Northern falls short in comeback try against Churchill

 Walled Lake Northern almost pulled off an incredible comeback but fell just one point short, 56-55, to Livonia Churchill on Thursday, Aug. 25 in the season opener for both teams.

“We fell down 27-0 in the first quarter. We had six turnovers in the game and gave up a kickoff return for a touchdown,” said Northern Head Coach Brett Moore. “Our kids battled back and had a chance to win with a little over a minute to play. We scored the touchdown and went for two to win the game and fell short.”

Quarterback Kirk Thomas finished completing 12-of-18 passes for 227 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for Northern (0-1), in addition to rushing for 99 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

Junior Matt Kosmalski rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 4 carries, while Jake Ginster had 80 yards and a pair touchdowns on 6 carries.

Senior Ryan Soulet also caught 5 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, Austin Peer had 3 sacks as part of 9 tackles on the night, while Andy Rabaut had 14 tackles, including 2 sacks.

On Thursday, Sept. 1, Northern will travel to South Lyon East.

“I was pleased with our resiliency in the game. Our kids never gave up. We basically scored 55 points in under three quarters of play,” Moore said.

Livonia Churchill is 1-0.