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11/1907-Football
St. Mary's out-runs East Lansing in grid semi, 49-21
By Mike Rosenbaum of The West Bloomfield Eccentric
SOUTH LYON--Two teams with strong ground attacks faced off in Saturday's Division 3 semifinal, but it was Orchard Lake St. Mary's that ran away with the 49-21 victory over East Lansing to advance to this Saturday's state championship game.
St. Mary's, 10-2, scored on its first three possessions, getting touchdowns from three different ballcarriers. Not to be outdone, the Eaglets defense set up two of those scores by forcing turnovers on East Lansing's side of the field.
Eaglets coach George Porritt emphasized that St. Mary's success began in the trenches.
“I thought our two fronts, offense and defensive line, I thought really established themselves and made our running game go and made it tough for their running game to get going…Our motto's been, ‘Try to get better each game,' and we got better today.”
The Eaglets ground game lived up to its billing as St. Mary's gained 357 yards on 55 carries. Dominique White led the way with 138 yards on 17 tries while Sam Fioroni gained 100 on 13 carries.
Fioroni started the scoring with a 45-yard TD run on the Eaglets' fourth play from scrimmage. Like his coach, Fioroni credited the offensive line.
“The offensive line was just opening up huge holes,” Fioroni said. “That first touchdown, I didn't have to do any work, just turn on the jets and go.”
The Trojans came out throwing on their first possession but it backfired when White intercepted quarterback Cameron Bruce's third pass, returning it to East Lansing's 28. Eight plays later, quarterback Robert Bolden crossed the goal line on a one-yard sneak. White scored the third touchdown on an eight-yard run, following Earnest Thomas' fumble recovery. Sean Graham's extra point gave St. Mary's a 21-0 lead just 7:27 into the game.
White's 46-yard run in the second quarter led to another eight-yard scoring run for the senior and a 28-0 lead. In the final two minutes of the half the Trojans, who finished the year 9-4, finally posted their initial first down, triggering a 66-yard drive capped by Eric Couthen's one-yard TD plunge.
In the third quarter, Matt Sargent's blocked punt helped set up White's third touchdown, a four-yard run. A 23-yard completion from Bolden to Jason Semmes keyed a 74-yard drive which resulted in a one-yard TD run by Fioroni for a 42-7 lead entering the final period.
Through three quarters, St. Mary's held the Trojans to just 16 net yards rushing plus 65 passing.
Rodney Woodland scored St. Mary's final touchdown on a 37-yard run. For East Lansing, Temwa Phiri scored on a six-yard run while the Trojans' 2,000-yard runner, Isaac Harper, finally broke loose in the last minute and scored on a 55-yard dash.
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