Hurons take on Hale; try to forget Hillman game
By all accounts, last weekís game at Hillman was forgettable. The Hurons (2-2) will do their best to forget the 47-0 pasting handed down by the Tigers. Hillman took advantage of every opportunity handed them by the visiting Hurons.
ìEvery year you have a game like this that no matter what you do, it turns into trouble. We just beat ourselves in the first quarter. The game was over in the first quarter. We never did come back,î said coach Tim Nagy after the game. ìI couldnít begin to tell you how many mistakes we made, interceptions, fumbles and missed tackles. We are a lot better than we showed today, that is for sure.î
The Tigers scored on their first play from scrimmage, a 60-yard run, but the Hurons looked to come back strong. Facing third-and-long, Huron quarterback Chris Lopez, who shared time at the position with Quintin Kelly, scrambled to his left before connecting with sophomore wideout Alex Hincka on a 37-yard gain. Lopez kept the drive alive again with a 9-yard run to the Tiger 16. Two plays later Rogers City lost a fumble to end the drive.
The team traded fumbles with Hillman taking over after a Huron fumble on the Huron 29. That set up the next Hillman touchdown, a 16-yard pass from Ty Jones to Dylan Ross to make the score 13-0 with 2:34 left in the first quarter.
After a 5-yard gainer by Jacob Malocha on the first play of the Huronsí next drive, Lopez had a pass intercepted and returned to the Huron 38-yard line. From there Hillman used seven plays to get into the end zone, on a 14-yard pass from Jones to Mason VanPamel to go up 20-0 early in the second quarter.
The teams then trade punts before Hillman took advantage of an interception thrown by Kelly. Jones tossed a 70-yard touchdown pass with eight minutes left in the half to make it 27-0.
Rogers City moved the ball well, minus the turnovers, and set out on another drive. Four runs by senior fullback Jack Ryan and one by Cameron Urban moved the ball to the Tiger 24. But a penalty and a sack of Kelly ended the scoring threat.
Disaster struck on the first and second plays of the third quarter. Kelly was intercepted on the first play from scrimmaged and then Hillman junior halfback Kenny Kolcan pulled off a terrific 70-yard run for a touchdown on Hillmanís first play of the possession. That made it 34-0, Hillman.
The Hurons lost a fumble on their next try at their own 48. This time Colton Fessler ended Hillmanís scoring hopes with an interception at the Huron 3-yard line and a return to the 24. Facing fourth and long, Hincka snared a pass then fumbled the ball away at the Huron 48.
That drive ended with a punt, but again the Hurons gave the ball right back. On first down of the Huronsí drive, Kelly had a pass intercepted setting up a 38-yard touchdown run by Kolcan on the next play. That made it 41-0 as the third quarter ended.
Hillman made it 47-0 with a touchdown return of an interception on first down of the next Huron drive. The running clock sped up the rest of the game.
ìWhen we came out here today, I could tell. They always get that look in their eye, like they have the fire. Well, they didnít have that today,î Nagy said.
Rogers City now hosts Hale in the first meeting on the football field between the two schools. Hale fans will remember the 2009 Huron basketball team, which stunned what some called the best Hale basketball team in school history. The Hurons, 6-14 in the regular season, shocked Hale, which came into the game with a 21-1 record. Rogers City pulled off an upset 59-56 win in the districts in Haleís home gym.
Hale is 1-2, after a 61-0 loss to previously winless Atlanta last week. Hale lost 46-0 to Baldwin in week one, had week two open and defeated Oscoda 12-8 Sept. 13.
The football game is at 7 p.m. Friday at Gilpin Field and will be broadcast on 99.9 the Wave with Karl Gramba
Statistics:
Passing: Lopez 2-of-4, 52 yards, 1 interception; Kelly 3-of-11, 41 yards, 4 interceptions.
Rushing: Ryan 11/70/0; Malocha 8/34/0; Lopez 5/17/0; Urban 8/12/0; Szatkowski 2/10/0; Bober 1/-2/0; Kelly 5/-9/0.
Receiving: Hincka 3/88/0; Urban 2/9/0;
Defensive leaders: Ryan 4 tackles, 3 assists; Malocha 3/5; C. Fessler 3/2.
Fumble recoveries by Hein and Nadolsky.
Interception by C. Fessler.