On Friday, September 3rd, the Hart varsity football squad took on the Montague Wildcats at home and came out on top with a score of 30-20, the most points scored in a win against Montague. The Pirates have not beaten the Wildcats since the year 2000. Blake Hansen, a former player for the Pirates who played when they last beat the Wildcats, commented on what the Pirates’ recent win means for the program: “A statement win like that is just what [the Pirates] needed…It proves that nothing is unachievable to the program, and with hard work and discipline the team can go far”. The last 7 times the Pirates have faced the Wildcats they have been outscored 405-6 points. This lopsided margin includes 6 shut-outs and a 75-0 rout in 2020 while Montague was en route to an undefeated State Championship run. 

This year a player-led effort and near perfect execution of a thought-out gameplan was the path of victory for the Pirates. Time of possession and fourth down efficiency played a huge role in this win. The Pirates had almost 37 minutes of possession and went five-for-five to the Cats’ 11 minutes and zero-for-one attempts on fourth down tries. Kolton Rockwell, the starting quarterback for the Hart Squad, had this to say about the picture perfect game: “We did what we needed to. We held on to the ball, we executed, and we capitalized on fourth downs and turnovers”. All together the Pirates’ game on September 3rd against the Montague Wildcats was a great game for the young varsity team for their first West Michigan Lakes showing. They will face the Oakridge Eagles tonight at home.