Adams 21
West Bloomfield 35

“It was the worst of times.  It was the best of times.”  Our JV Highlander long-awaited showdown with the Lakers of West Bloomfield ended in disappointment, with the Highlanders losing 21-35 bringing their record for the 2005 campaign to 4-2.

 

This was clearly a tale of two halves.  The Lakers rolled up over 200 yards of total offense in the first half and 14 first downs while holding the Highlanders to zero first downs.  The Lakers scored on TD runs of 2, 1, and 8 yards to roll to a halftime lead of 21-0.  One drive was aided by a questionable pass interference call but missed tackles did the most damage to the Adams results for the first half.

 

The tackling was sporadic.  The Highlanders would reel off a series of solid defensive plays, including their highest total of tackles-for-losses all year, and then miss a key tackle springing a big play.  The Lakers took advantage of every opportunity, including a wrenching conversion on 3^rd-and-15 from their own 5-yard line.

 

Our JV Highlanders answered the call at the start of the second half with a furious rally.  QB J.D. Osborne threw to Mike Monahan for 20 yards and the first touchdown to bring the score to 7-21.  Greg Ornazian and Jake Heinrich both forced fumbles to continue to provide opportunities for the comeback.  Ornazian (9 carries, 44 yards) and Marlon “Mo” Phillips (10 rushes for 76 yards) pounded the Laker defense to set up another Osborne touchdown pass, this time to Alex Anderson (3 receptions, 33 yards, 1 TD) from 5 yards out to make the score 14-21.

 

The following play provided the only lapse of the second half as West Bloomfield returned the kickoff 90 yards to make the score 27-14.

 

But the Highlanders weren’t finished.  QB Ryan Callahan followed with a 1-yard TD run and Thomas Casey added his third point-after-touchdown to make the score 21-27.  The Lakers scored another TD late in the game and added a 2-point conversion for the final tally of 35-21.

 

The game was as frustrating as any in recent memory for this group of Highlanders.  The effort was substantial and the comeback will be a pillar of strength for future games.  Adams was led on defense by Jake Heinrich (9 tackles, 4.5 for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery) in a stellar effort, as well as Mike Monahan (7 tackles, 1 fumble recovery), Rusty Parsons (6 tackles), Rob Reynolds (5), Ryan Callahan (5), Michael Polk (4.5 tackles, 2.5 for loss) and Alex Ko (4 tackles, 2 for a loss, 1 fumble recovery.)  Cory Colucci delivered 4 solid tackles and a touchdown-saving tackle for the Highlander defense.

 

The Highlanders closed the first down gap to 14-18 by the end of the game and rolled up more yards in the second half than the Lakers did in the first.  Adams (32 rushes for 149 yards) finished strong and the game was closer than the score made it seem.

 

We’ve noticed that our JV Highlanders have started the third quarter of most of their games exceptionally strong, often a huge key to locking down a win, or launching a comeback.  The onslaught of spirit and effort at the start of the second half is admirable and something than many coaches yearn for.  For the next home game, perhaps we ought to sneak a “3” into the quarter on the scoreboard for the opening kickoff?  The other guys wouldn’t stand a chance.