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Jets rally for 5th straight win

Prep Football

POWERS — North Central coach Kevin Bellefeuil and his team can’t wait for the state playoffs to begin.

And why not, the Jets might be the hottest eight-player squad entering the upcoming post-season tournament. North Central won its fifth straight game, the latest being an impressive come-from-behind 32-20 victory Friday night against in-county rival Stephenson on Parents Appreciation Night.

‘I believe we are ready for the playoffs, Bellefeuil said. “Our kids are fired up. Whether we host or don’t we are ready to play. We will go anywhere. We have football and will travel.”

North Central and all playoff teams will wait for the MHSAA selection show on Sunday night for the announcement of the first-round pairings.

North Central (6-2, 5-2) secured a piece of second place in the Western Eight Conference along with Stephenson (7-1, 5-2) behind league champion Rapid River.

Stephenson took control of this game early.

North Central fumbled on its first possession and the Eagles capitalized on a 33-yard TD pass from quarterback Trevor Topper to Montell Glover. Jesus Becerra’s conversion run made it 8-0 at the 8:56 mark.

The explosive Glover then returned a punt 65 yards as Stephenson extended its lead to 14-0.

“Their team speed got us on the punt return,” Bellefeuil said. “We told the kids they are going to hit a couple. There is nothing we can do about that. We don’t have that kind of speed. I don’t think anybody does.”

Glover broke loose on a 9-yard TD run early in the second quarter as the Eagles built a 20-0 lead.

North Central showed life on its next possession and quarterback Hunter Riley lofted a 13-yard TD pass to Shaun Gogolewski.

The Jets regrouped at halftime and caught some breaks.

A key play in the game came on Stephenson’s first drive to open the third quarter. The Eagles marched to North Central’s 8-yard line, but Noah Gorzinski intercepted a pass in the end zone for the Jets.

North Central converted the turnover, with Riley hitting Gogolewski again on a 43-yard TD pass as the Jets pulled within 20-16.

“I thought we played a good all-around game,” Stephenson coach Logan Carlson said. “That play kind of emphasized us kind of shooting ourselves in the foot. It was a huge play and a momentum swinger. I thought we still came back and competed hard, but you could tell it definitely was in the back of our heads.”

Another mistake hurt the Eagles as a bad snap from center went into their end zone, leading to a North Central safety cutting Stephenson’s lead to 20-18.

The Jets seized the momentum after Stephenson’s kickoff, with Trenton Schaff’s long return setting up a nifty 21-yard scramble by Riley for a TD that gave North Central its first lead at 24-20 at the 1:32 mark of the third quarter.

“We stuck with it tonight,” Bellefeuil said. “We got a couple of turnovers which was big for us. And the safety was obviously a big flip because we flipped the field. Our kids just stuck with it. “Our 19 kids all played. i think we wore them out a little bit. They weren’t as quick to the ball anymore.”

The Jets got an insurance score when Schaff took a pitch and rambled around end for an 11-yard TD and the final 32-20 count.

Gorzinski’s second interception sealed the win as the Jets ran out the final 1:50 on the clock.

“It’s a heartbreaker for the kids,” Carlson said. “The seniors really wanted this one. We had the momentum and it turned. We played to the end and I’m proud of the boys for that.”

Riley had a big game, passing for 217 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for 41 yards. Schaff led the ground game with 124 yards on 14 carries and a TD.

Glover had 90 yards rushing and Becerra added 82 yards on the ground.

Stephenson 14 6 0 0 — 20

North Central 0 8 16 8 — 32

First Quarter

S — Topper 33 pass to Glover, Becerra PAT run, 8:56

S — Glover 65 punt return, PAT run failed, 7:19

Second Quarter

S — Glover 9 run, PAT run failed, 10:45

NC — Riley 13 pass to Gogolewski, Schaff PAT run, 8:51

Third Quarter

NC — Riley 43 pass to Gogolewski, Schaff PAT run, 5:46

NC — Safety after bad snap, 2:33

NC — Riley 21 run, PAT run failed, 1:32

Fourth Quarter

NC — Schaff 11 run, Bentley PAT run, 3:03

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