Fourth quarter TD pass gives Hurons win over Vikings
In the first meeting between Rogers City and Posen on the high school football gridiron in nearly two decades, it was the Hurons with a leg up on their neighbors. Cody Wenzel connected on two fourth-quarter punts of 60 and 42 yards, one pinning the Vikings at their own three-yard line, clinching the game. Earlier in the quarter, Chase McLennan zipped an eight-yard touchdown pass to Justin Wilbert in the back of the endzone to break a six-all tie to give the Hurons the points they needed in the 12-6 win. ?Are kids were pretty tight for this game when they came over on the bus,? said Huron coach Mike Kosiara. ?That was the quietest bus ride I?ve ever had. They were wound too tight.? Posen scored on its opening possession with Jason Romel leading receiver Matt Szczerowski in the endzone. He made a terrific diving catch in for a 22-yard score. The Rogers City defense would play shutout ball the rest of the way.
?I WAS IMPRESSED, especially in the second quarter,? Kosiara said. ?In the second quarter, I thought they did an outstanding job. I?ll tell you what, Cody saved our butts with his punts. He did a real fine job.? The Hurons bring a 2-0 record into their home opener on Gilpin Field against Alcona Friday, while Posen, 0-2, is on the road at Pickford. Coach Glenn Budnick’s troops, which were 2-0 a year ago heading into the Pickford game at home last year, said his boys need to regroup because it?s now a seven game season. The Vikes will need to win six of their next seven to guarantee a slot in the playoffs.
?I thought the game was a classic football battle between two close rivals,? Budnick said. ?Rogers City had the upper hand by getting outside in the second half. We just didn?t get the job done offensively. If you are not going to score points, you are not going to win games.?
THE EVENING started well for the Vikings. They received the opening kick at their own 40, and marched right down the field. After grinding the ball into the Huron end, Viking quarterback Jason Romel scampered 17 yards to the RC 21. Richie Kroll was bottled up for short yardage, which was followed by a sack by Evan Vogelheim. That set up a fourth-and-11 play. Under heavy pressure, Romel led his receiver perfectly and Szczerowski brought the ball in for the touchdown. The conversion failed and Posen was up 6-0 with 6:44 remaining in the first quarter. Rogers City seemed poised to answer, but the drive started slow. Kosiara went for a first down on a fourth-and-one play, sending Dylan Centala into the pile.
He bulled his way to a first down to keep the drive moving, and a few plays later he took the handoff through the dive hole and broke to the outside for a 20-yard run to the Posen 25. After a Rogers City penalty, Romel made an acrobatic interception of a McLennan pass to end the Huron drive. The first quarter couldn?t have gone better for the home team. Romel ended the quarter with a 12-yard gain around the left side, but with the second quarter on tap, there wouldn?t be as much running room for either side. IT WAS THE first meeting of the schools since 1987, and both squads played the second quarter on one half of the field. Posen couldn?t drive the ball out of its own end and couldn?t convert on three fourth down plays, leaving Rogers City with excellent field position, but the Hurons spun their wheels as well against a fired up Viking defense. It was a hard-hitting game. Many players must have been nursing bruises the next day. There were several players getting up slowly, getting their bells rung, shaking their head after nasty hits, or just limping to the huddle or sideline. The halftime score was 6-0. Rogers City started the second half with the ball, in nearly the identical position Posen started the game, at its own 39. The Hurons needed a breakout play and found it when Wenzel reeled in a sprint out pass at his shoelaces and ran for 35 yards.
MOMENTS LATER, Centala bounced it outside for a touchdown. There was a dead ball penalty on the play, forcing Wenzel to attempt a 35-yard point-after conversion. The kick had the distance but went just left of the goal posts. The Vikings had something going on their first possession, getting Romel in the open field for a 26-yard run, but the drive stalled when Posen was stuffed on first down, Vogelheim had another tackle in the backfield, and Romel threw an incomplete pass. Szczerowski came on to punt and pinned Rogers City back to its 12.
The Posen defense rose to the occasion, as Jason McLeod and Levi Burgess stopped McLennan on a third-and-one play, which was followed by Matt Styma knocking down a pass intended for Bret Karsten. Wenzel was just warming up, though, as he had his first crucial punt to the Vikings? 34. Posen was forced to punt after a nine-yard run by Josh Worthington was wasted. On a fourth-and-one, the Vikes were penalized and forced to give up the ball. Wenzel caught the ball and had a nice return, which set up the game-winning drive.
ROGERS CITY had to overcome penalties on the drive and some solid plays by the Posen defense. McLennan broke several tackles and dived to the Posen eight before tossing the winning score at the 11:55 mark. Posen f
Statistics: Total offense: RC 140 rushing, 59 passing, 199 total. Posen 165 rushing, 22 passing, 187 total. Rushing: RC Centala 13/77; McLennan 12/27; Wenzel 6/18; Tyler Schuiteman 5/18. Posen Romel 11/61, Paul Kroll 9/38, Richie Kroll 13/33, Josh Worthington 12/33. Passing: RC McLennan 3-for-8, 59 yards, 1 TD, 1 int. Romel 1-for-7, 22 yards, 1 TD, 2 int. Receiving: RC Wenzel 2/51, Wilbert 1/8. Posen Szczerowski 1/22.