Clarkston rebounds to control Troy
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
TROY — Having to forfeit two of its first three games could have sent Clarkston into a downward spiral. It had the opposite effect on the Wolves.
Behind a solid running game and stingy defense, Clarkston bounced back with a resounding 28-13 OAA Red Division victory Friday over host Troy.
Clarkston, despite being stuffed inside the Troy five in the first quarter, scored on three drives in the first half and even blocked a field goal in building a commanding 21-0 lead the break. In the second half, the Wolves never allowed the Colts to get closer than 15 points.
OVER THE TOP: Clarkston's Ben Kaminsky plunges forward for extra yardage over Troy's Tyler Horne. Photo By Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com
“I thought our boys were focused all week long,” admitted Clarkston coach Kurt Richardson, whose players were not suffering from an emotional hangover of having to give up two wins. “We just showed up and played football.”
Fourth-ranked Clarkston (2-2, 2-1) received great balance from its backs and receivers and another solid game from quarterback Mitch Baenziger, as the Wolves chalked up 440 yards of total offense. Defensively, Clarkston held the Colts to only 126 yards of offense — 103 on the ground and 23 in the air.
Joey Goss rushed 19 times for 90 yards, Ben Kaminsky added 87 yards on 16 carries, Evan Montgomery added 100 yards on four rushes and Baenziger even scrambled three times for 39 yards.
Baenziger was 6-of-9 passing for 124 yards, while Goss also caught four passes for 66 yards and Montgomery added a 54-yard reception in his first game back from an injury.
“The running game was nice to see,” said Clarkston coach Kurt Richardson. “I didn’t like the way they ran the ball on us (in the second half). Both our outside game and the interior game was nice. Our offensive line played well.”
Goss, Kaminsky and Montgomery became a three-headed monster for Clarkston and a unit that the Colts struggled to contain for most of the first three quarters.
“Goss cut it up. He took the corner when he had the corner. He cut it up to get the hard yards when he had to,” said Richardson. “Ben Kaminsky helped us out with his hard yards inside. When Evan came in, I thought we had a nice trio going.”
Troy was held to 71 yards and 18 plays of offense in the first half, and even Sean Murphy’s 33-yard field goal attempt with a second left in the half was blocked by Clarkston’s Matt Dellinger.
“What they say the best defense is a ball-control offense,” said Richardson, whose team only yielded four first downs in the first half and forced the game’s only turnover, an interception by Alex Dicea. “We had the ball the whole time in the first half. If they don’t have the ball, they can’t rush it. They got 18 plays in the first half.”
Clarkston (2-2, 2-1) scored first with 1:54 left in the opening frame, as Joey Goss hauled in a short pass from Mitch Baenziger and raced 53 yards for the score.
After an interception, Baenziger scored again with 54.5 seconds left in the first quarter, this time completely catching Troy (2-2, 2-1) by surprise with a 42-yard quarterback draw.
Forcing Troy to punt for a second time, it took Clarkston only three plays to score again, this time on a 2-yard plunge from Joey Goss. The quick-strike drive was aided by an 87-yard sprint by Montgomery that set the table at the Colts’ 3-yard line.
It took Clarkston only six plays to score its second possession of the third quarter, as Mike Schwartz hauled in a 6-yard fade pass from Baenziger to cap an 80-yard drive. Alex Barta converted his fourth extra point on the night for a 28-0 lead.
“We kind of controlled them (in the first half) and at the end they controlled us. It kind of went back and forth in the second half. Hats off to them. They could have quit when it was 28-0. That’s all about coach Griffith there.”
Troy finally spoiled the shutout when quarterback Justin Losey scored on a 6-yard keeper with 10:28 to play.
The Colts recovered the on-side kick at the Clarkston 45. A total of 10 plays later, Matt Oppenlander scored on a 2-yar run. The extra point was missed, leaving the deficit at 28-13 with 6:16 left.
“What we have been doing successfully the two weeks prior to this, happened to us tonight,” said Griffith. “They controlled the offensive line tonight. We’re not very big (defensively) up front and they are really big up front. And they blocked us. They had an eight-and-a-half minute drive in the first half — ouch.
“Whenever they found a crease, they ran,” continued Griffith. “Their open-field tackling was not very good. Their open-field scramble I thought killed us. Their quarterback threw the ball very well when they wanted (to throw). But they didn’t have to, because they were controlling the ball on the ground.”
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Category: Clarkston, High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps, Troy
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