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DIVISION 6 BONUS COVERAGE: Ithaca defends state title with another perfect season

Dan Stickradt | November 25, 2011 | Comments (2)

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

DETROIT — Sometimes the pieces of the puzzle can come together and fit just right. For Ithaca, those pieces came together three years ago have stayed joined together — perfectly.

The Yellowajckets have become a state powerhouse in the making on the football field, making three straight runs to the Division 6 Final Four. Ithaca has also posted back-to-back perfect seasons, capping its second straight state title run with a resounding 42-14 triumph over Constantine in the D-6 finals at Ford Field.

The Yellowjackets have not only won 28 straight games — the longest active streak in all of Michigan — but are 32-1 in their last 33 contests and are a fine 39-2 in the last three seasons. The last time that Ithaca lost a game was Nov. 20, 2009, and that was a 47-16 setback to Montague in the D-6 state semifinals.

“I can’t even put into words what all of this means to this town,” said Ithaca coach Terry Hessbrook. “Everybody that was here got to see what type of community Ithaca is. What they give to us, a small town, I truly think it’s really sweet.

“These kids had this goal since last year to get back here,” continued Hessbrook. “We did not want to be one-and-done or a one-year wonder. They worked hard, every guy in the program, to (win again).”

Ithaca sophomore quarterback Travis Smith, thrust into a starting role early in the season after an injury to original starter David Brown, finished the night 18-for-25 passing for 299 yards and one touchdown pass. Garrett Miniard had 56 rushing yards on 10 carries, Smith added 43 yards on 10 carries and Brown hauled in 122 yards on six catches for the Yellowjackets.

Zach Allen also had 92 receiving yards on four catches and Jared Evers caught four more passes for 52 yards.

Ithaca found itself in a 14-14 deadlock at the half, having to battle some back from seven-point deficits twice in the first half. The Yellowjackets scored four unanswered touchdowns in the second half, keeping the Falcons off the scoreboard for the final 29-plus minutes of the contest.

“I thought we just needed to be a little more physical (in the second half). I can’t sit here and say we made a ton of changes,” said Hessbrook, who is 73-17 in eight seasons with the Yellojackets. “We made a couple of smaller adjustments. We went to our Falcons defense, which is something that we put in this week. We ran that quite a bit. (Other than that) we just had to be more physical. Their offense was a little hard to get used to.”

Smith’s 21-yard sprint with 5:54 left in the third stanza put Ithaca in front for good at 21-14. Miniard cashed in with 15 seconds left in the third quarter when he scored on a 3-yard run for a 28-14 advantage.

In the fourth quarter, the Yellowjackets put the game away with a 62-yard fumble recovery by Lucas Slater for a score and a 2-yard run by Brown.

Constantine, honorable mention in the D-6 polls entering the postseason, overcame a 1-2 start at the beginning of the season to make its run to the state runner-up trophy. The Falcons lost in the state semifinals the past two years, both times to Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, before getting over the hump and into the state finals this season.

Ben Mallo chalked up 189 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns for Constantine. Payton White added 60 yards on 13 rushes for the Falcons, who compiled 287 yards on the ground but only 15 in the air.

Constantine (11-3) scored first when Mallo plunged into the end zone from two yards out with 10:39 still to go in the opening quarter. Smith helped Ithaca knot the score at 7-7 with 7:12 left in the frame when he scored on a 1-yard run.

Constantine took its final lead of the contest when Mallo raced home from 56 yards out just 5:32 before halftime. Again, Ithaca had the answer and tied the game at 14-14 only 2:29 before the half, this time when Evers hauled in an 18-yard pass from Smith.

“I told the kids to keep their heads held high,” offered Constantine coach Shawn Griffith, who has guided the Falcons to three straight Final Four appearances. “I thought (Ithaca) was very physical up front and we were a little overmatched at certain spots. But that does not take anything away from what we accomplished this season.”

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