Northville football earned a 38-31 victory over Lake Orion in double overtime Thursday, Aug. 27.
But Mustangs coach Brent Luplow would’ve loved to see what an ESPN-style win probability chart looked like before Northville pulled off a miraculous play on fourth and goal from the 5-yard line while trailing by seven points in the first overtime.
The fourth-year coach sent in “red hips special” to quarterback Greyson Harris, who handed the ball to receiver Cassius Montgomery on a reverse.
Montgomery had two options: Keep the ball and try to dive into the end zone or pass to tight end Chase Gilmartin, who was streaking across the goal line.
The 6-foot, 195-pound junior chose the latter.
He lofted a touchdown pass to Gilmartin in the corner of the end
zone, tying it at 31 and giving the Mustangs (1-0) the oomph they needed to keep responding in sudden death.
That included Danny O’Neil punching in a 5-yard TD run on the ensuing possession for the go-ahead points and linebacker Mason Moffa breaking up a pass from Lake Orion QB Anderson Adams on the final play to seal the victory.
NORTHVILLE DID WHATTTT pic.twitter.com/33nTyn124C
— Brandon Folsom (@folsomwrites) August 28, 2026
“I felt like it [throwing to Gilmartin] determined the game, and I’m happy with my decision,” said Montgomery, who also caught a 21-yard TD pass from Harris in the second quarter. “I was going to originally run it in, but I saw the edge [defensive end] come up, and he was going to come and get me. So I just had to throw it to Chase. He made the play, and I trusted him to make it because he’s my boy, and I love him to death.”
As for the play itself, Luplow saw it lying on a table at a coaches' clinic this past offseason. The Mustangs installed it this week in practice as their go-to two-point conversion play in case they needed one against the Dragons (0-1).
Instead, they used it to keep their chances of winning in Week 1 alive on fourth down in OT.
“Cassius has the option to throw it or run it, and I thought he did a good job of tucking it and then tossing it to Chase,” Luplow said. “That was a heck of a catch by Chase. It was a gutsy call, and we didn’t want to leave it on the call sheet tonight. We wanted to run it.”
The fact that Montgomery was the one to execute it is just as impressive as the play working.
This is only his third season playing football. He’s practically brand new to the sport.
Which is saying something because, yes, if his name sounds familiar, you’d be correct.
He’s the son of Detroit Lions receiver coach Scottie Montgomery. Dating back to last season, he’s one of four players Northville has had whose fathers coach in the NFL.
Brothers Brayden and Bryce Tuiasosopo have since moved back to Texas, despite their father, Marques Tuiasosopo, remaining with the Lions as an offensive assistant. But the Mustangs still have Montgomery and O’Neil, the son of current Lions safeties coach Jim O’Neil, this season.
While Danny is hands-down a bruiser for Northville, made clear by the 16 carries for 122 yards he had in the opener, Cassius is still finding his groove on the gridiron.
Cassius actually grew up playing soccer and was part of the Indiana Fire travel program throughout middle school. It wasn’t until his freshman season that he realized his athleticism was better suited for the football field.
“I originally didn’t like football,” said Cassius, who holds an offer from Duke. “I thought it was pretty boring. But I’m happy with my decision [to switch sports]. The physical part wasn’t much of a challenge for me because I’ve been working out since the sixth or seventh grade. But the mental aspect has been a lot harder to get through. It’s definitely a lot tougher sport.”
Luplow has promised Week 1 won’t be Montgomery’s only big night of the season.
He expects to continue showcasing the junior’s speed and hands in both the run and passing game. More big plays are coming.
And while Luplow will never truly know Northville’s chances of winning before Montgomery pulled off that reverse on fourth and goal in overtime because ESPN doesn’t calculate win probabilities for Kensington Lakes Activities Association games, it’s probably more likely you’ll find that reverse elsewhere on ESPN.
Like on SportsCenter’s Top 10. It was just that crazy of a play.
“I’ve never felt anything like that before,” Cassius said. “It’s better than any feeling in the world. I can’t even put it into words.”
Brandon Folsom covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Follow him on X at @folsomwrites.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions coach's son makes wild OT play for Northville football
