Mancelona comes to Gilpin Field for playoff game with Rogers City

by Richard Lamb– Advance Editor

The Hurons will host their first playoff game since 2001 as the Mancelona Ironmen come to Gilpin Field for a Friday showdown. The teams have never met on the football field but have faced a common opponent this year. Mancelona (7-2) defeated Onaway 18-6 in week two, and the Hurons topped Onaway 36-34 (in a game which was later forfeited due to the Hurons having two ineligible players). In Mancelona?s win over the Cardinals, Ironman tailback Adam Duerksen broke a scoreless tie with a 60-yard run in the second quarter. He added a second 60-yard run later in the quarter. Duerksen iced the game with his third long TD run of the day, a 40-yard scamper in the final quarter. From a defensive perspective, Cardinal coach Tony Hoffmeyer said, ?We faced a team that put nine and 10 guys in the box and brought more guys at us than our line could block.?

The Hurons have hosted four playoff games over the years and have won three, the last one a 38-18 win over Mio in 2001. The winner of the Rogers City vs. Mancelona game faces the winner of the St. Ignace (7-2) vs. Traverse City St. Francis (8-1) at the home of the team with the higher playoff points.

LAST FRIDAY the Hurons 38-0 win over Class B Oscoda clinched a home playoff game for round one. After the team got off to a shaky start, Huron quarterback Chase McLennan righted the ship by breaking two long TD runs late in the first quarter. The first one came after a snap sailed over the punter?s head, giving the ball to the Hurons at the Owl 31. Nose tackle Chris Cornett?s tackle of the punter gave the Hurons prime field position. ?We always seem to have difficulties in the first quarter,? said Huron coach Mike Kosiara. ?I wish I had an answer, but I think our kids need to see things and adjust. That is one of the obstacles we face having low numbers to practice with.? On the first play from scrimmage, McLennan faked a handoff up the middle and then darted around the left end for the score. His pass to Bret Karsten on the PAT made it 8-0 with 2:16 left in the first quarter.

McLennan intercepted a pass at the Huron 24 to set up the next score. Running virtually the same play, he took off around the left side and won a footrace to the goal line 76 yards away. His toss to Dustin Hein on the conversion made the score 16-0 as time expired in the first quarter. The senior has been a key reason for the success of the team, said Coach Kosiara. ?Chase is a strong leader who provides a quiet confidence for his teammates,? he said. McLennan led the team with 134 yards rushing on 14 carries. He scored two TDs and added an extra-point run. He passed for 117 yards with two touchdowns and three PAT tosses.

SENIOR DEFENSIVE lineman Derek Schleben recovered a fumble to start the next scoring drive which was capped by a 29-yard pass from McLennan to Karsten. A pass to Hein on the PAT made the score 24-0 with 10:20 left in the first half. As the first half drew to a close, senior linebacker Jerome Gapczynski recovered another Owl fumble to set up the final score of the half. As he has all season-long, Gapczynski led the team on defense with nine solo tackles, a sack, and four assisted tackles. On the next Huron score, Karsten took a pass over the middle, shook off two defenders trying to undress him, then bolted to the end zone to complete a 55-yard scoring play. McLennan?s two-point run made the score 32-0 at the half. The spread offense used by the Owls the entire game didn?t cause much difficulty for the Hurons. Oscoda lined up in the shot gun on almost every play, splitting wide receivers to each side of the field.

?One of the reasons we moved to the 3-5-3 was to give us the flexibility to adjust to a variety of offenses. The adjustments worked due to smart, quality players,? he said. The final score of the game came on a 36-yard run up the middle by Kevin Fairbanks, starting the running mercy-rule clock.

THE LOSS FOR Oscoda finished their season at 0-9, but by the looks of the fine football facility and the spirit of the fans at homecoming night, Oscoda is on the way to recovering from their 0-4 cancelled season of

2006. ?Oscoda has a great facility. I thought that their team played well, especially with their recent history and schedule,? Kosiara said. ?They also have a very young team. I like their coaches. They are very classy.? Sophomores Cody Elowsky, Brandon Haneckow, Jeff Kuznicki, Dave Lewandowski, Sidney Marx, Pat Quaine, Will Talaske, Ben Tulgestke, and Wade Wilk will be brought up to varsity for Friday?s game. Kosiara said the team will likely be without the services of senior guard Henry Dietlin, who has a leg injury. The game will be broadcast on 99.9 FM with Karl Grambau and Karl Momrik doing the play-by-play.

Statistics: Total offense: Rogers City 208 rushing, 117 passing, 325 total. Oscoda 146 rushing, 10 passing, 156 total. Passing: McLennan 6-of-9, 117 yards, 2 TD. Receiving: Karsten 3/87/2; Hein 2/6/0; Matthews 1/24/0. Rushing: McLennan 14/134/2; Fairbanks 6/46/1; Hein 5/16/0; Cornett 3/12/0. Defensive leaders: Gapczynski 9 solo, 4 assisted tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery; Hein 6 solo, 4 assists, one INT; Schleben 5 solo, 4 assists, one fumble recovery; Darga 5 solo, 2 assists.

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