Dawgs Quiet Cats
On a night that, weather-wise, only a die-hard football fan could appreciate, the Romeo Bulldogs varsity football team (a) rewarded faithful fans who made the 100 mile round-trip trek and (b) disproved the ill-informed decision makers of Michigan HS football pairings (aka the MHSAA) by defeating the #5 ranked Grand Blanc Bobcats, 35-21, Friday, Oct. 30 at Grand Blanc HS in a pre-district state football playoff game.With the win, the Dawgs advance to next week's district final against Clarkston HS.
After a scoreless first quarter under conditions that better suited Romeo's style of play, the Bulldogs scored on their first drive of the second quarter with a TD reception by senior tight end Luke Lavasco from Ben Brown.
Later in the quarter, after stopping the Bobcats on fourth down play from the Romeo 24, the Bulldogs marched downfield to make the score 14-0 on a Ben Brown two-yard TD run. Brown's run was setup by an acrobatic reception from junior receiver Taylor Brynaert at the Grand Blanc two-yard line.
Grand Blanc answered with a TD just before halftime to make the score 14-7 Bulldogs at intermission.
The Bulldogs stretched their lead on their opening drive of second half behind a Brynaert TD reception that made the score 21-7 Romeo.
The fourth quarter featured back-and-forth scoring by both teams. For Romeo, the "cousin tandem" of Brown and QB Jake Alcinin each contributed touchdown runs. Sandwiched between them was a Grand Blanc touchdown, followed by another late Bobcat TD that came when the game was pretty much out of reach.
Defensively, the Bulldogs held the high-powered Bobcat offense in check all night. On two separate occasions, the Bulldog defense stopped the Bobcats on fourth-and-short-yardage situations. If Grand Blanc has succeeded on either, the tone of the game might have been different.
Offensively, in addition to his TD reception, Brynaert had several other big receptions on the night. Justin Medley contributed offensively with receptions and runs, while also helping defensive backfield mates Zack Bellas, Nathan Fraeyman and Ryan Thomas clamp down on Bobcat receiver Tony Jones, tight end Gabe Martin, and running back Justic Hayes.
Chrstian Pletta, Alcini and QB Blake Laurain also had long runs that sustained Bulldog drives and chewed up valuable clock time in the second half.
Other key plays included a Brown fourth-quarter fake punt that contributed to a TD, and a fumble recovery late in the game by sophomore Joe Bacci. Kicker Robbie Flinn also helped the cause by booting all of his kickoffs through the end zone and nullifying any kind of field favorable field position the Bobcats might have gained by Jones returning kicks.
With the win, the Bulldogs advance to the district final against the Clarkston Wolves, who defeated Lake Orion, 17-7.
- Last year, the Dawgs and Wolves met in a pre-district game at Romeo, a game the Dawgs won handily. This year's #4 ranked Clarkston team is much stronger.
In other MAC action...
- Dakota defeated Chippewa Valley 34-10
- SH Stevenson beat Roseville 35-0
- Warren-Mott beat Troy, 35-21
- Eisenhower-Pontiac results not yet available
Observations:
- "Mid-30s" was a lucky number for MAC teams on Friday. Consider the following offensive point totals from MAC teams: Romeo, 35; Mott, 35; Stevenson, 35; Dakota, 34.
