MONTAGUE — Montague midfielder Noah Raeth leapt into keeper Robby Smith's arms in celebration after launching a last-second free kick that ended up in the net Wednesday night. The fact that it ultimately did not count - the clock had run out already - was beside the point; Montague was celebrating a signature program win, a 3-1 triumph over Ludington that stamped the Wildcats as West Michigan Conference contenders.
"I've
been coaching 11 years, and not once have we beaten Ludington," Montague coach Brandon Mahoney said. "Many
times we got (mercy-ruled) by them. So to put together a team like these
boys have been playing this season, it's pretty magical."
A victory like that one is often owed to an early spark, and Montague (7-2, 3-0 WMC) got two of them early on. Less than three minutes into the game, forward Trevor Trevino, the lynchpin of the Montague offense, somehow got loose from the Oriole defenders and fired a rocket into the net to put his team on top. Then, less than three minutes later, the O's were awarded a penalty kick after a foul in the box, and Smith turned it away.
"They were hyped from there," Mahoney said. "I've coached a lot and I can
remember just a handful of keepers that have made PK saves, and (Robby)'s
already made a couple this season. Pretty impressive."
Riding that wave of momentum, Montague gave as good as it got through the rest of the first half, creating its share of scoring opportunities. When the Wildcats drew a foul of their own in the box with 12:30 to play before halftime, it was Trevino who stayed with the play after Ludington's keeper made the initial save, putting in the rebound to make it 2-0.
Trevino added a third goal in the second half, his 20th of what has already turned into an outstanding offensive season. The senior was a scorer last year, but has taken it to a completely different level in 2024.
"I don't know," Trevino said when asked where his scoring explosion came from. "My team
really sets me up well and I just finish them, so I appreciate them.
I'm just doing my job up top and taking care of it."
Despite Trevino's being the obvious top threat for any opponent to focus on, Mahoney said he's able to use his speed and timing to break free anyway.
"They tried to bottle him
up tonight and you could see it," Mahoney said. "They had him double-teamed, triple-teamed sometimes, and he's just able to time that run perfectly. You see
the side refs and they have their flag
down. He's (not offsides). He's really got a nose for the goal
this season...He's dominant, and he wants to be dominant."
Montague's defense took over once the 3-0 lead was in hand, and despite Ludington turning up the attack to try to get on the board, the Wildcats did not allow any clear shots at the net. The Orioles did get on the board in the late going on yet another PK, this one successful.
However, the Wildcat defense was a standout group, none more physically so than Lucas Husband. The veteran was unafraid to throw his body around in pursuit of victory and also served as the emotional center of the unit, often getting visibly fired up when he or a teammate made a positive play.
"He's playing out of control," Mahoney said of Husband. "Having Giovani (Franco) in the middle, he's really
locked things down solidly for us. Having (Rylee) Onstott on the outside with
Trevin
Silvers on the other side, our defense has really come
together, and I have not seen a team in 11 years play with this much
heart and this much passion for
the game."
The 'Cats now enter the unfamiliar position of being the hunted as opposed to the hunter. No WMC team was 3-0 through Wednesday, and apart from rival Whitehall (who beat North Muskegon last week), none boasts a collection of league victories like Montague's.
"I think we're up for it," Trevino said of the new challenge.
"We're all really excited and I think we'll take care of it at the end. I'm very confident in this team. We're going to do
really well this year."
