Malocha has big day in win over Mio

A determined Huron football team held off Mio in a 27-14 win Friday. Paced by a potent ground attack, led by senior tailback Jacob Malocha, the team rushed for 335 yards on the ground.

Malocha had a career day, gaining 234 yards on 29 carries with two touchdowns. In the drive which gave the Hurons the lead late in the third quarter, he broke long runs of 44 and 30 yards, the latter for a touchdown. Rogers City took a 19-14 with 5:28 left in the third quarter.

Quarterback Quintin Kelly scored on a keeper up the middle in the last minute of play and Cameron Urban ran in the two-pointer for the final margin of victory. Kelly had a 27-yard run for the first Huron score with 9:48 left in the first quarter. Casey Szatkowski’s kick made it 7-0 Rogers City.

A kickoff, which actually traveled backwards, gave the Thunderbolts the ball at the Hurons’ 35, setting up their first score less than two minutes later. Rogers City answered with a time-consuming drive which started at its own 20. Gaining all its yards on the ground, the Hurons took more than five minutes off the clock in using 13 plays to score. Malocha dove over from the one to give the Hurons a 13-8 lead with 2:12 left in the first half.

Mio got on the scoreboard in the last minute of play in the first half. A Kelly pass was picked off in the flat and returned 74 yards for a touchdown, giving the Thunderbolts a 14-13 at halftime. Rainy conditions made passing difficult as Kelly was 0-for-4 on the day.

The Hurons (3-3) host Whittemore-Prescott (6-0) a winner over Tawas Friday. Whittemore has made the MHSAA playoffs the past seven seasons while the Hurons are looking for their first post-season bid since 2009.

 

(More details in the Oct. 9 edition of the Presque Isle County Advance)