After two weeks of offensive frustrations, Montague was able to light up a scoreboard for the first time this season Friday night, routing Orchard View 54-20 for its first win of the season.
Big plays were the name of the game for the Wildcats (1-2, 1-1 West Michigan Conference Lakes). Every touchdown play was 19 yards or more, and four were over 40.
All four of those explosive plays came from Cole Moss. Coach Phil Koops said before the season he hadn't coached many athletes like Moss, and with 224 yards just on scoring plays, the junior backed up his coach's preseason praise.
"Cole Moss had a huge night for us, both running the ball and catching pases," Koops said. "He was a big play machine. We knew he was talented, so that was great to see."
With four first-quarter touchdowns, Montague looked more like the offense Koops hoped for when he arrived. It wasn't perfect, Koops said, but "we had more kids in the right spots. Our timing was better."
OV attempted to get back in the game after trailing 33-8 at halftime, scoring early in the third quarter, but Montague responded with two more touchdowns to effectively end the game.
After two weeks of very strong defense, Koops said he felt the team struggled a bit with tackling, but he also credited the Cardinals, who were expected to show improvement this year behind quarterback Peyton Babbitt. Babbitt missed a second straight game with injury, but the team has other talented players.
"They have some pieces, some good athletes there," Koops said. "If you give them some space, it's hard to tackle them one on one. We missed some of those tackles, and they resulted in big plays for Orchard View."
Honing in on the details will be key for Montague this week in practice as it prepares for a high-octane rivalry game with Whitehall. With both teams coming off big wins, the intensity should be high.
"I'm a downhill, run-the-ball guy, and we tried to play a little more wide open and take advantage of some of those athletes we have," Koops said. "Everyone saw tonight that we can take advantage of those guys doing some things, and we can still play off our offensive line, a senior-led group and a strength of our team."
