the right on fourth and five, but Pinckney's Steve DeMars forced and recovered a fumble, setting the Pirates up at Novi's 38-yard line with 2:20 remaining.

Pinckney's running backs got the Pirates to Novi's two-yard line before the team took a knee twice to cap the 22-3 victory in the conference crossover match.

Novi could only muster six first downs on the day, as Pinckney ran for 18 of their 19 first downs in a ground-out competition. The Pirates outgained Novi 321-117 in total offensive yards, spurred by 295 rushing yards on 60 attempts. Novi earned 93 yards on 26 rushing attempts, led by 40 yards on eight attempts from senior Adam Paul.

The slippery game conditions limited both teams' passing games, as Novi went 2-for-13 and 24 yards, while Pinckney went 1-for-3 for 26 yards and one interception. Pitcher and Hartland each had one completion, both to Hopton.

Novi struggled to keep the ball, losing two fumbles and having possession for 15:20, compared to Pinckney's 32:40. The Wildcats' conversion rate was also poor, as Novi went 4-for-13 on third- and fourth-down conversions combined. Pinckney was 10-for-16, including 2-for-2 on fourth downs.

The team did set a record for most tackles in a game with 90, led by sophomore Alex King with 10, juniors Krister Engja with nine, Brady Sheldon with seven and Nick Littleton with six.

“Alex King, a sophomore kid, led us in tackles. (Sheldon) is going to be an outstanding player. (The team is) going to have the opportunity to be good next year,” Kellepourey said. “We have tremendous experience coming back.”

The Wildcats, plagued by injuries all season, misses the playoffs for just the second time since 1997, with the other occasion taking place in 2006 when Novi finished with a 4-5 overall record.

Novi's offense scored 138 points this season, the same amount as the defense allowed. Pitcher led Novi's rushers with 314 net yards and three touchdowns on 92 attempts over nine games, while senior Jimmy Gurney led the Wildcat quarterbacks with 352 yards on 23-for-47 passing and two touchdowns over five games before a season-ending injury at South Lyon. Hopton led Novi's receivers with 360 yards on 20 catches over an eight-game span, scoring four touchdowns.

On defense, King led the Wildcats with 69 total tackles, including 24 unassisted and two sacks. Senior Jordan Jabbori was second overall with 52 tackles, including 25 unassisted and a team-high seven sacks. Senior Jeremy Mims had 50 tackles, leading the team in solo takedowns with 31. The team had 633 total tackles (including 13 sacks) on the season, 159 more than opponents' defenses.

“This season was one of those seasons where we had to overcome a lot of situations with injuries. We had 70 kids able to go out there and help the team out. The Novi team never quit and played a full 48 minutes,” Kellepourey said.

After compiling a 72-34 record in 10 seasons with the Wildcats, Kellepourey took the time at last Sunday's team banquet to inform his players he would be stepping down from his position as the program's second-ever head coach.

“I felt it was time I stepped down as head coach. The program is at the highest level of participation we've ever had,” Kellepourey said. “I think it's going to be a smooth transition.”

Chris Jackett is a freelance writer and former Novi News staff writer.