Hard work and a great attitude have gone a long way for the members of the football team.
The Mustangs are off to a 4-0 start and are looking to pick up win No. 5 tonight against Salem for homecoming.
“It’s going to be fun,” senior Andrew Poterala said. “We’re hoping to play well. Salem is a good team that plays well on both sides of the ball.”
Northville is ranked No. 8 in Division 1 in the Associated Press high school football poll and is off to a 2-0 start in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association Central Division.
“We stay together,” Poterala said. “We’re working hard every day, pushing each other and not letting each other slack off.”
Head coach Matt Ladach acknowledged the strength of the Mustangs is how the guys play together as a team.
“I’m in my fourth year as coach and we’ve always had good team unity, but this year’s group is pretty tight,” he said. “We’re blessed to have some really talented kids at the skill positions, but I’m impressed with their ability to play as a team.”
Senior Jeff Hewlett said there are small things the team needs to do to get better, but as a whole things are going well.
“We’re meshing together and that’s on both offense and defense,” Hewlett said. "Especially among the seniors. Our senior class prides itself on that. Seventy-five percent of us have played together in football or basketball since elementary school. We’re not only good teammates, but good friends. We hang out and help each other out.”
The Mustangs have made the playoffs two straight years, losing in the second round to Detroit Catholic Central last season.
Salem (1-3, 0-2) is coming off a 42-0 loss to Novi, which is also off to a 2-0 start in the KLAA Central.
“Our focus is on Salem,” Ladach said. “We have to beat them before we can do anything else. We do a pretty good job in preparation. We’ve got intelligent players and they understand the game plan and execute the way we want them to."
“Every game in the division is a big game. The reality is the division champ is usually undefeated in the division.”
The Mustangs are led on offense by quarterback Jeff Gertley, who was all-conference last season.
“He’s probably the best quarterback in the entire conference,” Ladach said. “He’s a very good athlete.”
Brandon Love, another returning all-conference player, stars at tailback and cornerback.
“He’s gotten off to a tremendous start this season,” Ladach said.
Hewlett plays slot receiver, tailback and outside linebacker and is a key leader on defense, along with Love.
“Brett MacDonald is a three-year starter at linebacker,” Ladach said. “He’s a really good player and a good leader on the field.”
Ladach is pleased with the way the community has rallied around the team.
“There’s a buzz in this community,” Ladach said. “They way they come out and support us really makes me proud. It’s nice when we come out and there are two-, three-, 4,000 people cheering for the kids. It fires them up. They love it.”
That atmosphere, especially on homecoming, is what Gertley is looking forward to the most.
“We’ve had a good week of practice and hopefully we go out there and punch them in the mouth,” he said.
