Avoiding disaster: Annese helps Adams hang on against Farmington
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
FARMINGTON — On the coattails of 14 straight postseason appearances, Rochester Adams was tabbed as a rebuilding project in 2011 with only three returning starters.
Tony Annese has vowed not to let that that deter the Highlanders’ plans of another quality campaign.
The Rochester Adams senior was good on his word, at least Friday night at Farmington, and did not to let his Highlanders slip into a rare 0-2 hole.
Annese spearheaded both the offensive and defensive attacks in leading the Highlanders to a 35-28 OAA White Division victory over the Falcons in a game played under humid conditions and temperatures in the upper 80s at game time.
LITTLE TUG: Farmington's Kenneth Hammond tries to slow dlown rochester Adams' Tony Annese during Friday's OAA White Division game. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
Farmington had defeated Adams 23-16 in Week 2 last season.
Annese finished with 109 rushing yards on 24 carries, was 5-for-7 passing for 67 yards and two touchdown passes, added two touchdowns runs — and for good measure picked off two passes as the Highlanders evened their record at 1-1 and won their league opener.
Annese, headed to Central Michigan, has pounded the thought into the heads of his teammates since day one of practice that the Adams program always has high expectations. An 0-2 start is not acceptable.
“We have to keep working hard and get better,” he said. “We have (high) expectations and had to win this one. We needed this win really bad because our league is so tough.”
Adams, which forced three turnovers in the game, led 35-21 late before Farmington’s Connor Mohr scored on a 5-yard run with 1:18 remaining. The ensuing on-side kick attempt failed.
“We had to win. In our conference and 0-2 record is the end,” admitted Adams coach Tony Patritto, who said the OAA-White is as deep as it has been in years. “I hate saying that, but anyone who knows anything about OAA football knows there is no margin for error. Everybody is good and we had to get it together quick.
“We made the plays when we had to,” continued Patritto. “We still had a lot of mistakes and gave up some big plays. But we were able to hold on to the win. We would have been in trouble if we didn’t.”
As expected, neither team could gain much of an upper hand on the other. The contest was not decided until the final 1:18, where Adams ran out the clock.
“We made a lot of mistakes,” admitted Farmington coach Jeff Bechtel. “I thought their draw gave us a lot of problems. We knew what they were going to do. They do it well. We just had problems stopping them.”
The second half was everything like a see-saw battle.
Farmington opened the third quarter with Jordan Degreffenreed scoring on an 87-yard kickoff return to cut the deficit to 14-13.
Annese again had the answer for Adams when he scored on a 1-yard run to move the Highlanders’ lead to 21-13.
Following a blocked punt on the Adams 9-yard line, Degreffenreed countered with a 3-yard jaunt up the middle and Bryan Green’s 2-point conversion tied the game at 21-all with 5:10 left in the third.
CATHC AND TURN: Rochester Adams' Adam Boike makes this grab during the Highlanders' 35-28 victory over Farmington. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt
Adams scored the next two touchdowns — Dave Jagow tallied on a 5-yard run with 2:24 left in the third and Annese hit Ben Hart with a 14-yard TD catch with 2:58 left in game, which proved to be the game winner.
The game-clinching drive was aided by a 15-yard horse collar penalty where Farmington actually forced a fumble and returned the loose ball for a touchdown, which was called back, and gave Adams new life.
Nine plays later, the Highlanders went up by 14 points. The entire drive chewed 7:57 off the clock.
“I didn’t see (the penalty). Our guy makes a great play and returns it for a touchdown,” said Bechtel. “We thought we tied it. Instead, they come down and go up (by two touchdowns).”
In the opening quarter, Annese hit Kyle Pelayo with a 28-yard TD toss to go up 7-0 and Annese scored on an 11-yard run for a 14-7 advantage, which Adams took into the locker room.
“It took us a while to find our rhythm,” said Patritto. “Last week we had success running the ball but we kept making mistakes. Our offensive line did a much better job than they did last week. Our kids our tired. I give both teams credit because they both hit the wall in the game.”
Degreffenreed scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter to cut the lead down to 14-7.
“He’s a heck of a player,” praised Bechtel of Degeffenreed. “He’s as good of a back as anyone in this league.”
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Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps, Rochester Adams
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