NEWAYGO – Montague football’s 2024 season came to an end in Newaygo Friday night. The Wildcats were unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities, leaving them just short in a 30-17 loss to the Lions in Division 6 district action.
An electric start for Montague saw its defense make the first big play just seconds after kickoff. The Wildcats punched the ball free from a Newaygo ball carrier, recovering the fumble and setting themselves up at the opponents’ 25-yard line.
Newaygo’s defense stood tall as well, forcing Montague into a fourth-down decision from the Lions’ 20. Head coach Justin Dennett opted to try for points, sending sophomore Jonah Henderson out to attempt a 37-yard field goal. Henderson didn’t have enough leg, watching the ball fall short and slightly to the left, giving the ball back to Newaygo in the process.
Henderson would get another shot at it midway through the first quarter, however, as a shanked punt from the Lions set Montague up in scoring position once more. Unable to find the end zone, Henderson was called upon again, sending his second attempt through the uprights to put the Wildcats on top 3-0.
The inability to find the end zone plagued Montague for the entirety of the first half.
After rumbling down the field on the back of Eli Petersen and Ryver Jarka, the Wildcats found themselves at Newaygo’s five-yard line. Jarka took a handoff in search of the goal line, but instead was met by a hard hit from the Lions’ defense. That hit jarred the ball loose and bounced right into the hands of the defense.
“We struggled on offense,” Dennett said. “(Newaygo’s) defense was tough and when we did have some good drives, we didn’t finish. The missed field goal and fumble definitely hurt us and little mistakes like that are tough to overcome in a playoff game.”
Newaygo’s offense struggled mightily in the first two quarters as well, punting twice and watching a promising second quarter drive end on an illegal forward pass on fourth down.
With three minutes left in the first half, Montague’s offense stalled out near midfield. Petersen dropped a perfectly placed punt inside Newaygo’s 10-yard line and watched his teammates down it at the one.
That’s where the Lions’ offense really started to bust the game open. Facing the prospect of a drive spanning the length of the field, Newaygo busted off a long run almost immediately. That set forth a freight train of runs and swing passes that pushed them into the end zone with only seconds remaining before halftime.
“That was a great punt by Eli and we had great coverage to pin it down at the one,” Dennett said. “(Newaygo) scored on a 99-yard drive right before half. That one hurt too. If we held them there and we scored on that drive we fumbled, we could’ve won that game.”
A failed two-point conversion attempt by Newaygo following the touchdown had Montague trailing only by a field goal as the teams headed into the break.
Jarka and the Wildcats showed a renewed focus in the third quarter, starting with the ball in their hands. Montague marched down the field on a long, six-minute drive, finishing with a five-yard scamper from Jarka to put them on top 10-6.
Newaygo answered with an almost identical drive, using six minutes of the clock to reclaim the lead. That was one of two touchdowns scored by Lions’ junior Porter Slominski in the final quarter of play.
With 10 minutes remaining in the game, Montague faced a fourth down and nine from the Newaygo 41-yard line. Trailing 14-10 at that point, Dennett opted to go for it rather than punt, only to watch the Lions blow it up and take over on offense.
Slominski and the Lions took advantage of Montague’s gamble on offense, scoring another touchdown with 6:38 remaining to extend their lead to 22-10.
With a large deficit and their backs against the wall, Montague found a spark on special teams to keep hope alive. Talan Degen took a kick return 80 yards to the house to cut Newaygo’s advantage to 22-17.
“I was so proud of our effort. They never quit,” Dennett said. “They just kept responding. Talan made a mistake earlier in the game and he was down (on himself), but then here he is returning the kick for a touchdown that put us right back in it.”
The Lions could not be stopped, however, finding the end zone one more time to effectively end the game.
Jarka finished as the top weapon for Montague on offense, tallying 174 all-purpose yards and the offense’s lone touchdown. Petersen went 3-for-13 through the air for 57 yards. Caleb Schmidt led the defense with 13 tackles while Fletcher Thommen had 11 and a fumble recovery.
Montague finished their year at 4-6 overall, and though Dennett and his staff will miss the senior class of 2025, there is optimism for the future of the Wildcats.
“I feel for our seniors and I really appreciate everything they did for our program,” Dennett said. “We’re just going to get back to work in the offseason with the underclassmen. They know the routine and we’ll hit the weight room hard to get ready for next year.”
An electric start for Montague saw its defense make the first big play just seconds after kickoff. The Wildcats punched the ball free from a Newaygo ball carrier, recovering the fumble and setting themselves up at the opponents’ 25-yard line.
Newaygo’s defense stood tall as well, forcing Montague into a fourth-down decision from the Lions’ 20. Head coach Justin Dennett opted to try for points, sending sophomore Jonah Henderson out to attempt a 37-yard field goal. Henderson didn’t have enough leg, watching the ball fall short and slightly to the left, giving the ball back to Newaygo in the process.
Henderson would get another shot at it midway through the first quarter, however, as a shanked punt from the Lions set Montague up in scoring position once more. Unable to find the end zone, Henderson was called upon again, sending his second attempt through the uprights to put the Wildcats on top 3-0.
The inability to find the end zone plagued Montague for the entirety of the first half.
After rumbling down the field on the back of Eli Petersen and Ryver Jarka, the Wildcats found themselves at Newaygo’s five-yard line. Jarka took a handoff in search of the goal line, but instead was met by a hard hit from the Lions’ defense. That hit jarred the ball loose and bounced right into the hands of the defense.
“We struggled on offense,” Dennett said. “(Newaygo’s) defense was tough and when we did have some good drives, we didn’t finish. The missed field goal and fumble definitely hurt us and little mistakes like that are tough to overcome in a playoff game.”
Newaygo’s offense struggled mightily in the first two quarters as well, punting twice and watching a promising second quarter drive end on an illegal forward pass on fourth down.
With three minutes left in the first half, Montague’s offense stalled out near midfield. Petersen dropped a perfectly placed punt inside Newaygo’s 10-yard line and watched his teammates down it at the one.
That’s where the Lions’ offense really started to bust the game open. Facing the prospect of a drive spanning the length of the field, Newaygo busted off a long run almost immediately. That set forth a freight train of runs and swing passes that pushed them into the end zone with only seconds remaining before halftime.
“That was a great punt by Eli and we had great coverage to pin it down at the one,” Dennett said. “(Newaygo) scored on a 99-yard drive right before half. That one hurt too. If we held them there and we scored on that drive we fumbled, we could’ve won that game.”
A failed two-point conversion attempt by Newaygo following the touchdown had Montague trailing only by a field goal as the teams headed into the break.
Jarka and the Wildcats showed a renewed focus in the third quarter, starting with the ball in their hands. Montague marched down the field on a long, six-minute drive, finishing with a five-yard scamper from Jarka to put them on top 10-6.
Newaygo answered with an almost identical drive, using six minutes of the clock to reclaim the lead. That was one of two touchdowns scored by Lions’ junior Porter Slominski in the final quarter of play.
With 10 minutes remaining in the game, Montague faced a fourth down and nine from the Newaygo 41-yard line. Trailing 14-10 at that point, Dennett opted to go for it rather than punt, only to watch the Lions blow it up and take over on offense.
Slominski and the Lions took advantage of Montague’s gamble on offense, scoring another touchdown with 6:38 remaining to extend their lead to 22-10.
With a large deficit and their backs against the wall, Montague found a spark on special teams to keep hope alive. Talan Degen took a kick return 80 yards to the house to cut Newaygo’s advantage to 22-17.
“I was so proud of our effort. They never quit,” Dennett said. “They just kept responding. Talan made a mistake earlier in the game and he was down (on himself), but then here he is returning the kick for a touchdown that put us right back in it.”
The Lions could not be stopped, however, finding the end zone one more time to effectively end the game.
Jarka finished as the top weapon for Montague on offense, tallying 174 all-purpose yards and the offense’s lone touchdown. Petersen went 3-for-13 through the air for 57 yards. Caleb Schmidt led the defense with 13 tackles while Fletcher Thommen had 11 and a fumble recovery.
Montague finished their year at 4-6 overall, and though Dennett and his staff will miss the senior class of 2025, there is optimism for the future of the Wildcats.
“I feel for our seniors and I really appreciate everything they did for our program,” Dennett said. “We’re just going to get back to work in the offseason with the underclassmen. They know the routine and we’ll hit the weight room hard to get ready for next year.”
Montague's Kellan Francis (12) and Dylan Bailey celebrate with Ryver Jarka after Jarka scored a touchdown for the Wildcats during Friday's district game at Newaygo.
