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11/10/05-Football
New quarterback, same results
St. Mary's downs WL Western in district final
BY MIKE ROSENBAUM OF THE OBSERVER AND ECCENTRIC
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There were many similarities between Orchard Lake St. Mary's district final football game, played last Saturday, and the Eaglets' pre-district contest the previous Saturday. Both games were played at West Bloomfield High School. Both featured opponents from Walled Lake who play similar offensive and defensive styles. And neither opponent could stop St. Mary's offense.
There was just one key difference. In the pre-district game, Walled Lake Central's Wing-T offense was very effective, scoring four times in a 35-26 St. Mary's victory. But the Eaglets stifled Walled Lake Western's Wing-T in the district final and won comfortably, 48-10.
"We made some adjustments, and you learn sometimes," said St. Mary's coach George Porritt. "I thought the kids did a nice job. Coach (Frank) Janosz had the defense ready today."
Offensively, St. Mary's reached the end zone on its first seven possessions (not counting a two-play possession at the end of the first half, when the Eaglets chose to run out the clock), triggering the 35-point mercy rule in the third quarter. And they accomplished the feat without starting quarterback Justin Siller, who missed the game due to a broken finger on his throwing hand.
"They've been a pretty good offensive team all year long," said Western coach Mike Zdebski, "and they executed well. They have some big-time athletes and made some big-time plays."
The Eaglets' offensive power made Nick Koenigsknecht's varsity quarterbacking debut relatively smooth. The versatile senior, who moved from wide receiver, quarterbacked the freshman team for part of the 2002 season. But he hadn't played the position since. He threw only once Saturday, but he made it count, lofting a pass that Taurian Washington caught in stride down the left sideline on his way to an 84-yard touchdown.
Porritt praised assistant coach Don Buchanan for helping Koenigsknecht adjust to his new position.
"Coach Buchanan had him prepared very well," Porritt said. "And Nick's a great athlete. He's a good player and I'm proud of that kid. It's one game for him, the first snaps he's taken in a long, long time. And he did a nice job out there today."
Koenigsknecht shared the credit for St. Mary's offensive production.
"Everything went the way I wanted it; error-free," he said. "Everyone else picked the game up -- the line, Bo (Anthony Bowman) was running hard, and AG (Aaron Gant) was running hard. Everyone helped me out."
Although Siller averaged about 12 pass attempts per game this season, while Koenigsknecht threw just once Saturday, Porritt said St. Mary's "whole package" was available on offense. But St. Mary's running game was dominant, and the Eaglets stayed with their ground attack as they quickly built their lead to 28-3 at halftime. Bowman scored the first two touchdowns on runs of 49 and seven yards to give the Eaglets a 13-3 lead after 12 minutes. Koenigsknecht scored from five yards out, then threw his TD pass to Washington in the second quarter. Steven Andrews kicked two extra points and Chris Mitchell ran in a two-point conversion.
The Warriors had a solid first possession, moving from their 12 to St. Mary's 13 before settling for a 33-yard field goal by Andy Omiatek to trim the lead to 7-3. Western gained five first downs on the drive, which took 6:18 off the clock. But the Warriors added just five more first downs the rest of the game.
Gant was the second half star, with TD runs of 13 and 70 yards. Dominique White scored the other St. Mary's touchdown on a six-yard run, and Andrews booted two more extra points.
Henry Ford Jr. scored for Western late in the third quarter on a 93-yard run. Omiatek added the extra point.
Gant finished with 156 yards on 14 carries. Bowman ran seven times for 76 yards while Koenigsknecht gained 43 yards on 10 carries. Ford's 93 yards led Western. Ken Loney added 54 yards on nine carries. Quarterback Travis Maxey completed five of 19 passes for 33 yards. Overall, St. Mary's out-gained Western, 404 yards to 187.
The 11-0 Eaglets will meet Birmingham Brother Rice in Saturday's regional final, at West Bloomfield. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Warriors, who finished 7-4, enjoyed a successful season, according to Zdebski.
"There's a lot of schools that would like to be playing for a district championship," Zdebski said. "Our kids got to that point, so for us that was a really nice season and we're proud of the efforts of our kids."
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