Top-ranked Harrison too much for Rochester Adams
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
ROCHESTER HILLS — Give Farmington Harrison an inch and the Hawks will take a mile. Give them good field position and Harrison will make you pay — dearly.
Coming in as the state’s overall No. 1-rated team, also ranked 24th nationally by Max Preps, the Hawks benefitted from consistent great field position Thursday at Rochester Adams and the guests rolled to a convincing 48-21 OAA White Division victory.
Harrison (7-0, 6-0) never trailed, although the Hawks found themselves in 14-14 tie in the second quarter. Lorenzo Collins was the answer, as the sophomore had one of the best outings of his career.
He finished with 223 yards on 29 carries and scored five touchdowns on runs of 12, 16, 3, 85 and 3 yards for Harrison, which clinched its second straight OAA White Division title.
“All the credit for tonight goes to my line and my coaching staff,” said Collins, who compiled at least 200 rushing yards for the second time this season. “My offensive line has led the way in the trenches and the coaches have had the faith in me to put me in the right positions to make plays again.”
Veteran Harrison coach John Herrington believes that his sophomore tailback could be a great performer for the Hawks. But Herrington is more concerned about the team effort and accomplishments than individuals.
LITTLE ROOM TO MOVE: Rochester Adams' Ben Hart tries to return this kick against top-ranked Farmington Harrison. Hart and the Highlanders found little daylight in a 48-21 defeat to the Hawks. Photo By Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com
“I am kind of old school, but I think winning a league is a big deal,” said veteran Harrison coach John Herrington. “Maybe the kids don’t but it’s important. There’s so much concentration on the playoffs nowadays. We haven’t won very many leagues in the OAA since we came in (in 2001). For a while, we were in that league (OAA Division I) with Adams, Clarkston, Lake Orion and us, plus Troy. What a league that was. For a few years there, Adams was the predominant team in the OAA. So this is big to come in here and win a game like this.”
Over 11 possessions, Harrison gained the ball inside Adams territory six times, including four times inside the 40. The Hawks also had the ball at the 50 to begin one scoring series and two other times had the ball just shy of midfield to begin a drive.
In a back-and-forth battle, Harrison closed out the second quarter with a 17-0 run to create a little distance at the half. Collins scored on his 3-yard plunge and quarterback Jake Vento added an 11-yard scamper for a 28-14 advantage. Brandon Buckner drilled a 31-yard field goal with 41 ticks left in the half to put the Hawks up 31-14 and in control.
Adams (4-3, 3-3) dropped its third straight game and continued to show flaws. The Highlanders were missing several key players to injury, including two-way standout Tony Annese, out with a shoulder injury, and could not slow down the defending state champions.
Still, the Highlanders battled and even cut the deficit to 31-21 midway through the third stanza before running out of steam.
David Jagow led Adams with 132 yards on 10 carries, which included a 76-yard TD sprint. Kyle Niswonger scored on a 5-yard run and Ben Hart added a 22-yard touchdown run for the Highlanders.
“We didn’t come in here looking for a moral victory,” admitted Adams coach Tony Patritto. “I know we were missing some guys, but that’s no excuse. We worked hard and prepared all week to come here and beat this team. We’ve beat them in the past. But Harrison is very good. They have a lot of weapons. We made some mistakes and we gave them some great field position tonight. You can’t do that against a team like Harrison.”
Buckner also hit a 24-yard field goal for Harrison while his 29-yard attempt was partially blocked by Adams in the fourth quarter.
Vento added 67 yards on the ground and was 6-for-12 passing for 110 yards for the Hawks.
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Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps, Rochester Adams
