MONTAGUE — When it became clear early this week that Montague
quarterback Eli Petersen, who had come down with strep throat, would be
unable to get in a full week of prep for the Oakridge game - always one
of the team's most anticipated battles - senior Ryver Jarka wasted
little time stepping forward.
Jarka is not a quarterback by
trade, but he volunteered to take the snaps, believing he could give his
team the best chance to win.
The Wildcats didn't light up the
scoreboard with Jarka running what amounted to a spread rushing attack,
but the senior led two touchdown drives and made several big runs down
the stretch to help put the game away for his team in a dramatic 14-7
win.
The win must have been especially sweet for Jarka, who
had to miss the Wildcats' opening-week game because MHSAA rule forces a
player ejected from a game to be suspended from the next one - even if
that game took place the previous season, as was the case with
Montague's postseason loss to Reed City last fall.
"He's our hardest worker all year round," Montague coach Justin Dennett said. "He loves the weight
room. He's a multi-sport athlete, so he's always doing something. He's
our leader. It hurt not having him last week, and we were fortunate to
have him back."
Montague's defense was dominant in the first
half, forcing three turnovers and enabling the Wildcats (1-1, 1-0 West
Michigan Conference Lakes) to spend essentially the entire half on the
Eagles' end of the field. However, due to fourth-down stops by
Oakridge's equally stingy defense, Montague was unable to turn any of
those three - even a fumble recovery on the Eagles' 4-yard line - into
scores.
However, after stonewalling an Oakridge fake punt at
the Eagles' 40, Montague finally broke through, as Fletcher Thommen
powered into the end zone to open the scoring with four minutes left in
the half.
To open the second half, Montague battered its way
down the field, mostly with Jarka, before Thommen again scored from a
yard out to make it 14-0. Dennett said the Wildcats were able to find
some matchups they liked to attack the Eagles' defensive front more
efficiently.
"We knew it was going to be a physical, physical fight the
whole way," Dennett said. "Luckily, we were able to get enough drives and enough in our running game to hold on at the end."
Jarka
handled the bulk of the carries - 26 of them, for 148 yards. Sometimes
he found an inviting hole in the middle of the line - he credited his
front after the game - and other times he had to break it to the
outside, but more often than not he made positive things happen. The
senior also was a big factor on defense, tallying a fumble recovery and
knifing in to make a key tackle in the fourth quarter.
"I just love the game so much," Jarka said. "I have so much passion for it.
It's so big in my heart."
Oakridge finally strung a drive
together and scored early in the fourth quarter, but the Montague
defense never let the Eagles get close again, and Jarka ripped off some
big chunks on his team's final drive to allow the 'Cats to kneel out the
clock in the end.
Dennett said getting a win in the emotional
Oakridge rivalry was big for a young team, and it was clear just how
big it was seeing coaches and players alike celebrate the biggest
momentum swings in Montague's favor over the course of the evening.
"The last two
years, our record wasn't great," Dennett said. "Getting a win like this
early, I think, is huge for our confidence, especially after last week,
playing a really good Forest Hills Eastern team and struggling there.
We're just
looking to build on this - it's a big conference win - and then keep
some momentum rolling here."
Thommen had 67 yards rushing and
his two touchdowns, as well as a team-high eight solo tackles and a
fumble recovery. Jarka had seven solo takedowns.
