Six and in; Hurons clinch second straight playoff berth

The Heart Attack Hurons did it again. They caused their coach and fans to lose a few hairs, turn a few others to gray, and test their tender tickers in a heart-stopping 36-34 win at Onaway?the third comeback win in as many weeks. The win moves the Hurons to 6-1 and clinches a spot in the Michigan High School Athletic Association?s post-season playoffs. What does a game like this do to the coach?

?The coach loses weight and sleep. During the game you need to find a balance between being overly aggressive and overly conservative,? said coach Mike Kosiara. ?Finding that balance is the difficult part of the job.?

AGAIN THE GAME came down to a few plays in the final quarter, with the game in doubt until the final tick of the clock. In Friday?s win, the Hurons started the scoring parade on their second play from scrimmage, as junior running back Kevin Fairbanks burst through a hole on the right side and took the ball 57 yards for a TD. A conversion pass from Chase McLennan to Bret Karsten made it 8?0 Hurons with 11:06 left in the first period.

Onaway quarterback Cody Hoffmeyer tossed an interception to McLennan at the Onaway 35 on the Card?s first play from scrimmage setting up the second Huron score. Rogers City needed six plays to reach pay dirt again as McLennan powered behind center Ryan Darga for a one-yard TD run. McLennan dashed around the left end for the two-pointer and the Hurons led 16-0 with 8:23 showing on the clock in the first quarter.

BUT THE Cards were not going to led two quick TDs ruin their homecoming on this night where temperatures stayed over 70 degrees throughout the game. Speedy senior halfback James McDowell took the kickoff back 80 yards for a touchdown and suddenly the score was 16-6. Later in the first quarter, starting at their own 41 after a Joe Finch punt, the Cards marched the field quickly to bring the score to 16-14. McDowell?s 42-yard run down the left sideline, and his 17-yard screen pass reception, were big plays of the drive. Hoffmeyer scored on a sweep to cap the drive. A bit of trickery worked like magic for the Cards as they took the lead. A reverse to McDowell worked for a 43-yard TD run. On the conversion try, Coach Hoffmeyer lined up everyone to the left side but the center, kicker and holder, then had Cody Hoffmeyer run to the open side of the field for the two-point conversion to make the score 20-16 in favor of the Cards.

The Hurons answered with their longest scoring march of the day, a grueling six-minute, 70-yard drive which took 11 plays. Karsten, who lined up at quarterback on the play after McLennan had to leave due to a bloody cut, ran 11 yards up the middle for a TD. McLennan returned for the conversion, passing to Chris Cornett to give the Hurons a 24-20 lead with 2:43 left in the half.

THE SECOND half began with another lead change. Cardinal halfback Mitch Foster found a hole up the middle, shook off a tackler and rambled 39 yards for a TD on Onaway?s first drive of the third quarter, making it 28-24. The teams traded punts before an interception set up a chance for the Cards. Taking over at the Huron 33, the Cards pounded the middle until they reached the Huron eight-yard line. Facing fourth-and-inches, Hoffmeyer picked up the first down with a plunge up the middle. But the Cards wasted a chance when they fumbled on the next play, as the Hurons recovered on the seven just before the third quarter ended. McLennan improved the field position quickly for the Hurons when he ripped a 68-yard run around the left side before he went down at the Cardinal 24. A McLennan pass to junior tight end Devon Ferris brought the ball to the Cardinal 10. Two plays later McLennan powered over from the one to give the Hurons the lead again at 30-26.

DUSTIN HEIN FOUND a hole up the middle on an eight-yard TD run. With the score 36-26 and 5:57 left on the clock, Huron fans knew it was far too early to celebrate a win. Justin Zampich, in at quarterback for Hoffmeyer, lofted a perfect pass to McDowell, who was streaking down the left sideline, for a 73-yard scoring strike. McDowell slipped in for the two-pointer and the Cards were quickly back in the game, trailing 36-34 with 5:28 left, an eternity for the Huron faithful. Needing a long, time consuming drive, the offense responded. Taking over on their own 22, the Hurons kept the ball on the ground and kept the clock moving. The drive did eat up some time?about four minutes?but gave the ball back to the Cards on a fourth down interception. Starting at their own 43 the Cardinals still had a chance.

Two passing plays led to two scrambles by Zampich, and then Karsten sealed the game with an interception deep in

Huron territory.

FRIDAY?S GAME at Newberry is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. The game will be broadcast on 99.9 FM with Karl Grambau, Karl Momrik, and Andy Grambau handling the play-by-play. After playoff seasons in 2003-2005, Newberry has fallen on hard times, going 1-7 last year and 1-6 so far in 2007. They started the season with losses to Hancock (2-5) 21-0, Boyne City (6-1) 21-0, St. Ignace (5-2) 35-6, Rudyard (4-3) 35-0, and Munising (2-5) 36-19 before defeating winless Gwinn 40-20. Newberry lost 51-14 to Cheboygan (6-1) last week. The Hurons finish the regular season October 9 with a game at Oscoda.

Statistics: Total offense: Rogers City 308 rushing, 101 passing, 409 total. Onaway 211 rushing, 113 passing, 324 total. Passing: McLennan 10-of-16 101 yards, 3 INT. Rushing: McLennan 28/166/2; Fairbanks 9/89/1; Karsten 4/24/1; Hein 8/28/1; Cornett 1/1/0. Receiving: Karsten 4/48/0; Ferris 3/27/0; Sobeck 1/15/0; Hein 1/8/0; Cornett 1/3/0. Defensive leaders: Gapczynski 5 solo, 5 assisted tackles, one sack; Karsten 6 solo, one assisted tackles, 2 INT; Hein 4 solo, one assisted tackle.

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