MONTAGUE – The Montague football team had one final home test, and it was a tough one, but the Wildcats got a passing grade by squeaking past a tough Ravenna squad 14-7 on Friday in a West Michigan Conference defensive slugfest.
The Montague defense held the Bulldogs out of the end zone twice in the first half on goal-to-go possessions, and stood tall on the last defensive challenge of the night.
With 4:48 remaining in the game and Montague leading 14-7, Ravenna took over on its own 39 in an attempt to tie or win the game. The Bulldogs drove down to the Montague 34-yard line before facing a fourth-and-eight.
[1]On the ensuing play, quarterback Kyle Beebe had his pass broken up and Montague took over on downs with 1:20 remaining. Following a one-yard run, Montague’s Dylan Everett broke loose for an 11-yard run for a first down to seal the game.
“Our guys were pretty level-headed,” said Montague coach Justin Dennett about his team getting the crucial stop. “Everyone did their job and kept cool while making big plays in the moment.”
Ravenna took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter after a muffed punt return by Montague set the Bulldogs up at the Wildcat 32-yard line.
Five plays later, Beebe punched in a five-yard run to make the score 7-0 with 7:18 left in the first quarter.
[2]Montague responded with a 57-yard, 12 play drive that was capped off by a one-yard Everett touchdown. The score was tied 7-7 with 1:52 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Ravenna drove down to the Montague one-yard line before being stalled on four straight plays.
Montague took over and drove 99 yards over eight plays to take a 14-7 lead when quarterback Andrew Kooi found Tugg Nichols for a 26-yard touchdown pass with 5:11 left in the second quarter.
On the final drive of the first half, Ravenna reached the Montague three-yard line before an incomplete pass by Beebe ended the first half.
[3]“Our defense buckled down,” said Dennett about the goal line stand. “We had our back against the wall twice and we made some tough goal line stands. We settled in and made some great plays. I was really proud of the guys.”
In the second half, the two teams traded possessions, but neither team came close to scoring except for the final Ravenna possession.
Everett led all rushers with 166 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries while Kooi finished 6-for-11 passing for 56 yards and one touchdown.
“That was kind of our game plan,” said Dennett about the Everett-heavy offense. “We knew we had to run him. Then with the wind, we didn’t really feel comfortable throwing the ball a whole lot.”
Everett enjoyed being the featured offense of the night.
[4]“It was a little exhausting,” said the senior running back. “But it was fun. Ravenna always plays us tough at home.”
Ravenna was led by Thomas McCullough with 103 yards on 15 carries while Beebe totaled 56 yards on 9-of-19 passing.
“Sometimes football isn’t about wins and losses,” said Ravenna head coach Justin Ego about the effort his team gave. “You always want the victory, but my team laid it all out on the line. I learned a lot tonight about my team. I couldn’t be prouder of them. We had a chance to compete and it just didn’t go our way.”
Montague improved to 4-1 overall and 4-0 in West Michigan Conference play while Ravenna fell to 3-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Montague will next travel to Shelby while Ravenna will host Hart.
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