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The Novi football playoff push got a double push this past week.

The Wildcats found out they were awarded a win in the opener against Ann Arbor Pioneer because the Pioneers used an ineligible player.

Novi (2-1, 1-1) then took care of business Friday at Pinckney (1-2, 0-2) with a 41-13 shellacking of the Pirates.

"It's one of those nights where just about anything you did, offensively and defensively, worked in your favor," said Novi head coach Tab Kellepourey.

Instead of being 1-2 with Friday's win, the Wildcats are 2-1 and right in the thick of things for postseason play.

On fire early

The Novi offense clicked on all cylinders Friday night. Before the first 12 minutes of play was over, Novi ran out to a 20-0 lead.

"A lot of things went well for us," Kellepourey said. "Number one, our defense setting the tone out there, creating opportunities for turnovers.

"I thought our kids did a really great job rallying to the football. They gave us short fields for offense."

The Wildcat defense recovered a fumble at the Pinckney 30, giving the offense a short field to work with.

Facing a fourth-and-five on the first drive, Mark Heard hit Brandon Bradford with a 6-yard gain. Arshawn Hall scored from 19 yards out on the next play with 7:24 remaining in the first.

The defense again stood strong, forcing a punt on a fourth-and-29 for the Pirates, and the offense took over at the Pinckney 40.

Four plays later, Hall scored again on a 4-yard run with 4:26 left.

Pinckney followed with a sustained drive, but it stalled out on downs, and Novi took over at its own 30 with :15 left in the first.

On second-and-2, Hall bursted free but an illegal block was called, and the ball was placed at the Pinckney 30.

Heard hit Bradford for a touchdown on the final play of the first quarter, leaving the Wildcats up 20-0, despite only having the ball for 3:17 of the 12 minutes.

The defense recovered two more fumbles, giving the offense the ball deep in Pinckney territory. The first drive ended on downs, but the second one found the end zone.

It took the Wildcats three plays to cover 18 yards, with Heard connected with Aaron Pugh for a 20-yard scored with 8:18 left in the half.

The Pirates ended the 27-point run with a touchdown on a 4-yard run with 2:40 to play in the half, but it left enough time on the clock for the Wildcat offense to answer.

Heard drove the offense down the field with short passes before hitting Chris Bellamy with a 30-yard score with one second left on the clock.

Novi held a commanding 34-6 lead at the break.

Hall capped off the Novi scoring with a 55-yard run with 8:50 to play in the third quarter.

Pinckney's final points came off a 12-yard pass with 4:34 left and the game well in hand.

Game stats

Hall and Heard provided a two-headed monster in the backfield against Pinckney. Hall finished with 150 yards on 14 carries. Heard finished 10-of-17 for 152 yards and three scores.

"Mark Heard did a nice job at quarterback again," Kellepourey said. "Arshawn Hall has really been an exceptional running back. He's hard to get a hold of."

Bellamy was the top receiver with five catches for 76 yards and one score. He also played time at quarterback, completing a pass for 23 yards.

The Wildcats were almost a perfectly balanced offense, rushing for 174 yards and passing for 175.

Pinckney was held to 68 yards passing and 134 rushing.

The Novi defense forced four turnovers, with Tyler Hoover collecting three fumble recoveries.

Jeff Theisen can be reached at jtheisen@gannett.com or at (248) 349-1700, ext. 104.