Hurons host Oscoda in final football game of season
by Richard Lamb– Advance Editor
Fans attending last Friday?s football game must have thought they saw two games for the price of one. The Hurons dominated the first game, going up 20-6 at the end of the first quarter looking like a running clock could start in the near future. In that portion of the game, the Hurons dominated on both sides of the ball, scoring at will, it seemed. The second portion of the game saw things turn around, with Newberry scoring 38 points in the final three quarters to power a 44-34 win. The way the Indians played offense, it was hard to imagine they had lost all of their games coming into Friday?s contest.
?When you play a team like Newberry, you cannot allow them to gain any confidence or they will explode on you,? said Huron coach Mike Kosiara. Rogers City (3-5) hosts Oscoda (0-8) Friday, trying not to end the season with consecutive losses to winless teams.
?Pride should be the major motivating factor,? Kosiara said. ?We are home. It is the senior?s last game. The juniors need to be setting the tone for next year.?
KEVIN FAIRBANKS got the Hurons on the scoreboard on the team?s first play from scrimmage. He took a pitch from junior quarterback Pat Quaine, followed a block from right tackle Cody Elowsky, and flew down the right sideline for a 59-yard touchdown run. Quaine’s pass to tight end Devon Ferris made the score 8-0. The Hurons score again on their next possession, going 69 yards in eight plays. Quaine?s 20-yard pass to Brandon Haneckow was the big play of the drive, capped by a four-yard TD run by Quaine. With 6:22 left in the first quarter, the Hurons already had a 14-0 lead. Newberry scored on a 29-yard pass with 2:14 left, then the Hurons quickly answered. Quaine flipped a little pass over the middle to a cutting Ferris, and he bolted down the middle for a 67-yard touchdown. The Hurons led 20-6 with 1:22 left.
THINGS WENT mostly wrong for the Hurons after that. Newberry scored on the second play of its next possession making good on a 32-yard pass play. Then Newberry tied the score 20-20 with 1:21 left in the first half with a 33-yard touchdown pass. Newberry took the lead on the second play of the third quarter, as senior quarterback Tony Carmody faked left, then ran 68 yards down the right sideline untouched all the way to the end zone. He added the two-point conversion to make the score 28-20. Rogers City ran three times then punted the ball away, setting up the next Newberry score. A five-play drive covered 61 yards in two minutes to increase the Newberry lead to 36-20. Then the Hurons went to work on a 12-play, 75-yard drive. Quaine completed passes to Luke Ryan for 14 yards, Ferris for 41 yards, and Justin Idalski for eight yards keeping Newberry off-stride. Quaine plowed in from the one for the TD then ran in the conversion to make it an eight-point game at 36-28 with 36 seconds left in the third quarter.
AN ONSIDES KICK by Elowsky and recovered by Elowsky, and a quick strike brought the score even closer. Fairbanks broke a long run again, this time cutting across the grain behind a block by left tackle Jeff Kuznicki and out-ran a linebacker for a 30-yard touchdown run. Suddenly, with 11:51 left in the game, the Hurons pulled to within two at 36-34. Newberry, as they had throughout the game, answered again. They milked six minut
?We had great offensive balance. For the most part we stopped Newberry?s running game,? Kosiara said. Friday?s game will be broadcast on 99.9 FM, the Wave radio with Karl Grambau and Karl Momrik.
Statistics: Total offense, Rogers City 229 rushing, 205 passing; Newberry 141 rushing, 270 passing. Individual: Passing: Quaine 9-of-22, 205 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int. Receiving: Ferris 5/140/1; Fairbanks 1/23/0; Haneckow 1/20/0; Ryan 1/15/0; Idalski 1/8/0. Rushing: Fairbanks 17/172/2; Quaine 12/35/2; Idalski 8/22/0. Defensive leaders: Ryan 8 primary, 5 assisted tackles; Elowsky 5 primary, 4 assists; Hayhoe 2 primary, 5 assists; Tulgestke 6 primary 1 assist.