Northville Youth Football Association

The JV Stallions did not let sleet and hail dampen their spirits as they defeated the Walled Lake Braves, 30-13, on Nov. 2 at Wayne State’s Adams Field. 

The Stallions scored on their first drive, after forcing a four-and-out behind tackles by #24 Tyler Shelide, #25 Austin McGarrow, #52 Aiden Hamilton, and #98 Hunter Stokes. On offense, a holding penalty pushed the Stallions back. #12 Dylan Young took a direct snap and raced for a first down. #25 McGarrow picked up four yards on first down, then #14 Cooper Derkach hit #12 Young for a catch-and-run for another first down. A couple of plays later, #14 Derkach passed to #5 Jaafar behind the defense and Jaafar took the ball in for the score with 3:38 left in the first quarter. The extra point was no good, giving the Stallions a 6-0 lead. 

On the ensuing kickoff, the Braves fumbled the ball and #23 Kersey recovered it. But the Stallions’ drive stalled early and they turned it over on downs. The two teams traded turnovers and turnovers on downs for the next few drives into the second quarter. #12 Young, #25 McGarrow, #32 Nolan Toomey, and #98 Stokes had tackles as the Braves tried to put a drive together. With 2:37 left in the half, #14 Derkach hit #12 Young with a pass, and Young took it to the house, giving the Stallions a 12-0 lead.

The Stallions were not done yet. The Braves fumbled the ball on the ensuing kickoff return and the Stallions recovered it, giving them a short field. A pass interference penalty by the Braves set the Stallions up in the red zone. #12 Young picked up seven yards, followed by a first down run by #24 Shelide that gave the Stallions a first and goal. #14 Derkach hit #25 McGarrow in stride towards the Stallions’ sideline and McGarrow took the ball in for the score, giving the Stallions an 18-0 lead with 43 seconds left in the half. 

The Braves fumbled the ball again on the kickoff, but time expired as the Stallions tried to pick up a first down. 

The Stallions did not let halftime halt their momentum, scoring on the opening drive of the second half. After losing yards on first and second down, the Stallions struck again on a pass from #14 Derkach to #24 Shelide. The extra point was no good, leaving the Stallions with a 24-0 lead less than three minutes into the second half. 

The lead meant the Stallions had to pull-card. The Braves quickly scored and got the extra point, making the score 24-7. 

After a turnover by the Stallions gave the Braves the ball in the red zone, they scored again, making the score 24-13. 

Despite these two quick strikes, the Stallions continued to control the game. On the next drive, #25 McGarrow rushed for a first down. Then, on second and long, #14 Derkach tried to get the ball to #30 Grezak. The defender almost intercepted the ball, but instead tipped it to Grezak, who finished the play inside the ten-yard line. The weather turned, with sheets of sleet and hail pouring down. On second and goal, #12 Young scored again, giving the Stallions the final score of 30-13. 

The Braves fumbled the ball early in the fourth quarter, with the Stallions recovering, but the drive resulted in a punt. On their next drive the Braves moved the ball a bit, before #21 Ryan Schuckel sacked the quarterback. #12 Young and #1 Ader stopped the Braves from picking up more yards, and an incomplete pass caused a turnover on downs with 2:40 left in the game. 

The Stallions turned it back over on downs with 1:30 left, but thunder and lightning forced the teams to seek shelter with 47 seconds left. The Braves agreed to end the game without playing out the 47 seconds, and the Stallions celebrated the win. This was the JV Stallions’ first-ever Super Bowl win, and Coach Kersey and some of the first-year players’ third straight Super Bowl win. 

Orange Crush also played hard, despite giving up their first touchdown this season. In the first half development game, the Braves picked up a few yards before #75 Jakob Stuzin sacked the quarterback for a three-yard loss on third down. On fourth and 16, #38 Mitchell MacKellar and #20 Nick Lundberg combined to stop the runner, forcing a turnover on downs. On offense, #19 Collin Kenneally rushed for four yards. #20 Lundberg then recovered an errant snap but time ran out before Crush could move the ball further. 

In the second half development game, #20 Lundberg rushed for 30 yards on first down, getting the crowd on their feet and hoping for a score. But the Stallions turned the ball over two plays later, and the Braves’ development line scored a touchdown on first down. The Stallions stopped the extra point, leaving the Braves with a 6-0 lead. 

Back on offense, #6 Andrew Shukeireh completed a pass to #38 MacKellar for a first down before Crush’s second turnover in the half. #79 Edward Cho had a tackle for loss, then a herd of Stallions tackled the runner on third down as time expired.