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11/10/07-Football
Semmes leads St. Mary's past Melvindale, 35-12
By MIKE ROSENBAUM of The West Bloomfield Eccentric
MELVINDALE--In Orchard Lake St. Mary's run-oriented offense, Justin Semmes does the heavy lifting. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound junior fullback frequently runs the dive, lowering his helmet and banging straight ahead for a few tough yards. Generally, Semmes' efforts are used to set up the more spectacular runs of St. Mary's tailbacks.
In Friday's Division 3 regional, however, it was Semmes who gained the glory, running 30 times for 117 yards and scoring four touchdowns to lead visiting St. Mary's past Melvindale, 35-12.
The 9-2 Eaglets advance to this Saturday's state semifinal, against 9-3 East Lansing. Melvindale finished 10-2.
St. Mary's tailbacks carried their share of the load Friday, as Dominique White gained 115 yards on 13 carries while Sam Fioroni ran 10 times for 86 yards. But it was Semmes' success running inside that opened the door for the tailbacks to run outside.
I thought we ran the dive pretty good and our power game very successfully, said St. Mary's coach George Porritt. I thought that was the key for us. When you're running the ball and you can keep a potent (Melvindale) offense off the field, that's a big plus.
Even when the Cardinals offense was on the field, it was stifled by St. Mary's defense. Other than their one scoring drive, in the second quarter, the Cardinals only managed one first down via penalty until the game's final minutes.
St. Mary's used multiple defensive backs against Melvindale's wide-open offense. Even when quarterback Jais'son Holt found an open man, it was generally for short yardage. He completed 14 of 29 passes for 103 yards on the night.
We were trying to keep everything funneled in front of us, Porritt explained. Coach (Frank) Janosz and the staff did a nice job because (the Cardinals) have got some big playmakers.
Each team's opening possession set the tone for the game. After Wayne Pettus ran the opening kickoff back 50 yards to St. Mary's 36, the Eaglets forced Melvindale's spread offense to go three-and-out. Pettus then netted just one yard on a punt that went almost straight up.
The Eaglets took over and marched 70 yards on 12 running plays, with Semmes and White alternating carries most of the way. The Eaglets faced only one third-down situation on the drive, with Semmes gaining five yards on third-and-five from Melvindale's 20. Semmes capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.
The Eaglets didn't vary their attack much, but didn't need to. With Semmes pounding the ball inside, and White and Fioroni generally running off-tackle or outside, quarterback Robert Bolden only threw the ball three times, completing one, a 37-yard pass to Dion Sims late in the first half.
We were pretty simple (offensively), Porritt said, but that's good that's good blocking. That's St. Mary's kind of football.
Semmes capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a seven-yard run early in the second quarter. Melvindale answered with a 17-play, 64-yard drive, during which Holt completed eight of 13 passes. Holt ended the drive with a one-yard quarterback sneak on fourth down to trim the lead to 14-6, with St. Mary's blocking the extra point try.
The Eaglets then scored quickly, with the Bolden-to-Sims completion setting up Bolden's three-yard touchdown run.
St. Mary's scored on two of its first three possessions of the second half, with both drives capped by a one-yard Semmes touchdown. Pettus concluded the scoring with a 33-yard run, with 2:14 left in the game.
The Eaglets finished with 372 yards of offense, including 335 yards on the ground. St. Mary's held Melvindale to 28 rushing yards and 97 passing.
The site for Saturday's semi-final contest has not been determined.
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