RUNNING START: Northville dominates Belleville from opening play in 30-7 win

There was not a #99 listed on the Northville football team’s roster prior to Friday night’s huge KLAA Black Division showdown between the Mustangs and host Belleville.

Then who in the heck was that relentless Mustang defensive lineman tormenting the Tigers all night with double-nines on the front and back of his white jersey?

It was none other than senior Tristen Salvas, who normally wears 45.

Salvas’s 45 jersey was damaged (no doubt by a struggling offensive lineman trying to keep Salvas out of the offensive backfield) early in Friday’s game, forcing the 6-foot-1, 215-pound J.J. Watt impersonator to switch to 99.

Resounding result

Led by Salvas’s spirited effort, Northville pulled off a convincing 30-7 victory over Belleville, the team that derailed the Mustangs, 49-7, in the 2023 MHAA Division 1 quarterfinals.

The Mustangs improved to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the Black. They are part of a three-team logjam atop the standings along with Belleville and Dearborn Fordson.

It seemed like every time Northville needed a big play on defense, Salvas was at the forefront of a unit that was running on all cylinders.

Northville wasted little time — a few seconds to be exact — to gain momentum on a field few visitors have even tasted a hint of momentum throughout the past decade.

Jackson DeFore secured the opening kickoff at his own 5-yard line and following the blocks of Jacob Semke, among others, weaved his way deep into Tiger territory.

Forty-nine seconds into the game, Northville senior running back Danny O’Neil sliced into the end zone on a 9-yard run to put the visitors ahead for good, 7-0 (following the first of four Alex Baird extra points).

With just under 3 minutes remaining in the first quarter, Mustang Drew Meussner scored on a 2-yard run double Northville’s lead to 14-0.

With Belleville’s usually-powerful offense stymied by Northville’s swarming defense, the Mustangs kept making their visits to the Red Zone count, surging ahead, 21-0, on a 3-yard pass from senior quarterback Greyson Harris to O’Neil.

After Northville senior linebacker Ethan Fry blocked a Belleville punt, Deller scored from 3 yards out to make it 28-0 4:39 before halftime.

The Mustangs threatened to carry a 35-0 lead into the half as they moved the ball to the Tiger 15 before the drive was ended by a Ma’Saiah Felder end zone interception.

Belleville finally broke its scoreboard goose egg mid-way through the third quarter when highly-touted University of Missouri commit Charles Britton III hauled in a touchdown pass from Kendall Franklin.

The game’s final points came with 10:09 left when Belleville punter Beau Bandy was unable to handle a high snap in the end zone before booting the ball out of the field of play for a Northville safety.

Both Northville’s O-line and D-line won the battle of the trenches. Among the offensive linemen who won their battles with their Belleville counterparts were Mason Irving, Chase Gilmartin and Jacob Stuzin.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.