NORTH MUSKEGON – It’s been a long time since the North Muskegon football team won a conference title – and nothing is definite yet – but the Norse took a giant step toward ending that drought on Friday night with an impressive 28-7 victory over Ravenna in a West Michigan Conference Rivers Division showdown.

The victory gives the Norsemen a 6-1 overall record and a 4-0 mark in the division while Ravenna falls to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

If North Muskegon wins out by defeating Holton and Shelby on the road over the next two weeks, the Norse will take home their first conference championship in 36 years.

“It’s huge,” said North Muskegon head coach Larry Witham about what it means for the Norse to be in the driver seat of the conference. “This was one of the toughest games on our schedule, including Catholic and Montague. We’re not overlooking Holton or Shelby by any stretch of the imagination. We know we got two weeks left to close it out, and our kids will do what they need to do.”

North Muskegon quarterback James Young lets go of a pass on the run. Photo/Jeremy Clark

One of the players who won’t be overlooking Holton or Shelby is sophomore quarterback James Young.

“We’re trying to build a winning culture,” he said. “We need to stay focused. We got to continue to put the work in and that’s really the key.”

While the Norse offense has scored plenty this season, including four games with 40 points or more, it was the defense that got the party started against Ravenna.

With 7:20 left in the first quarter, senior Brandon Rypstra picked up a Bulldog fumble and returned it 63-yards for a touchdown, giving North Muskegon a 7-0 lead.

Ben Meyers (8) fights for yards for the Norse. Photo/Jeremy Clark

“I had backside pursuit,” Rypstra said about the play. “I was running to the ball and it went on the ground. I picked it up and I was gone.”

That score remained until 22 seconds into the second quarter when Young found fellow sophomore TJ Byard for a 35-yard touchdown pass, extending the Norse lead to 14-0.

Byard caught a second touchdown pass from Young, this one covering 31 yards, with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter. The PAT gave North Muskegon a 21-0 lead.

“We just connected again,” Young about the scoring passes to Byard. “Our chemistry is so good, and I just couldn’t be more proud of him and all our guys.”

Ravenna got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when Hunter Hogan found Drew Mabrito on a slant pass that turned into an 80-yard touchdown.

North Muskegon’s Carsen Moat (5) pushed off Ravenna’s Drew Mabrito. Photo/Jeremy Clark

Young finished the scoring with a six-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Huff that gave North Muskegon a 28-7 lead with 3:31 remaining in the game.

The North Muskegon defense had a very big night by forcing four Bulldog turnovers.

“They really were the glue to our success,” Witham said about the effort his defense showed. “Our coaches did a great job of putting together a game plan to shut down Hunter Hogan, who can do everything. Our whole motto this week was to contain him, and our kids executed it to perfection.”

North Muskegon will travel to Holton next week while Ravenna will play Oakridge.

“This is just awesome,” said Young about the big victory on Friday and the chance to win a conference title. “This is the best night of my life. It was a good team effort, and everyone played good.”