Game Summary

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« Game 9

Pre District Playoff

Adams
vs.
Davison

21 35

Game time weather: 39 degrees, raining, 5-10 mph winds

The Mobile “Highlander-zone” piloted by captain Greg Parsons finally found its way to Davison (after reaching Port Huron and turning around) to rendezvous with the rest of the Highlander faithful. Rain and cold weather wouldn’t deter this group of parents, siblings, relatives and friends from supporting the Highlander football team in their play-off run. The squib / pooch kick strategy continued on the Highlander kick-off unit. The end result was that the Davison Cardinals started with great field position, at the 50-yard line. Kicker Alex Verville made an open field tackle to stop what could have been a much different outcome. Nice job Alex! On 1st down the Cardinals picked-up 2-yards before LB Matt Petrusha made the tackle.	Photos by Steve Walbrun
A short gain by the QB followed by an incomplete pass led to the Cardinals having to punt. There was no return as the ball was downed at the 18-yard line. The Highlanders 1st possession of the game would also result in a “3 and out” as both teams tried to adjust to very wet field and driving rain.
	A well-thrown slant pass to senior Austin Wilson was incomplete on 2nd and 11. A quick dive to FB Cory Hamilton was stopped cold by the Cardinal defensive line. Josh Patten’s punt was downed at the 45-yard line giving the Cardinal offense very good field position once again. The Cardinal offense demonstrated creativity as they moved the ball downfield. Big defensive plays by safety Jake Wilson and DB Adam Smith slowed down this Cardinal drive that picked-up four 1st downs and moved the ball to the 21-yard line. Facing 1st and 15, a fumble by the Cardinals was recovered by the leading turn-over recipient, “nose-for-the-ball” LB Aaron McNamara. The Highlander offense took over at the 38-yard line.
The 2nd Highlander possession found QB Jake Wilson and the passing game clicking. A 28-yard pass to Cody Wilson on 3rd and 13 picked-up a huge 1st down and moved the ball to the 35-yard line.QB Wilson ran the ball for 4-yards followed by a pass completion to Mike Gansser for another 1st down. FB Hamilton ran hard on 1st and 2nd down for a net gain of 5-yards. On 3rd and 5, senior-captain Wilson broke tackles and moved the ball down to the 1-yard line. A holding penalty call on the Highlanders once again would prove to be a dagger to the heart of this offense. Instead of 1st and goal from the 1-yard line it was 1st and 10 from the 16-yard line. The offense didn’t recover on this drive and settled for a field goal attempt. Tom Casey’s kick sliced through the falling rain but missed wide-to-the right. The Cardinals 3rd possession started from the 20-yard line. They moved the ball methodically on the Highlander defense. After a big 17-yard pass completion that moved the ball to the 37-yard line, DE Wayne Sanders stuffed the Cardinal RB for a 1-yard gain. The 2nd quarter started as the Cardinals crossed mid-field and into Highlander territory. DT junior Mike Polk stuffed the interior of the defensive line allowing only a 1-yard gain. A pass to the 6’5” receiver, Jeremy Wilson was complete and moved the ball to the 6-yard line. DE Joe Bernard made a nice play on 2nd and goal to stop the RB for a short gain. On 3rd down, a slant pass to #5, receiver Wilson was complete for a Cardinal touchdown with 6:57 left in the half. The P. A. T kick was “good”. Highlanders 0 Cardinals 7
On the first play from scrimmage Braden Conner ran the ball off tackle for a 1-yard gain. On 2nd and 9, Cody Wilson caught Jake Wilson’s pass for a 14-yard gain and a 1st down. Josh Renel then unleashed a big gain to move the ball deep inside Cardinal territory to the 24-yard line. The offense could not capitalize on this play, and on 1st down fumbled the ball. The Cardinals recovered. Opportunity lost!
The next Cardinal possession with 6:00 left in the 1st half made the Highlanders pay for turning the ball over. A series of pass plays coupled with short running plays that picked-up 1st downs and led to an 18-yard swing pass that was good for the 2nd Cardinal touchdown. Their P. A. T kick was “good”. Highlanders 0 Cardinals 14
Junior Adam Smith ran for 14-yards on the kick return to allow the offense to start from the 31-yard line. The firm of Wilson and Wilson connected for a 27-yard completion to move the rock to the 42-yard line. On 3rd and 18, junior RB Josh Renel once again showed his speed and determination when he picked-up another big gain for 41-yards to move the ball down to the 9-yard line. Outstanding effort Josh! A hand-off to fellow RB junior Braden Conner on 1st down followed by a QB keeper led to 3rd down and 5. With the clock running and 1:05 left in the half the Highlanders finally called a time-out to discuss the play-call. Another QB option picked-up 1-yard to present the ominous 4th down and 4 with :16 left on the clock. Wilson’s pass to receiver Gansser was intercepted by DB J. Wilson who ran the entire length of the field, 100-yards, to score a heart breaking Cardinal touchdown. The P. A. T kick was “good”. The score at the end of the 1st half was Highlanders 7 Cardinals 21 The Second Half started with the Highlander offense on the 35-yard line after the Cardinal’s kick went out-of-bounds. RB Renel ran the sweep around the left end for a nice gain. A facemask penalty on the Cardinals moved the chains 5 more yards. On 1st and 10, Wilson hit Renel for a 37-yard pass completion to move the ball down to the 21-yard line. With a new set of downs, running attempts by Conner and Hamilton were good for 4-yards. On 3rd and 6, Wilson’s pass to a well-covered Cody Wilson was incomplete. The Highlanders 4th and 6 attempt failed and the Cardinals took over downs. The Cardinals started from their 16-yard line and DE Wayne Sanders made another outstanding play that resulted in a 1-yard loss. A shovel pass play moved the ball out to the 27-yard line and a 1st down. Two incomplete passes and a short gain forced the Cardinals to punt. Renel fielded the ball cleanly and advanced the ball 2-yards. From the 40-yard line the offense put together their best drive of the game while mixing in running and passing plays. After 2 incomplete passes, Braden Conner made a great catch on 3rd and 10 for a big 1st down. From mid-field with just over 5:00 left in the half, Hamilton busted a run for a tough 5-yards and Wilson hit Gansser for a 1st down pass completion. Next it was a pass to SB Hammett who caught Wilson’s pass for another 1st down. From the 12-yard line SB’s Conner and Renel picked-up 9.75-yards. QB Wilson followed his center, Luke Hayden’s block to pick-up the 1st down. With the clock running and 3:08 left in the 3rd quarter, Wilson was stuffed for no gain on 1st and goal. On 2nd and 3rd down, the Highlander offense could not penetrate the Cardinal defensive line to move the ball less than 1-yard into the end zone. On 4th and goal, SB Renel got the call and willed his way over the goal line for the first Highlander touchdown of the game. Casey’s P.A. T Kick was “good”. Highlanders 7 Cardinals 21 Certified head hunter Cory Colucci made a nice tackle on the kick-off to drop the RB at the 33-yard line. The Cardinal offense took over with 1:32 left in the 3rd quarter and demonstrated one reason why they are 9-0. A pass complete for a monster gain of 58-yards
moved the ball down to the 12-yard line. With the start of the 4th quarter, Mike (no-socks) Monahan made a nice play to defend on a slant pass resulting in an incomplete pass. Facing a 3rd and 9, a sweep around the left side was good for a Cardinal touchdown. The P. A. T kick was “good”. Highlanders 7 Cardinals 28
With 11:04 left in the contest and trailing by 3 touchdowns the Highlander offense needed to make every possession count. However this possession would not materialize and ended up a “3 and out”. Josh Patten unleashed a booming punt that was downed at the 8-yard line. Well done Josh! The Cardinals started deep inside their own end of the field with 9:33 showing on the clock. The Highlander defense held the Cardinal offense in check after another good pass defense by Monahan followed by senior DL Pete Schmidt pressuring the QB to throw the ball away. The Cardinals punt was returned by Renel to the 23-yard line of the Cardinals. The Highlander offense took advantage of the excellent field position and promptly scored on a well thrown slant pass by QB Wilson to senior receiver Mike Gansser. With 7:53 left, Casey’s kick split the uprights and was “good”. Highlanders 14 Cardinals 28 The Highlander defense needed to stop the offense if there was any chance to catch the Cardinals. They started from the 21-yard line and the offense moved the ball out to the 33-yard line and a new set of downs. On 2nd and 8, a hitch pass was good for a 13-yard gain before any Highlander defenders could tackle the receiver. On 1st and 10 from the 46-yard line the Cardinal RB ripped-off a huge 52-yard gain before being stopped. From the 3-yard line with 4:19 left in the game, the Cardinal’s scored on 3rd and goal from the 1-yard line. The P. A. T was “good”. Highlanders 14 Cardinals 35 With 3:28 on the clock, Josh Renel returned the kick-off to the 47-yard line. On 1st down J. Wilson found C. Wilson again for nice gain of 20-yards on a pass completion. Another pass to Conner was good for 9-yards on 1st down. On 2nd and 1, Hamilton was met at the line for no gain while a 3rd down pass attempt was incomplete. With 2:18 left and facing 4th and 1, Renel again took the hand-off and ran the sweep around the left end and powered his way to pay dirt. Casey’s P. A. T kick was “good”. Highlanders 21 Cardinals 35 The Highlander onside kick was recovered by the Cardinals at the23-yard line. With less than 2:00 left the Cardinal offense wisely ran out the clock and finally took a knee to seal the victory. Final score: Highlanders 21 Cardinals 35 To the entire team and coaching staff; your season came to an end too soon. But coming back from the 1-2 start and winning the next 5 out of 6 games to qualify for the play-offs exemplifies your “never give up” attitude. We will never forget the harrowing finish of the Athens game and the come from behind victory over Troy. To the 24 seniors who played their final football game as a Highlander, we thank you for the many great memories you gave all of us over the years. Your effort, commitment and dedication are commendable. We wish you luck in your senior year and beyond. Please come back next season and support the Highlanders football team and program. Dan R. Adamsfootball.com wishes to thank Dan for his vivid and detailed game summaries. Volunteers like Dan are what makes the program work. Thanks Dan!