Norsemen fight hard but lose to Lamphere in extra time

The Grosse Pointe North College football team entered its first MAC Gold Division game against Lamphere on Friday, September 13, hoping for its first win of the season and a positive start to its quest for another division title. After a six-point loss to Cousino the week before, the Norsemen found themselves in another close battle with the Rams, but once again lost narrowly 27-24 in overtime.

Photo by Colin Smith
North junior QB Jacob Sahadi, pictured here in a Week 2 game against Cousino, scored two touchdowns in the Norsemen's loss to Lamphere on Friday, Sept. 13.

“We have a young team and hopefully they learn from this,” North football head coach Joe Drouin said. “We're improving week to week. Our biggest problem is still turnovers. We had two fumbles in the red zone and an interception, so we still have ball security issues. If you can't handle the ball, you can't win a game. … Those are things we can improve on. They're just mental mistakes. With these kids, I'll take any mistake.”

North took the lead first with a short touchdown pass from Jacob Sahadi to Leo Perettie, taking a 7-0 lead. Lamphere answered before the end of the first quarter, tying the score at 7-7. The second quarter ended in a stalemate, and the 7-7 tie held until halftime.

The Norsemen struck first in the second half and took the lead again. It took North several attempts to get the ball into the end zone from a few yards away, but senior running back Caleb Rivera was able to break through and give North a 13-7 lead.

But after Lamphere took the lead, they responded again. The Rams managed to reach the end zone before the end of the third quarter, and a successful two-point conversion gave Lamphere a 15-13 lead heading into the final quarter.

Lamphere extended their lead in the fourth quarter by finding the end zone again, bringing the score to 21-13. With just 1:23 left in the game, the Norsemen needed a big play and Perettie was the one to step in. Sahadi and Perettie scored an 81-yard touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 21-21. North's defense held firm in the final minute of regulation, forcing overtime.

North had the ball first in overtime, but had to settle for a field goal and took a 24-21 lead. Lamphere had one more chance to respond and scored the game-winning touchdown, winning 27-24.

The losses drop North's record to 0-3 overall and 0-1 in the MAC Gold Division this season. The Norsemen will face another division opponent in Week 4, hosting Sterling Heights on Friday, September 20, for homecoming night.

The Stallions, who lost their 2023 game against North after their season was canceled, also enter the game 0-3 and have yet to score a point this season. While the Norsemen don't want to underestimate any opponent, the team views their clash with Sterling Heights as one that will hopefully provide a much-needed confidence boost.

“It will be a game where we can work on a lot of things,” said Drouin. “We can't play at their level. We have to play at our level.”

North hosts the Stallions on Friday, September 20, kickoff is at 7 p.m.