DIVISION 6 FOOTBALL: Monroe St. Mary’s CC shuts down Maple City Glen Lake
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
DETROIT — Although a football field is 100 yards long, sometimes the game of football can be measured in inches.
Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central proved that Friday at Ford Field.
The Falcons went for first down on a fourth-and-two situation, gained the first down by mere inches, and went on to score the only touchdown drive in the second quarter en route to a 7-0 victory over fifth-ranked Maple City Glen Lake.
Wyatt Bergmoser scored on a 6-yard run with 7:17 to go in the second quarter, and hit the ensuing extra point. It turned out to be the sole points in the victory for top-ranked St. Mary Catholic Central.
The drive lasted 5:22 — the Falcons sustained several long drives in the game — and ventured 94 yards over 10 plays before Bergmoser crossed the goal line. St. Mary Catholic Central’s defense outdated Glen Lake’s defense throughout the 2 hours, 10 minutes to claim to school’s third state title in eight trips to the finals.
The Falcons also won in 1991 and 2014.
One score is all the Falcons needed.
“It’s not really the score that we anticipated, but it’s okay. We’re a grinding team. We have faith in our defense, and the offense can eat up time on the clock,” smiled Bergmoser. “We just ran our plays and if it does come down to the defense, we let them do their thing. We trust the other players on the field and got the job done.”
Defensively, St. Mary Catholic Central held Glen Lake to 75 passing yards and just 52 net yards on the ground. Offensively, the Falcons chalked up 249 yards rushing and 25 passing yards.
More importantly, St. Mary Catholic Central controlled the clock and kept the ball out of the Lakers’ hands.
“Earlier in the year we were hitting some big runs, but (today) 3-, 4-, 5-yards is a great place for our offense,” offered St. Mary Catholic Central coach Adam Kipf. “We don’t need to go for it all or get 10 yards every time we touch it. If we’re getting three yards a pop, it’s a great position.
“So it really is a game of inches,” added Kipf. “We went for it and got it and that kept (the drive) alive. We like to do that — and we’ll chew up 35, 36, 37 seconds on the play clock, too. That’s by design. We want to keep it out of their hands.”
Alex Morgan rolled up 123 yards on a workman-like 22 carries for St. Mary Catholic Central (12-1). Samuel Cousino added 51 yards on eight carries, and Bergmoser chewed up 47 yards on 12 rushes for the Falcons.
Reece Hazelton was 6-for-14 passing for 75 yards for Glen Lake (12-2), but the Lakers did not have anyone rush for more than 21 yards on the day. Hazelton was picked off with one minute left by St. Mary Catholic Central’s Caden Smith to stall out the Lakers’ last drive.
It marked the second time in four years that Glen Lake lost in the state finals. The Lakers slipped to 1-3 all-time in their state championship appearances.
“That’s probably one of the best (prep) football games I’ve ever been associated with,” said Maple City Glen Lake coach Jerry Angers. “Watching these kids battle every second. You can’t ask for anything more.
“I couldn’t tell from my angle if he got (the first down),” added Angers. “But I don’t want the kids to get caught up on one play. There was still plenty of time left (after that drive).”
Category: Featured Articles, Football, High School, High School (M-Z), NOS reference, Prep Wraps, Sport, Top Stories, Uncategorized
