NORTH MUSKEGON – After an 8-1 regular season, North Muskegon falls in the state semi-final for the second straight season.
Over the past three seasons, the Norse have a combined 31-5 record with six playoff wins, as well as three conference championships in the WMC Rivers.
There is no doubt that the Norse have a lot of hardware in their trophy case. However, they haven’t quite reached their main goal yet: a state title.
North Muskegon has one of the most talented rosters in the area, led by the QB-WR duo of junior Bryce Colbert at quarterback and senior TJ Byard on the perimeter.
The backfield for the Norse was nothing short of explosive all season. Led by sophomore Cullen Bartos and junior Hunter Wilder, both will be key returnees next season. Both Bartos and Wilder scored touchdowns in the semi-final game against Millington. Wilder caught a pass from Colbert and took it 69 yards to the house. Bartos, a big back, bulldozed his way into the end zone from 1 yard out before the half.
The offensive line, needless to say, MOVED guys. Led by seniors Jaxon Bean at RT and Henry Hussman at RG, they brought a veteran presence on the right side that paved the way for Bartos and Wilder.
North Muskegon opened its season on the road against Pewamo-Westphalia, a rematch of the 2023 regional final, a game that was narrowly won by NM 28-27. The two squads scheduled a home-and-away series for both the 2023 and 2024 season openers.
Landen Grimm, who also played a vital role in this offense that scored 416 points, scored the first touchdown of the season when he broke loose for a 35-yard TD run that propelled the Norse to a 7-0 lead. With 4:40 left on the clock, PW scored a late touchdown and completed the 2-point try, ultimately starting its season 1-0 and leaving North Muskegon with an early loss.
The rest of the regular season was barbecue chicken for the Norse as they rolled through their next eight games.
They secured wins against Shelby, Mason County Central, Hesperia, Hart, Montague, Ravenna, Holton (FF), and Oakridge. North Muskegon outscored its opponents in that stretch 273-65.
North Muskegon would head into the playoffs 8-1 and as the number one seed in its respective district.
Hosting Evart in the opening round of the playoffs, it wasn’t close in any regard. The Norse trounced Evart 56-7, led by Colbert and the rest of the explosive offense. Colbert completed eight of his nine pass attempts for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns were caught by Byard, who had three total catches for 120 yards.
In the district title game, McBain traveled south to North Muskegon. McBain lost 27-0, but was a competitive team all season, which made this win for the Norse that much more impressive.
In the regional final, NM did its fair share of traveling as they went to the UP to take on Menominee, who had defeated the Norse the previous season.
Menominee lit up the scoreboard all season, averaging 47 points per game. North Muskegon’s defense, however, played hard-nosed football all afternoon and shut out the Maroons on their home field.
A halftime score of 7-0 kept Menominee in the game, but not for long. A field goal by Owen Booth extended the Norseman lead to 10-0, and soon enough North Muskegon hoisted the regional championship.
Bartos displayed his rushing attack, running wild for 114 yards and a touchdown. Colbert went 12-18 with 126 yards. Byard was the leading receiver with five catches for 57 yards.
For the first time in school history, North Muskegon played Millington for a ticket to Ford Field and a chance to compete for a state title.
The neutral site was set at East Lansing, right in the middle of both schools.
Millington led 20-14 at the break and soon extended its lead to 35-14 with nine minutes left to play. North Muskegon didn’t come this far just to come this far. Colbert and the offense mustered two demoralizing drives that both resulted in touchdowns, closing the gap to just one touchdown.
The Norse tried an onside kick, which was recovered by Millington. That all but wrapped up the Division 7 semi-final game as Millington gained a couple of first downs and ran down the clock.
North Muskegon football has taken off over the last three seasons and has established itself as a state title contender every season.
With Colbert, Bartos, and elements of the offensive line returning next season, North Muskegon will undoubtedly be picked to make a strong run in the playoffs..
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