11/19/2006

Nouvel has way with Norse

Panthers score on first play of game

By
Record-Eagle staff writer

Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump
Saginaw Nouvel wide receiver Timothy Ryan (9) gets past Suttons Bay defensive back Cale Forton for a touchdown late in the second quarter in the Division 6 semifinal.

GRAYLING — How tough was it for Suttons Bay?

To figure it out took just one play.

Saginaw Nouvel started the game at its own 4-yard line, promptly fumbled the ball and wound up scoring.

The Panthers (11-0) scored on their first four possessions en route to a 35-6 victory over Suttons Bay on Saturday in a Division 6 state football semifinal. Nouvel will face Inkster, a 53-34 winner over Montague, in Friday's championship game.

It was apparent early on that Nouvel would be in the final. And all it took was just one play.

Backed up near its own end zone, Nouvel gave the ball to star senior tailback Nick Birnbaum, who was hit at the line of scrimmage and fumbled. Receiver Tim Ryan picked up the fumble and raced 94 yards down the left sideline for the touchdown. Ryan Palmer kicked the extra point and the Panthers were up 7-0 with the game just 26 seconds old.

"It was the weirdest thing,” Suttons Bay senior safety Jordan Peplinski said. "The first play of the game they fumble, we're going for the loose ball and one of their guys just picks it up and goes the other way. It was one of those fluky things where they scored a touchdown.”

"It set the tone for the whole game,” said Suttons Bay coach Joe Trudeau, whose team finished with a 12-1 record. "To force a fumble inside their 5-yard line and one of their fastest guys is standing right there, picks it up and runs the other way and we weren't going to catch him.

"If we pick up the fumble and punch it in, it's a whole new game. To force a fumble inside the 5-yard line and they score a touchdown, it's a nightmare way to start. It just snowballed from there.”

Even Nouvel coach Mike Boyd admitted the Panthers got a big break with Ryan's fumble return, which could have had drastically different results had Suttons Bay recovered.

"We had intended to come out (with an) empty (backfield), but we didn't want to do it down there,” Boyd said. "We came out conservatively and they showed us a defense we didn't expect. So the play call was wrong, we fumble and Tim was in the right place at the right time. It was a fortunate play ... a very fortunate play.”

After fortune smiled on Novel, senior quarterback Brad Sonntag and Birnbaum made sure it stayed with the Panthers.

The duo ran around — and past — the Norsemen all half. When that wasn't happening, Sonntag was throwing darts against the Suttons Bay defense.

Birnbaum scored on short touchdown runs of 2 and 1 yard to give Nouvel a 20-0 advantage before the first quarter was out. The first score was set up by passes of 35 and 28 yards by Sonntag while the second saw him complete passes of 13 and 25 yards and run for 17 more on a draw.

Sonntag's run went for a touchdown, but it was erased by an illegal block penalty. Birnbaum also had a TD run of 55 yards on the first play of the Panthers' third possession wiped out by an illegal block.

On the second play of the second quarter, Sonntag kept the ball and raced down the left sidelines for a 69-yard scoring scamper and a 28-0 lead after Birnbaum's conversion run.

Saginaw Nouvel went up 35-0 at halftime after Sonntag hit Ryan down the left sideline for a perfectly thrown 32-yard touchdown pass.

"Brad has a way of making plays,” Boyd said. "He audiblized on the touchdown pass and he broke off two big runs.”

That's what speed will do.

"They're incredibly good,” Trudeau said. "They have more talent than most Division 3 and 4 teams. I would say most Division 3 and 4 playoff teams they played, they would beat.”

"They were a good team, a fast team,” Peplinski said. "They were well balanced and they had big kids, too. They came out and hit you, then ran by you with their speed. We did what we could do to catch them.”

Birnbaum finished with 100 yards on 15 carries while Sonntag carried the ball four times for 93 yards and hit on 8 of 15 passes for 176 more.

Suttons Bay failed to get the ball into Nouvel's territory until its first possession of the second half. The Panthers also got two interceptions.

"The story of the game was our defense,” Boyd said. "They've been that way all year. They really don't allow you to do much of anything.”

Suttons Bay avoided the shutout with 1:23 to play when Peplinski ran left, bounced it to the sideline and eluded the Panthers for a 54-yard touchdown run. Peplinski had all eight of Suttons Bay's touchdowns in its final three playoff games.

"That was great, especially because Jordan got it,” Trudeau said. "Nobody has worked harder than him. Since I've been a coach, probably no kid has worked harder than him.”

Suttons Bay will have a hard time duplicating the success of this season, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

"I couldn't be more proud of the guys for coming this far,” Trudeau said. "They exceeded expectations and set the bar high for future teams: eight shutouts in 13 games and shutting out the entire league, which has never been done before.”

"It was a great year,” Peplinski added. "It didn't end the way we wanted it to end, but the year as a whole was great.

"We'll never forget it.”