Friday, October 18, 2024
Northville, MI – The Novi Wildcats battled hard but ultimately fell 27-25 to the Northville Mustangs on Friday night in a game that remained tightly contested throughout. Despite a strong performance, including a thrilling 77-yard touchdown run by Johnny Aurilia and a late-game safety, the Wildcats were unable to secure the victory in a game that went down to the wire.
With 14 seconds left and Northville on their own 49-yard line, Mustangs quarterback Cooper Derkach made a strategic play to run out the clock by deliberately running backwards into his own end zone to concede a safety. However, an inadvertent whistle stopped the first attempt, prompting officials to replay the down. Despite the stoppage, the officials ruled that the clock would not be reset to 14 seconds. On the next play, Derkach again ran into his own end zone for a safety with 7 seconds left, successfully running out the remaining time and securing a 27-25 victory for the Mustangs.
Earlier, with 6:57 left in the fourth quarter, Johnny Aurilia’s electrifying 77-yard touchdown run capped a quick three-play, 80-yard drive that put Novi ahead 23-21. However, the extra point was blocked, keeping the lead at just two points. Northville responded quickly, taking just 3:01 to drive 72 yards in six plays. Max Defore’s 2-yard touchdown run with 3:47 remaining gave Northville a 27-23 lead, setting the stage for the dramatic final minutes.
Novi fought hard in the closing stages, but the intentional safety allowed Northville to burn out the clock and prevent the Wildcats from having another opportunity to score.
Novi had earlier taken the lead in the third quarter when Anthony Madafferi scored on a 15-yard run at the 1:13 mark, capping a 9-play, 81-yard drive. After David Galligan’s extra point, Novi held possession for a little over half of the third quarter (6:33), controlling the tempo and keeping Northville’s offense off the field for much of that period.
In the first half, Novi recovered a fumble that temporarily shifted momentum. Aurilia was Novi’s offensive standout, rushing for 174 yards, including the crucial fourth-quarter score. He also contributed in the passing game, completing 12 of 21 passes for 184 yards. His biggest play through the air came in the first quarter, a 75-yard pass to Jaden Vondrasek, which set up a prime scoring opportunity.
Logan Ellison added 60 yards on the ground, including a 1-yard touchdown run at 10:28 in the second quarter, tying the game at 7-7. Ellison also had a key 20-yard reception, and Christian Gillings led the team with 10 catches for 89 yards. Galligan's 29-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter kept Novi close, trimming Northville’s lead to 14-10 at halftime.
Northville controlled much of the time of possession, holding the ball for 30:48 compared to Novi’s 17:12. The Mustangs leaned heavily on Defore, who rushed for 216 yards on 28 carries and scored a touchdown. Northville’s other touchdowns came from Cooper Derkach, who scored twice, and Kaden Kuban, who added a 3-yard touchdown late in the first half to give the Mustangs a 14-7 lead at 1:11 in the second quarter.
Novi’s defense, led by Ty Anderson with 12 tackles and Reece Pippin with 11, made key stops late, but Northville's consistent rushing attack proved too much, especially in the final minutes, as they held the ball for nearly 10 minutes in the fourth quarter.
Despite the loss, Novi totaled 433 yards of offense, including 249 yards on the ground, and showed resilience throughout the contest. The Wildcats, now 5-3 overall and 5-2 in conference, will look to bounce back in their final regular season game next week when they host the Dearborn Pioneers (4-4, 4-3 in conference) in a KLAA crossover game.