First off, huge shoutout to our SportsNut Mia Milner. She snapped some of the best game photos I’ve ever seen — a couple of them were absolute chef’s kiss. Seriously, check out her photo portfolio and business when you get the chance. (m.m.photography.__)
Alright, now let’s talk about the action on the field...
Montague came into this rivalry showdown riding a three-game skid — losses to Hart (3-4), Ludington (0-8), and Orchard View (0-2) dropped the Wildcats to 1-3 in the conference and 2-7 overall. Whitehall, on the flip side, was rolling. The Vikings had strung together four straight wins, knocking off Shelby (3-0), Hart (2-0), Big Rapids (3-1), and Ludington (1-0). On paper — or if you go by what one of my old geometry teachers used to call the “transitive property” — Whitehall looked like the clear favorite.
But rivalry games don’t usually follow the math.
This one got real around the 11-minute mark of the first half. That’s when Whitehall’s Evan Jud broke through, finishing off a beautiful through ball from Carter Burrous. Jud sliced between two Wildcat defenders and ripped a shot from just inside the 18 to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead. When it comes to pure soccer plays, that was about as good as it gets. Coaches dream play.
Montague didn’t answer until early in the second half. Just a couple minutes after the restart, Zach Taylor picked up the ball near the 40-yard line (remember, Whitehall plays on their football field). He weaved through defenders and worked a slick give-and-go with Noah Raeth, before threading one of the best passes I’ve seen from a sophomore — a perfect ball to Isaiah King, who buried it with a laser into the upper-90.
That’s where the scoring ended. The rivalry clash finished in a 1-1 draw. For both squads, a tie might feel worse than a straight-up loss. Montague moves to 2-7-1 overall, 1-3-1 in the conference, while Whitehall sits at 4-3-1 overall, 3-1-1 in the league. Up next, the Wildcats head home to battle the third-place Mariners, while the Vikings travel to Orchard View to face the Cardinals (2-4 in conference).
I’ll leave it here…one thing’s for sure: if these two see each other again in the postseason, expect a lot more fireworks than a 1-1 stalemate.
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