Rudyard wins battle in the mud

A season that began on the hot August football practice field at Gilpin Field ended on the muddy home field of the Rudyard Bulldogs. Rudyard topped the Hurons 32-6 to advance to the next round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs while the Hurons end their season at 7-3. The field conditions started off slippery and muddy and steadily worsened as the center of the field turned into pure slop suitable for pigs. Players had trouble moving forward and soon uniforms and helmets were caked in mud.

While Rudyard was able to move the ball and spring a few long plays, the big play, such a huge part of the Hurons? attack all season long, was absent. Rudyard fumbled five times, but recovered each one. The Hurons fumbled six times and lost two. ?I don?t know what role the weather played because we both had to play in it,? said coach Mike Kosiara.

?We do rely on quickness more, but they have some fast kids. Looking at the stats they were able to throw and we were not.?

Rudyard had 210 yards passing while the Hurons managed just 49, the longest coming on a 21-yard Pat Quaine to Brandon Haneckow connection.

RUDYARD STRUCK first after the teams traded possessions on the slippery turf. Jesse Wilbert?s punt gave the ball to the Bulldogs on their own 24 with just over seven minutes left in the first quarter. The Hurons jumped offside on a third-and one to give Rudyard a first down. Then three plays later the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first on a 43-yard run around the right side. The two-point conversion made it 8-0 with 3:54 left in the first quarter. Quaine had little time to throw all night, and a sack on third down forced another punt from Wilbert. This time, starting from their own 30, Rudyard connected on a 70-yard pass on the first play to go up 14-0 with 1:29 left in the first quarter.

A NICE return of the ensuing kickoff by David Lewandowski gave the Hurons the ball on their own 42. That drive ended with a Wilbert punt. Rogers City?s best drive of the half moved the ball to the Rudyard 47 before losing it on downs. Two runs by Quaine picked up a first down and a 10-yard run by junior running back Keegan Urban got another first down for the Hurons. Rudyard needed five plays to drive 53 yards. The big play was a 49-yard pass that went to the Huron two. That gave the Bulldogs a 20-0 halftime lead. The teams traded punts and mud keeping the score 20-0 through the third quarter.

Then three plays into the fourth quarter, Rudyard all-conference quarterback Davin Salo connected for a 24-yard TD pass to make the score 26-0. The Hurons were not able to get an effective rush on Salo, giving him time to scan the field for open receivers. A sack and a fumble deep in the Hurons? end, gave Rudyard the great field position to set up their final score. Starting at the Huron 8, Salo tossed another TD pass to make the score 32-0 with nine minutes left in the game.

PLAYING FOR pride, the Hurons mounted their best drive of the day, a 13-play gem that yielded a two-yard TD run by Quaine. Getting better protection than he had all day, Quaine found senior Chris Vogelheim for a 16-yard gainer, then hit Ben Tulgestke for six yards on a fourth-and-five situation. After three incomplete passes, one in the direction of Haneckow, Quaine took off around left end on fourth-and-10 turning it into a 27-yard gain to the Rudyard two. From there he followed the blocking of left tackle Jeffry Kuznicki and left guard Wade Wilk into the end zone for the Hurons? only score.

?They were the better team tonight, but I would still rather be coaching you guys than them because you have got class,? Kosiara told his team after the game. The team had accomplished much during the season and he will remember the players for many reasons. ?I will remember all of the smiles. This was a great group to work with. They worked hard. They played hard. We always had a lot of fun doing it. This groups was the epitome of what high school athletics is all about,? Kosiara said.

MOVING ON will be seniors Brandon Haneckow, Pat Quaine, Sidney Marx, Chris Vogelheim, David Lewandowski, Cody Elowsky, Wade Wilk, Will Talaske, Reese Schmucker, Jeffry Kuznicki, Ben Tulgestke and Evan Wagner. ?This group of kids set the standard high. They did not get in any kind of trouble. They were good students. They worked their tails off. There were a class act,? Ko

siara said. ?I have never gotten so many compliments on a team from opposing players, coaches and officials as I did this year. My wife, who likes to surf the Web, found compliments there about this being a classy team.? Rudyard (9-1) moves on to take on defending state champion Traverse City St. Francis (10-0) that beat Indian River Inland Lakes 54-0 last week. The winner of that game plays the winner of the Ishpeming (8-2) vs. Ishpeming Westwood (7-2) game in the third round of the playoffs.

Statistics: Total offense, Rogers City 135 rushing, 49 passing, 184 total. Rudyard 146 rushing, 210 passing, 356 total.

Individual: Passing, Quaine 5-of-20, 49 yards. Rushing: Quaine 15 carries, 44 yards, 1 TD; Lewandowski 9/47/0; Urban 5/24/0; Wilbert 9/20/0. Receiving: Tulgestke 2 receptions, 12 yards; Haneckow 1/21; Vogelheim 1/16/0; Marx 1/0/0. Leading tacklers: Urban 6 solo, 2 assists, Wilk 5/1.

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