FOOTBALL: Adams uses ball-control offense on Rochester to roll in D-1 pre-district
Highlanders defeat Falcons for 23rd straight time
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
@LocalSportsFans
ROCHESTER HILLS — Ball control offense proved to be a lethal injection for Rochester Adams against rival Rochester Friday night.
The result was the Highlanders defeating Rochester for the 23rd straight time in a surprising 39-7 rout of the previously-unbeaten Falcons in a Division 1 pre-district at Rochester.
Adams had 49 carries for 305 rushing yards as a team — and more importantly kept Rochester’s high-powered offense off the field for most of the first half.
Adams, which will play at defending Division 1 state champion Davison next Friday in the district semifinals, leads the all-time series with Rochester, 36-14, and improved to 24-18 all-time in postseason games.
Sophomore quarterback Parker Picot — who has already committed to Alabama for baseball — had 152 rushing yards on 14 carries and also finished 1-for-3 passing for 50 yards and one touchdown pass, as the young Highlanders controlled the clock for virtually the entire first half in building a 26-0 lead by the break.
“(Ball control) was absolutely the game plan,” beamed Adams head coach Tony Patritto, who has never lost o Rochester in 18 seasons as head coach. “We knew we had to keep the football and even though we left some points on the field in the first half, we kept the ball for most of the first half by rushing the football. And defensively, we did not let them move the football in the first half. Marc McFarland is one of the best defensive football coaches in the state, and he and the guys that help him had a great game plan. Rochester’s quarterback can really sling it and we kept them from having the football. When they had the football, we played great defense, disrupting what they like to do.”
Adams amassed 240 total yards in the first half — 190 on the ground — and scored on four of six drives. More importantly, the Highlanders didn’t allow the Falcons to even record a first down in the first half.
Great field position on the Falcons’ 35 resulted in the first score, as the Highlanders scored on a 32-yard run from junior Griffin Henke with 1:36 remaining in the first quarter on the second play from scrimmage of the second drive.
Adams forced Rochester to punt again on its third series, and the Highlanders got the ball back again on the Falcons’ 29. Nine plays later, Henke scored again on a 1-yard plunge with 5:33 left in the half.
Adams finished off another quick strike on the second play of its fifth drive, this time with Picot connecting with a wide open junior Joey Shallow for a 50-yard TD strike with 3:08 to go in the period.
The Falcons could not stop Adams (3-4) on its sixth series as well. Picot avoided the sack, broke four tackles and rambled 58 yards for another touchdown with 17.7 ticks remaining in the second quarter. The Highlanders missed their final two extra points of the second quarter, but were in complete control with a 26-0 advantage at the half.
Adams dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half, limiting Rochester to only four total yards. The Falcons punted away on their first four drives while time ended at the half which stalled the final series on their own 19.
Rochester’s only ray of light in the first half was junior Hunter Krempel picking off Picot in the end zone in the first quarter.
The Falcons, who fell to 0-5 all-time in playoff games, finally marched the ball downfield to start the third period. Senior Andrew Koss scored on 9-yard run to bring Falcons to within 26-7 with 10:33 left in the first half.
Adams’ Henke responded when he scored on a 26-yard run, breaking a tackle at the 20 and sprinting into the end zone for a 32-7 lead with 8:48 remaining in the third stanza.
The Highlanders never allowed the Rochester to threaten again.
Adams put together a clock-eating 13-play, 66-yard drive for the sixth touchdown, capped when Santino Orsini scored on an 11-yard run. Adams failed to convert extra points or conversions on three of the six touchdowns.
Henke added to the Highlanders’ balanced attack, rushing 12 times for 78 yards. Orsini had nine carries for 43 yards, as Adams used eight ball carriers. Junior Alex DeGrieck and senior Billy Hart each had two sacks for the Highlanders.
Rochester posted its first unbeaten regular season since 1993 and averaged 44.5 points a game and averaged over 300 yards of offense this season. The Falcons (6-1) played like a deer in headlights and could never recover after being down 14-0 early in the second quarter and by 26 points at the half.
The Falcons have not defeated Adams since October of 1996.
“We just didn’t execute,” sighed Rochester coach Erik Vernon. “Hats off to Adams because they stopped us from doing the things we like to do. And when we had the ball we failed to execute and we gave up some big plays on defense.”
Rochester finished with only 146 yards of offense and sophomore quarterback Alex Bueno was sacked five times in the contest. Bueno was only an uncharacteristic 6-for-14 passing for 34 yards, while the Falcons amassed 112 rushing yards.
Senior Andrew Koss had seven carries for 53 yards to lead Rochester. Senior Kevan Troy, a three-time All-State wrestler, had a sack and led the Falcons in tackles.
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