Tuckered out
Northern senior quarterback has
career night against Salem's defense
One step
forward, two steps back.
Much of the feel-good momentum Salem's football program
experienced the past few months was shifted into reverse during
Thursday night's 42-18 setback to visiting Walled Lake Northern.
Spear-headed by elusive senior quarterback Jason Tucker, the
Knights put a damper on what had been a stunning reversal of fortune by
the Rocks, who haven't looked the same since leading Plymouth 11-3 at
halftime of last week's opener.
The loss dropped Salem to 0-2 while Northern improved to 1-1.
"I don't know if they were proud about losing last week's game
and all the pats on the backs they got for winning a 'morale victory',
but this week's performance was not good enough -- and last week's
performance was not good enough," said Salem coach Kurt Britnell. "I
thought when we scored on our last drive of the first half (to cut
Northern's lead to 21-18) it would give us some momentum for the second
half, but it didn't.
"We have some big guys up front, but they're not getting off the
ball. We're not getting enough push.
"Tonight's loss was a huge, huge disappointment. I fully
expected to come out and beat this team. It's a big step backward; now
we have to dig ourselves out of it. The coaches are going to have to
teach better and the players are going to have to play better."
Salem will host Livonia Stevenson next Friday on the PCEP junior
varsity football field. The Spartans are also 0-2.
The Knights' catalyst was 5-10, 160-pound senior quarterback
Jason Tucker, who ran for 191 yards and three TDs and threw for 162
yards with two touchdown strikes.
"I've been on the varsity since I was a sophomore and up until
now we haven't had a lot of success," said Tucker. "We put
in a lot of work during the off-season and you're seeing how it's
paying off right here.
"Tonight's win was a team win. Everybody played well and the
play-calling was outstanding."
Salem's most-productive offensive player was 5-8, 155-pound
running back Brad Trublowski, who gained 96 yards on 12 carries. A bulk
of Trublowski's yardage came on a 74-yard, up-the-gut touchdown run
with 4:16 left in the first half.
Salem starting quarterback Jake Peterson completed 7-of-20
passes for 113 yards and one TD -- a 15-yard hook-up with tight end
Ethan Walsh.
Drew Thompson hauled in three passes for 47 yards.
Senior back-up quarterback Brian Maksimovic replaced Peterson
mid-way through the fourth quarter and provided some spark while
leading the Rocks to a pair of first downs as they marched deep into
Knights' territory. He finished with 20 yards rushing on four carries
and 1-for-3 through the air for nine yards.
Northern snatched a 7-0 lead on its second drive of the night
when Tucker raced untouched into the end zone from five yards out.
The Rocks narrowed their deficit to 7-6 with 6:38 left in the
half when Peterson capped an impressive nine-play, 54-yard drive with a
1-yard sneak. The biggest play on the drive was a 27-yard
Peterson-to-Alex King hook-up. Salem's two-point conversion pass was
unsuccessful.
Both teams scored touchdowns on their final two first-half
possessions. The Knights' TD's came on a 13-yard pass from Tucker to
Mike Neill with 4:23 left and a 20-yard scoring strike to Adam Chuchla.
Salem countered with Trublowski's 74-yard burst up the middle
(the two-point conversion failed) and a 15-yard scoring pass from
Peterson to Walsh that brought the Rocks to within 21-18 at the half.
Northern extended its lead to 28-18 on its opening drive in the
second half when Tyler Watske plowed eight yards to paydirt.
The Rocks drove to their 47 on the next drive, but Evian Pardo
was stuffed for no gain on a fourth-and-2 play.
Northern's next drive was stopped by a Drew Thompson
interception, however, Salem's offense was unable to muster any more
points.
Northern iced the game with two fourth-quarter Tucker runs: a
dazzling 56-yarder with 10:19 left and a 7-yarder with 5:33 to play.
Ed Wright can be reached at
info@plymouthcantonsports.com or (734) 453-1980.
