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9/14/2008-Football
St. Mary's romps past Flint Southwestern
By ROSS MAGHIELSE
Special to The Oakland Press
ORCHARD LAKE — Nine total fumbles and a whole lot of rain was the scene from Milewski Field on the campus of Orchard Lake St. Mary's High School on Saturday.
However, the Eaglets overcame those obstacles to win in convincing fashion, finishing off Flint Southwestern Academy, 35-0, in their home opener.
St. Mary's is now 2-1 overall and still 1-0 in the Catholic League Central division. The loss dropped Southwestern to 1-2 on the season.
St. Mary's jumped all over Southwestern early, taking a 29-0 lead at halftime and never looking back.
“There's only so many things you can do out there,” St. Mary's head coach George Porritt said.
“That was about as extreme of a downpour that I've ever coached in, so that eliminates a lot of things from the playbook.”
Playing without senior standout Dion Sims, one of the best players in the state who Porritt said will be “out for a while” with a sprained knee, the Eaglets compensated nicely.
The Eaglets were paced offensively by senior Sam Fioroni, who had 96 yards rushing and three touchdowns on just eight carries. The St. Mary's defense also played well, limiting Southwestern to 77 total yards of offense.
It didn't take long for St. Mary's to get going, as the Eaglets took an 8-0 lead 52 seconds into the game when senior linebacker Pierce Niemiec scooped up a fumble and returned it 11 yards for a touchdown. Nick Larson, who was holding for the extra point, took a direct snap and ran it in to convert the two-point play. Southwestern fumbled once again on its second possession of the game, and Niemiec was again the first to fall on the football.
The day's fumbling theme continued in the wet conditions, as both St. Mary's and Southwestern fumbled on their following drives. However the Knights' fumble proved to be more costly, as the Eaglets recovered the ball on Southwestern's 15-yard line.
Two plays later, St. Mary's scored again, this time on a 9-yard touchdown run from senior fullback Justin Semmes. After a fumbled snap on the extra-point attempt, the Eaglets held a 14-0 lead with just over a minute to play in the first quarter. Every play run by St. Mary's up to that point had been a rush, the Eaglets would only throw a total of four passes in the game.
St. Mary's then took a 29-0 lead with a pair of scores by Fioroni in the second quarter, one from four yards out (followed by a two-point pass from quarterback Robert Bolden to senior wideout Rodney Woodland) and another from three yards.
In a desperate attempt to gain some momentum for the second half, Southwestern opted to try an onside kick to start the third quarter. However, the Eaglets recovered the ball at the 45-yard line, and one play later extended their lead to 35-0. Fioroni, who was one of several ball carriers used by St. Mary's, took off down the sideline for the touchdown run.
The score put the running clock into effect, which ultimately at least gave players and spectators a chance to get out of the weather earlier.
“In a game like this, it's about staying disciplined,” Porritt said. “You've got to still play football, you've got to not make mistakes, and I thought our kids did a good job of that.”
In addition to Fioroni, St. Mary's was led by Semmes, who ran for 55 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, and Niemiec, who had six tackles and two fumble recoveries on defense.
With Southwestern out of the way, St. Mary's will turn its attention toward a huge game within the CHSL Central Division. St. Mary's will play unbeaten Warren De La Salle at 7 p.m. on Friday at Warren Fitzgerald in a game that will have big implications in the race for the Prep Bowl.
“We start our league play again next week with a tough game,” Porritt said. “We have to block better, tackle better, and continue to improve. It's going to be a great game Friday night.”
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