The Montague Wildcats suffered a tough loss last week against Edwardsburg. This week, they bounced back with an impressive showing against North Muskegon. Head Coach Justin Dennett earned his first win at Montague with a 35-0 shutout victory over the Norsemen.
Neither team scored in the first quarter of this game. Montague finally broke through in the second quarter, as Dylan Everett reeled off a 44-yard touchdown run. Andrew Kooi added the extra point, and the Wildcats took a 7-0 lead into the locker room.
Montague would add a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter of this game to create separation. First, Andrew Kooi kept the football, and the senior quarterback plunged across the goal line from 1-yard out. The Wildcats’ defense would get on the board later in the third when John Greiner stepped in front of a North Muskegon pass, returning it for a 24-yard interception return touchdown. Kooi’s two extra points brought the count to 21-0 in favor of Montague.
The rushing attack continued the offensive burst for Montague over the last twelve minutes. Dylan Everett found his way back to the end zone, as the senior had a 23-yard touchdown run. Chase Gowell would round out the scoring column for the Wildcats with a 24-yard run. Kooi would remain perfect with two more extra points, finishing the game 5/5.
Dylan Everett led the Montague offense with 175 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. As a whole, Montague outgained North Muskegon 310-103. The Norsemen were held to just eight first downs, while committing three turnovers. Montague played excellent third-down defense as well, holding North Muskegon to a 2/11 conversion rate.
Now 1-1, Montague will continue WMC play next week with a home game against Hart. North Muskegon starts 0-2 for the first time since 2016, a season in which they started 0-4 before finishing 5-4. The Norsemen will look for their first win next week when they travel to Shelby.
