MUSKEGON – The first Hackley Stadium Showcase featured a pair of sophomore quarterbacks who are both developing into special players.

Muskegon Catholic Central was led by QB Bryan Convertini, who made the first start of his varsity career, while North Muskegon countered with James Young, who played a short season last year due to an injury and still managed to throw for nearly 1,000 yards.

Convertini and the Crusaders won the matchup, but it wasn’t easy.

They overcame a 10-point deficit and managed to take their first lead of the contest with 8:48 left, then held on to beat a very good North Muskegon squad 24-22 on Friday afternoon on the Muskegon Big Reds’ home field.

MCC quarterback Bryan Convertini finds running room. Photo/Steve Gunn

The Crusaders will face an always tough Oakridge team next Thursday while North Muskegon will look to bounce back against Orchard View in a West Michigan Conference crossover game.

“That is a really good football team over there,” Muskegon Catholic coach Steve Czerwon said about North Muskegon. “They are so efficient in what they do, and I was impressed by them.

“I am proud of our guys and how we played pass defense and how we gutted out some plays when we needed to.”

Convertini led the Muskegon Catholic offense by making the right decisions with the ball at the right times.

North Muskegon’s James Young unleashes a long touchdown pass in the first quarter. Photo/Steve Gunn

He ran for just 32 yards, but managed to scramble for several key first downs, and scored two touchdowns from three and two yards out, respectively.

Convertini was 3-for-5 passing for 60 yards, and on defense he picked off a pass that eventually led to the game-winning touchdown.

“This was his first start at quarterback and defense, and I couldn’t be prouder of him,” Czerwon said about Convertini. “He has a big future ahead of him.”

The Norse jumped out to an early 7-0 lead with 8:40 left in the opening quarter on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Young to Carsen Moat.

MCC’s Chase Willer tries to fight through two North Muskegon tacklers. Photo/Steve Gunn

MCC responded on its next drive, getting great field position with a 47-yard kickoff return by David Hill, then scoring on a two-yard run by Convertini with 2:11 left in the first quarter. The PAT failed and the Norse clung to a 7-6 lead.

North Muskegon took a 14-6 lead with 5:02 left in the second quarter on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Young to Ben Meyers.

The Crusaders closed out the first half by scoring from 11 yards out on a run by fullback Sam Kartes. MCC failed to convert the two-point conversion, and the Norse held a slim 14-12 halftime advantage.

North Muskegon threatened to take control of the game on the first offensive possession of the second half, scoring on a one-yard run by Young after taking nearly six minutes off the clock.

The Norse also converted a two-point conversion on a pass from Young to Moat and grabbed the biggest lead of the afternoon, 22-12.

North Muskegon’s Denny Belmonte (2) tries to fight his way past numerous MCC defenders. Photo/Steve Gunn

MCC answered on the next play from scrimmage with a 68-yard run by David Hill, putting the ball inside the North Muskegon 5-yard line.

The Crusaders took four tries to get in the end zone, but finally scored with a three-yard run by Convertini. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Norse with a 22-18 lead with 4:34 left in the third quarter.

The Crusaders got the ball back again on an interception by Convertini and started their winning drive at the Norse 40.

MCC used 10 plays to cover that 40 yards and finally scored the winning touchdown on a two-yard run by Convertini with 8:38 left.

“I just got out there and played my hardest and I was trying to hit somebody hard,” Convertini said. “I love contact and I am not afraid of it.”

Bryan Convertini fights to keep his balance after being tripped up by a Norse defender. Photo/Steve Gunn

North Muskegon went three-and-out on its next possession, then forced MCC to punt, leaving the Norse with one final shot with three minutes left.

But they struggled to move the ball on their last drive, committing three key penalties that eventually resulted into a turnover on downs.

Hill led MCC in rushing with 92 yards on nine carries.

Young paced the North Muskegon offense, going 24-for-33 passing for 275 yards with two touchdowns. Alec Newville caught seven passes for 54 yards, while Meyers had six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown.

The Norse struggled on the ground, only gaining 30 total yards as a team on 13 carries.

“We are pretty explosive with the kids that we have,” said North Muskegon coach Larry Witham. “The passing game is our bread and butter and I think we will do that well all year long, but we really need to develop a running game.”