Chris Lau
October 11, 2008
Republished with permission of the Detroit Free Press
As soon as Novi safety Jimmy Pitcher saw the Northville quarterback bootlegging to pass, he knew what he had to do.
“I drift back and follow the quarterback’s eyes,” he said.
When Matt Kreager’s eyes pointed right towards him, Pitcher put himself in perfect position in the middle of the end zone.
Pitcher picked the pass off, and Novi stopped host Northville on a late, fourth-quarter two-point conversion attempt.
Northville’s ensuing onside kick attempt failed to go 10 yards, and Novi quarterback Chris Bellamy took a knee three times to complete a 14-12 victory Friday night.
Novi keeps the Baseline Jug for the eighth straight year and, with the win, maintains first place in the Kensington Lakes Central and clinches a playoff berth.
It was a defensive showdown throughout. Novi (6-1, 5-0) took a 14-6 lead into the fourth quarter. Northville took over the ball at its 6-yard line with 8:24 left. The Mustangs drove 94 yards in 19 plays, with the aid of two fourth-down conversions, and scored a touchdown with 58.8 second left on a Jacob Weddle two-yard bull rush.
Novi took a timeout before the PAT attempt, and thanks to Pitcher, it held.
“A very hard-hitting game,” Pitcher said. “They were knocking our players left and right, but we showed we’re the better-conditioned team.”
Novi struck first, early in the second quarter, when all the game’s scoring except the last one happened. Andy Donatto, lining up at quarterback, took a snap and ran behind right tackle Shane Lemere and tight end Kody Tipton for a 20-yard score.
Northville (4-3, 3-2) answered on the next drive, going 65 yards on nine plays, and Weddle (10 carries, 38 yards) punched it in from one-yard out. The kick, however, was blocked by Brad Kotylo.
Novi immediately came back with another touchdown, this time with Bellamy scoring on a quarterback keeper, from 23 yards out, and breaking several tackles on the way.
“Chris has some exceptional running ability,” Novi coach Tab Kellepourey said. “He made a great play.”
And that was pretty much all the offense until that late drive. Novi could only muster 200 yards of total offense. Not counting the late drive, Northville picked up only 161 yards.
Aside from Pitcher, Randall Moore was Novi’s standout defender, with two sacks and a fumble recovery.
“We moved the ball well, but we killed ourselves with a couple of penalties and turnovers,” Northville coach Matt Ladach said. “When you give them more opportunities than you give yourself, it’s hard to win.”