Oct. 12, 2019
Bill Kahn
HARTLAND — Hartland has had better nights offensively this football season, but the Eagles didn’t need to light up the scoreboard the way their defense played Friday night. Hartland recorded only its second shutout in the last 103 games with a 14-0 victory over Novi. The Eagles’ other shutout dating back to the 2008 playoffs was a 35-0 victory over Salem last season. “The defense played great,” Hartland coach Brian Savage said. “We kept Novi, who obviously has scored some points and given people trouble, out of the end zone and did a great job.”
With senior Logan Tobel sidelined with an injury, sophomore Brad Sollom got his first start at quarterback for Hartland. Sollom connected with running back Gage DeLanoy for a 66-yard touchdown with 10:22 left in the second quarter for the only points the Eagles would need. DeLanoy was back after missing the Plymouth game with an injury.
Sollom was 2-for-7 for 79 yards. The Eagles used junior receiver Issac Elmore as a wildcat quarterback. Elmore was 3-for-4 for 26 yards and scored the game’s other touchdown on a 2-yard run with 59 seconds left in the third quarter. Elmore ran 10 times for 38 yards. “Brad kept us in there and did a good job,” Savage said. “We kind of got into a wildcat thing with Elmore and let him run.” Charlie Anderson ran 11 times for 41 yards for Hartland. Carson Neuer had an interception. Isiah Washington led Novi with 72 yards on eight carries. Neither team cracked 200 yards of total offense, with Novi producing 199 yards on 49 plays and Hartland 157 yards on 45 plays. At 4-3, Hartland is still alive in its quest to reach the state playoffs. The Eagles will qualify automatically if they win at Canton next Friday and at home the following Friday against a KLAA East crossover opponent.