ST. MARY’S SHUTS DOWN RAMS, CLAIMS D4 DISTRICT TITLE
MADISON HEIGHTS >> There once was a time where district championships were just an appetizer for the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s football program.
But in recent years, the Eaglets have gone hungry when the postseason came around.
On Friday night, they got a taste of the good stuff, shutting out Madison Heights Lamphere, 35-0, to claim just their second district title over the past seven years. St. Mary’s scored three times in the second quarter to pull away from the host Rams.
“Our goal is always to win a state championship, winning our league. That’s the standard we have here at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s,” Eaglets head coach Jermaine Gonzales said. “This is a great win. We’re extra proud of winning the district championship but at the end of the day we’ve got to keep it going, keep their mindset on our ultimate goal.”
St. Mary’s took advantage of a Lamphere mistake early in the game. After what looked like it would be a three-andout on the opening possession of the game, the Rams were called for a roughing the punter penalty, extending the drive for the Eaglets. A few plays later, senior quarterback Brayden Ledin connected with junior Zane Wilson for a 43-yard touchdown to give their team a 7-0 lead.
“We knew we were going to have to play a clean game and we made some mistakes right out of the gate with that roughing the punter penalty and the momentum changed quickly,” Lamphere coach Ray Ostrowski said. “We came in missing a few players, not that it’s an excuse, but just playing shorthanded tonight really showed and it really hurt us.”
St. Mary’s forced a pair of punts and a turnover on downs in the first quarter, giving the ball back to its offense. From there, the Eaglets’ running and passing games took over. Senior Zane Nessen scored from 3 yards out with 6:24 left in the second quarter to make it a 14-0 game. One possession later, Ledin connected with senior Ryan Mooney for a screen pass which turned into a 25-yard touchdown to give their team a three touchdown lead with 3:03 to play in the half.
Lamphere would then move the ball quickly up the field in what seemed like it would result in some points for the Rams, but the Rams fumbled the ball, which was returned 79 yards by senior Cole Olsztyn to give St. Mary’s a commanding 28-0 lead heading into halftime.
“I thought we made plays when we had to, in all three phases of the game,” Gonzales said. “We had a few mishaps but we overcame them. The biggest thing with this group is we tell them, ‘Short memory. You make a mistake, as long as you do it aggressive, hard and fast, just move on to the next play.’ And that’s what we do well.”
Nessen would add a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter for the Eaglets (5-5), which will now take on Goodrich in a regional final. The Martians defeated Freeland, 10-9, in their district final. Goodrich is 10-1 and ranked in the top 10 in Division 4. That’s nothing new for St. Mary’s which has played a very tough schedule that has included state-ranked opponents De La Salle, Detroit Catholic Central, Rochester Adams and River Rouge.
“We’ve seen a lot. This is a resilient group and we’ve been battling some of the top teams all year,” Gonzales said. “We could have played a little better tonight but our guys have no quit in them. They come to compete and fight every single game. That’s all I can ask for as a coach.”
Lamphere’s defense forced two turnovers in the game, including a fumble recovery
by senior Rodney Chapman and an interception by freshman Mason Maczuga. The Rams finished the season with an 8-3 record. The team will lose 14 players to graduation.
“I thought St. Mary’s was phenomenal. They had a great game plan and they put it all together. It certainly wasn’t how we wanted to finish our season,” Ostrowski said. “This is a group of guys I’ve had the chance to coach the last two years. They really worked hard and they laid a foundation for where the program is heading. I couldn’t be more proud of our seniors.”