By Jason Goorman
LocalSportsJournal.com
Sometimes in high school football, tradition gets the bounce over talent.
North Muskegon football found that out the hard way on Saturday. The talented Norse fell to a tradition-rich Menominee, 32-21, in the Division 7 state semifinals at Gaylord High School.
North Muskegon QB James Young gets hit in the backfield. Photo/Leo Valdez
While the Norse have reached the playoffs seven straight years, the furthest they’ve gone in the last 17 years has been to the regional finals in 2006. The school had last made it to the state semifinals in 1986 and had a state runner-up in 1981.
Menominee now has eight state semifinal appearances since 1981, two state runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2013 and three state titles in 2007, 2006 and 1998.
North Muskegon just couldn’t shake off the new experience in a deep playoff run compared to Menominee’s football tradition.
The Norse, led by starting quarterback James Young, struggled in the first half on Saturday. North Muskegon mustered just one first down while Menominee ran out to a 20-0 halftime lead.
“First half we didn’t play real well, some of it was self-inflicted, and some of it was Menominee causing us some grief,” said North Muskegon coach Larry Witham whose team gave up five sacks on the night to the Maroons. “They (Menominee) are a good football team, with a great past and history, but we just didn’t match their physicality in the first half.”
In the second half, the Norse looked like the team everyone was used to seeing this season.
Young and the Norse crew busted out a six-play, 60-yard drive that was capped off by a nine-yard touchdown reception by TJ Byard from Young. North Muskegon trailed 20-7 with 9:42 left in the third quarter.
North Muskegon’s Talan Thompson (1). Photo/Leo Valdez
Alec Newville then nabbed an interception off Menominee QB Trevor Theuekauf, setting up another successful North Muskegon drive.
This time, North Muskegon used nine plays that were capped off by a 1-yard run by Young with six minutes still to play in the third. The Norse suddenly had new life.
North Muskegon’s Alec Newville. Photo/Leo Valdez
“We weren’t going to panic, we knew we didn’t play real well (in the first half),” said Wtham. “So we knew that first possession (in the second half) was going to be key to the outcome of the game. Fortunately we stuck it in there like we had been doing all year long. Pretty explosive with some big plays.”
But Menominee responded by stopping a seven-play drive by the Norse that was highlighted by a converted fake punt. The Maroons then completed 10 plays that included a 1-yard scamper by Theuerkauf into the end zone for a 26-14 lead.
On the ensuing North Muskegon drive, Young ripped a pass that went through the hands of his receiver, ricocheted off the helmet of a Menominee defender right into the hands of Maroon Landon Bardowski—who then took the interception to the house for a 32-14 lead.
“We just changed our game plan and tried to put some life in us,” said North Muskegon’s Young about his team’s second half. “It looked good and we were six points away, but we had that big interception returned on us and it went down from there. But I’m really proud of our guys and how we battled.”
The ricochet was the bounce Menominee needed to continue into next week’s Division 7 state finals at Ford Field. The Maroons will face the state’s winningest football program, Jackson Lumen Christi.
North Muskegon’s Cullen Bartos. Photo/Leo Valdez
“Our kids talk about it (tradition) all the time, it means a lot,” said Menominee Coach Chad Brandt. “We have a lot to uphold and we invite that and we like it, and we have a lot of support. We feel like when we take the practice field, when we get on the bus and come to this game, it means a lot to have tradition and a lot of people laid the groundwork for that.”
North Muskegon continued its push to finish out the game as Young completed his second TD pass of the night, this time to Drew Bartos with 12 seconds left in the contest.
“It’s been a really fun ride and to do it with these guys is just really special, because I’ve played with them since I was little,” said an emotional Young. “Our program hasn’t been in this situation in a long time. We made history and came up short, but that’s just sometimes how the game goes.”
Young finished the game 12 of 23 passing for 159 yards and three interceptions. He also had 46 yards on the ground on 14 attempts.
James Young makes a pass for North Muskegon. Photo/Leo Valdez
Cullen Bartos finished with 64 yards receiving on four catches while running 25 yards on eight rushes. TJ Byard had four catches for 38 yards and Landon Christensen had three receptions for 36 yards.
“These kids are awesome. Lesser teams would have packed it in down 20-0, but our guys just aren’t wired that way. It’s not part of their DNA,” said Witham. “They came out and made it a ball game in the third quarter. These guys are just special. First 12-win season in the history of North Muskegon High School; in 91 years, the first 12-win season.”
North Muskegon finishes its historic season with a 12-1 record, a conference title, plus a district and regional title.
What do you mean, tradition gets a bounce over talent? So Menominee won because they have won before but have less talent?