LocalSportsJournal.com
MUSKEGON – Sole possession of the WMC Rivers belongs to North Muskegon after the Norsemen beat Hart, 34-14, on Friday night.
A heated first half between the Pirates and the Norsemen saw the ball break the plane only once in the opening quarter. That score landed in favor of North Muskegon as junior quarterback James Young found senior Alec Newville for a 24-yard touchdown with less than two minutes left in that period.
Hart answered right back at the top of the second quarter, taking just 57 seconds to find paydirt. Senior quarterback Connor Edwards found junior Eman Hertzler on a 30-yard score. A failed 2-point conversion left the Pirates behind 7-6.
The Norse turned up the heat after that, dominating time of possession in the second quarter and scoring twice. Junior running back Tristan Thomas and Young each punched in short-yardage touchdowns on the ground to bring North Muskegon’s advantage to 21-6 heading into halftime.
Coming out of the break, North Muskegon found the end zone first. Freshman Cullen Bartos scored on a 2-yard carry, and with a missed extra point, the Norsemen owned a 27-6 lead.
The Pirates, in desperate need of an answer, turned to senior do-it-all back Joseluis Andaverde. Andaverde scored Hart’s only points of the second half on a 6-yard run. Alex Hicks tacked on a successful 2-point try.
Young and North Muskegon closed out the game with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Bartos with 9:43 remaining in the fourth. With a big lead, the Norsemen were able to salt away the remaining time.
North Muskegon was led by Young, who rushed five times for 97 yards and completed 10-of-14 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Tristan Thomas rushed 14 times for 80 yards. Reliable Landson Christensen was the leading receiver with four catches for 74 yards.
Leading tacklers for NM were Henry Husmann with eight, Chuck Meyers with six and AJ Larkin with five stops and an interception. Cullen Bartos had five tackles as well.
The Pirates leaned on their rushing attack, headlined by Andaverde, who went for 77 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Edwards finished behind him with 11 totes for 65 yards while going 1-for-5 through the air with a touchdown and interception. Chase Gale was a force on defense with 14 tackles and a sack.
Hart, which came into the game ranked No. 8 in Division 6, falls to 4-1 overall with a 1-1 conference record and slides into second place in the WMC Rivers behind North Muskegon. The Pirates will hope to rebound in the second half of the regular season with games against Mason County Central, Holton, Hesperia and Ravenna on the docket.
North Muskegon (5-0) remained perfect in the WMC Rivers at 3-0 and now look forward to a date with non-league opponent Montague next Friday. North Muskegon was ranked No. 2 in Division 7 this week.
