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"JV Colts are Super Bowl Champions!"

11/06/2024, 7:30am EST
By Chris Hurney

It was a picture perfect November Saturday afternoon in southeast Michigan. It was amazing football weather and plenty of orange and black eye black was needed for the SMYFA JV Super Bowl. This year's installment was very familiar as it was a JV Super Bowl rematch between the 8-0 Northville Colts and the 7-1 Northville Stallions. These two teams met earlier in the year at the Battle for the Shoe at Eastern Michigan with the Colts defeating the Stallions 19-6. Would this year's Super Bowl yield the same comfortable result or would it harken back to the past three Super Bowls between these teams at the Freshman and JV level that were all epic classics?

 

The fans of each team made their way to the Cougars turf of Garden City. Some drove their Teslas, others drove their big black SUV's. None though were in the mood for lobster rolls. They just wanted to see great Northville Youth Football. The Colts team parents decided to treat this as a business trip taking a team bus to the game similar to what their idols playing high school football do. 

 

As always the game started with the four minute development portion featuring the Northville Colts Black Attack offense up first. This unit scored in many of their limited chances this year setting the table for the upperclassmen to do their thing. The Colts black attack was led by heady QB Parth Khullar. There were a few positive hard runs by the black attack skill players, Camden Daibess, Luka Pejanovic, and Noah Mahmoud.  Center Devan Grewal and offensive lineman Cameron Klacking had some very nice blocks springing their teammates. After stalling out at roughly midfield the Colts black attack defense in their three plays drove the Stallions back 20 yards punctuated by a tremendous sack by defensive end Alex Smith. 

 

The first quarter of the game started off with the Colts receiving the kick after the Stallions won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Stallions kicker put fear in the Colts minds with his ability to boom kickoffs. Colin Brady was ready for the line drive kick catching it on the fly and doing a great job to give the Colts very good starting field position at their own 42. The Colts wanted to dominate this game in the trenches with the HOGS of their offensive line. Things got off to a great start for the Colts as Colts QB and team leader Grant Chandler ripped off three straight QB runs for a combined 27 yards. Great interior blocking by center Thomas Newlin and a vicious pancake by Ethan Matthews set up the Colts in Stallions territory. It would not be a Super Bowl for the Colts and Coach Chandler to not have some trick plays up their sleeve. At the Stallions 34 yard line the Colts employed their Polecat formation. The bulk of the offensive line set up at the far left side of the field as Newlin the center, Chander the QB, and some blockers set up on the right hash. Chander took the direct snap and bolted down the far right sideline. Jack Kerner leveled a crippling block on a Stallion springing Chander all the way to the nine yard line. After a couple hard QB runs the Colts were presented with a third and goal from the Stallions two yard line. The Colts with no true running back this year excelled in these short yardage situations. With his confidence in the Hogs and sure handed F back Luke Williams, Coach Chandler called a wedge dive. Luke Williams rode the backs of his offensive line into the endzone for one of his many touchdowns this year. The Colts after four minutes went 58 yards down the field in methodical convicing fashion. Colts kicker Adam Salem was just short with the extra two point try but the Colts would have a quick 6-0 lead.

 

Would the Stallions be able to answer back?  They received the kick and started at their own 40. After a couple hard runs and great tackling by Colts dynamo Aldon Hayek,  the Stallions then went to the air hitting one of their receivers for a huge 22 yard gain setting up shop inside the Colts 30. The Colts "White" line defense this year did not give up one single point. There was a moat around the Colts end zone and the Stallions were ready to leap over it. The Colts D though had other ideas. Rhys Granger made an amazing open field tackle shedding his blocker to stop the Stallions for no gain. Chandler pierced through the Stallions offensive line to cause a tackle for loss. The Stallions then had 3rd and 13. The Stallions in this game had fairly good results with throwing up the jump balls to their receivers. On this play they did just that, throwing one up down the left numbers and connecting with the left outside receiver all the way to the Colts ten yard line.  But much to the dismay of the Stallions faithful the yellow flag came out and offensive pass interference was called. This was surely one of the couple huge turning points of the game. Instead of first and goal at the ten, the Stallions had 3rd and 28 at the Colts 45. They again went to the drinking trough down the right numbers and this time Tristan Bender left no chance that this pass would be completed. He mightily jumped as high as he could and made the absolute perfect pass defense. The ricochet landed right into the hand of Chandler who galloped down the left sideline and brought the interception out to the Colts 45. Whomever wins the turnover battle has usually won these Super Bowls and the Colts had the first important one of this game. 

 

As we entered the second quarter after that turnover the Colts were quickly faced with a 4th and 3 just past midfield after a few stingy defensive plays by the Stallions. Knowing this was a critical call Coach Chandler went to the bread and butter, a play that got him out of past Super Bowl 4th down situations. Letting your best runner run behind the best lineman is never a bad strategy. QB Chandler ran right off tackle, sprung by lively blocks from Maximus Kegelmann,  Luke Williams, and Ethan Matthews,  who perfectly picked up the UGLY blitzer allowing Chandler to romp for a gain of 17. After another few minimal gains the Colts again were faced with a fourth down. And yet again behind a great block from the Ultimate Hog Everett Steger, QB Chandler trampled down the right side to gain 12 yards, setting up a first and goal from the ten. In past battles between these two teams there have been one score comebacks, but coming back from two scores would be hard to do. The Colts wanted to make the Stallions uncomfortable fast. A quick freeze play getting the Stallions to jump offside got them half the way to the endzone. Then on second down riding his hogs from the Side Saddle Williams punched it in from a yard out giving the Colts a 12-0 lead with his second touchdown of the day. Adam Salem, who has worked so hard and gotten so much better as a kicker, blasted the two point kick through the uprights to give the Colts a 14-0 lead. 

 

You could sense the desperation creeping into the game. The Stallions needed to quickly get back into the game if they were to have a shot at taking down Goliath. The Colts were having none of it though on the next Stallions possession. After starting at their own 40 the Stallions proceeded to go backwards. A combination of penalties, bad snaps, and incomplete passes caused them to have to punt from their own 33. After a nice bounce on the punt the Colts were looking to end the first half by stampeding the Stallions. But in youth football momentum can turn on a dime. On the Colts first play they were called with a questionable personal foul that backed them up 15 yards. On the rest of this series the Colts could not get much going on offense and punted. The Stallions still had some hope. They were set up at the Colts 45 yard line. They were also slated to get the ball first in the second half. A score here would put them right back in the ball game. The Stallions then got to work. On third down they hit their biggest play of the game, a 27 yard seam pass to set them up with a first down at the Colts 20. After an offsides penalty the Stallions QB busted contain and scampered to the left. Hayek for the Colts as he has done all year, chopped the big QB's legs and timbered him down at the Colts seven. This set up the Stallions with a first and goal. After an incompletion the Stallions went to one of their bread and butter plays the RB swing pass. Their RB caught it and slashed down the right side line. Great team pursuit forced him out of bounds at the one yard line. As has happened in Super Bowls past with these teams, sometimes the last couple of yards are the hardest to come by. After a timeout was called by Coach Chandler to give his defense a blow and some words of encouragement, the Colts D was on the precipice of letting the Stallions back in the game. With 35 seconds left in the half the Stallions had third and goal at the Colts one. The Colts knew the QB sneak was coming. The QB ran to his left trying to sneak over the goal line much to the delight of the Colts as Williams read the play and like a shot, staying low as he always has done in practice ambushed the Stallions QB for no gain. With time ticking and no timeouts left the Stallions lined up quickly for their fourth down play. Knowing their scored on streak was in the balance and knowing this game could soon be in the balance, the stout Colts interior D made the play of the season. Getting perfectly off the ball the whole line of Newlin, Salem, Steger, and Hunter Matthews concaved the Stallions O line into the backfield, blowing up the play and stopping the Stallions again just short of the goal line. A goal line stand in the Super Bowl was a play the Colts faithful and coaching staff will always remember from this game. At the half the Colts held a 14-0 lead. 

 

Just before the third quarter the second portion of the developmental session started. The Stallions got the ball first and the Colts black attack,  as they have done all year, did not budge. Great team tackling by Ben Johnson, Henry Shiffman, and Max Emsley stymied the Stallions after four plays. The Colts tried to move the ball quickly with the limited time they had left but did not manage much. Overall the black attack had a tremendous year yielding no developmental squad points and getting a lot of action in the timed portion of the games which will set these kids up for success in the future. 

 

The Stallions received the ball first to start the third. After the air went out of their balloon just before halftime it was do or die time if they wanted to get back into the game. At halftime Colts Coach Chandler implored his defense to rise to the occasion and pretend like the score was 0-0. They sure responded,  led by their dynamic duo of defensive ends.  Ethan Matthews and Luke Willams dominated off the ball, blowing up play after play leading to a four and out by the Stallions. Midway through the third quarter and the Colts had the ball in positive territory.  The Colts let the hogs then go to work. Nine straight running plays where numerous pancakes were griddled culminated in a one yard touchdown run by Chandler. Salem converted on the two point kick and at the end of the third quarter the bus was beginning to back up as the Colts led 22-0

 

The Stallions had one last chance to try to side saddle back into this game. After some incompletions and some penalties the Stallions were left with a 4th and one at the Colts 39 with eight minutes to go. Knowing this might be their last defensive play as JV players, the entire Colts upper class defense hoofed into the backfield dismantling all blockers and blowing up the slot reverse for a six yard loss. They celebrated with pride knowing their line again held the opposition to no points. 

 

The Colts next drive was led by a lot of the first year JV "orange" players. They got plenty of game tests this year playing against the number one lines of most teams. They were coached up well this week and wanted to show their mettle in the Super Bowl as they gave the upperclassmen great scouting and resistance in practice this year. QB Owen Medvecky started it off bursting through a wide chism running to the right for eight yards. The next play was a thing of beauty. A perfectly executed wedge play like a rhino piercing his horn through a bunch of blitzers for 18 yards by Luke Williams. There was hard running by Rocco Leone on the next play. There was a pancake delivered by Tyler Hurney. There was great wide receiver blocking by Max Bonn. On second and six from the ten yard line the orange line all came together and created a massive hole for QB Medvecky to bolt to the endzone. Bobbing and weaving the last couple of yards and undeterred with his cleat falling off, Medvecky stayed upright into the endzone being mobbed by his friends and teammates. The extra point pass was converted as Shaan Grewal made an amazing fingertip catch with two defenders draped all over him to extend the score to 29-0. 

 

The Stallions had one last possession and the Colts Orange line knew it was best to deliver to Coach Chandler the complete shutout he was hoping for. After a couple of minimal plays the Colts ended the game in grand fashion. Fearing the impending impaling that Logan Badour was about to deliver, the Stallions QB threw one last jump ball up for grabs that wound up in the hands of Luka Pejanovic for a game sealing interception.

 

After one kneel down the game ball was thrown to the heavens. The final score was the Northville JV Colts 29 and the Northville JV Stallions 0. This Colts win was for all the parents who raised such great kids, players, and teammates. It was for Connor Braziunas who was injured the first game and couldn't play but was there as the heart of the team all the time.  It was for all the Colts coaches who put in a ton of hard work to help make this season a success. But mostly importantly it was for all the kids who had a mission this year. To play better than their best. To play every play like the game depended on it. The bus ride home was a party like no other. With a third straight Super Bowl win for Coach Chandler and the trophy in Coach Grewal's hands the bus returned to Cooke school, the site of where hours and hours of hard work were put in by this team. There were injuries there,  there was sickness, there were gassers, there were tears, there was laughing, and there was happiness. And as that bus driver returned to where this year started, the realization came that the year had come full circle and the JV Super Bowl trophy was where it rightfully belonged. Congratulations to the 2024 JV Northville Stallions on a great season and congratulations to the 2024 JV Northville Colts on being Super Bowl champions. PS. This one's for you Coach John Leone!

Tag(s): Colts