Adams JV 28
Pontiac Northern 20

JD Osborn looks up at the darkening skies. 

In an unusual ending, Lightning in the third quarter forced the game to be called by the officials.  As the game had proceeded into the third quarter, for wins & loss calculations, it is considered a complete game. 

 Special thanks to Ray Wright, the Pontiac Northern announcer, for allowing us to use his spirited announcing on our site.

The Adams JV Highlanders improved to 4-1 with a lightning-shortened victory 28-20 over a speedy bunch of Huskies from Pontiac Northern.  QB J.D. Osborne (8-of-12 passing for 119 yards) struck like lightning with three touchdown passes to Adam Smith, Dan Muncey and Alex Anderson to key the victory.

Adams struck first on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Osborn to Adam Smith.  Josh Patten (4-for-4 on extra points) booted it through the uprights to make it 7-0 Adams . 

The Highlander defense hadn’t given up many big plays since the opening game at Clarkston, but Pontiac Northern used speed and some accurate passes to post completions of 57 yards and 19 yards to pull the score to 6-7.  Mike Monahan (153 all-purpose yards, 2 receptions, 1 TD) returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown to boost the score to 14-6 Highlanders. Jake Heinrich, Matt Barr and Scott Walbrun threw key blocks to spring Monahan for the score.

The Huskies answered with another long completion for a touchdown and this time threaded a pass with a nice catch for the 2-point conversion to knot the score at 14-14.  Running backs Marlin Phillips (10 carries, 36 yards) and Greg Ornazian (8 rushes, 29 yards) pounded the middle of the line on short bursts delivering several key first downs.  Osborn hooked up with Dan Muncey for a 29-yard touchdown and followed on the next series with a picture-perfect pass to Alex Anderson for 23 yards and the soph QB’s third touchdown pass of the first half.  The score at halftime was Adams 28, Pontiac Northern 14.

The storm clouds rolled in at halftime.  After a short drive by Adams , the Huskies took possession deep in Highlander territory after a shorter-than-usual punt into a stormy wind.  A speedy Huskie RB made the score 20-28 on a dash around right end for 30 yards.

Other than a couple of long plays, the Highlander defense was again like a brick wall.  The Huskies gained 103 yards on the ground but needed 28 rushing plays to do it.  Most of Pontiac Northern’s 100 passing yards (5 completions in 8 attempts) came on three completions.  The Highlander defense was hard-hitting, as usual and leading tacklers were: Josh Patten (6 tackles, 1 for a loss), Greg Ornazian (5.5 tackles, 3 for a loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble), Adam Smith (4.5 tackles, 1 for a loss), Cory Colucci (4.5), Rob Reynolds (3) and Frank Moran (3).  Nick “Always Around the Ball on Kick Coverage” Heiple had another 2 outstanding special teams tackles.

The Highlanders rolled up 206 yards and 10 first downs to outgain the Huskies despite Northern’s game-breaking long plays.  The end of the game because of lightning was unfortunate, because this was shaping up into quite a contest, plus the Highlander audience would have liked to have seen QB J.D. Osborn get a chance to improve on three first half touchdown passes.  But we’ll save the energy and enthusiasm for the next key matchup with the West Bloomfield Lakers, the only team to blemish the Highlanders record last year (as freshmen) and prevent an unbeaten campaign.

Parents, bring out your pasta. (Grin)  These Highlanders are a hungry bunch.