The West Ottawa Panthers entered the 2022 season amidst the third-longest active losing streak in the State of Michigan (26 games). Only New Haven (31) and Pontiac (33) had lost more games than West Ottawa in a row. With key returners back, such as quarterback Cole Tulgestke, and the excitement and momentum that surrounds their new stadium, the energy around Pat Collins’ program had never felt higher. I can only now imagine the energy that will fill their brand new stadium next week for its debut, after the Panthers snapped their losing streak in Week 1 of the season. They stunned the Northview Wildcats on Friday night, 27-16.
In the first half of action, the defenses controlled both sides. West Ottawa’s Tyler Berens shone the brightest with a pair of interceptions. The lone scoring play in the first two quarters came through the air. Tulgestke found Allen Paye on a 5-yard toss in the first quarter. This gave the Panthers a 7-0 halftime advantage.
The third quarter saw the teams trade touchdowns. West Ottawa saw another pass by Tulgestke, this time a 4-yard pairing with Matt Harrison. Northview would finally score in this quarter on a Mikey Murphy 2-yard touchdown run. After a failed extra point by the Panthers, it was 13-7 WO.
In the final frame, there was scoring across both sides. After a Northview field goal trimmed the deficit to just three, Tulgestke took to the air again. With just under six minutes to play, he found Evan Janetzke for a 13-yard strike. This put the Panthers back up by two scores. They would ice the victory with another touchdown, sealing their first win since October 12, 2018.
As mentioned above, next week West Ottawa will open its new stadium, which has already drawn rave reviews across the State. They welcome in Portage Northern next week for that matchup. The Huskies are coming off a victory against Vicksburg. Northview will look to capture their first win in a final non-conference tune-up against Wyoming. The Wolves suffered a defeat against Forest Hills Northern on Thursday.
