Eaglets fall to 0-2 as comeback fails

By DAVE CAMERON
Special to The Oakland Press

ORCHARD LAKE — A comeback looked promising. Facing a 20-13 deficit, Orchard Lake St. Mary's had the ball at the Highland Park 19-yard line with 2:22 left. The odds favored St. Mary's.

The odds didn't matter though, as Highland Park got a huge interception from junior defensive back Jermal Hosley on a fourth-and-14, which Hosley took 78 yards down the field to seal the Polar Bear's 20-13 upset road win on Friday.

The loss drops the Eaglets to 0-2, and puts their playoff hopes in severe jeopardy. St. Mary's opened its season with a 21-7 loss at East Grand Rapids.

“We keep beating ourselves, and it hurts us,” OLSM head coach George Porritt said.

On the other sideline, Highland Park (2-0) was ecstatic about the victory. Highland Park played in the Michigan Mega Conference, but is now an Independent this season.

“This is one of the bigger ones in school history,” Highland Park head coach Cedric Dortch said. “We wanted our young men to experience this type of environment, and to experience this type of team.”

Facing a 6-0 deficit, the Eaglets tied it up with 8:46 left in the second quarter on a 38-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Spencer McInnis. The PAT by senior kicker Christopher Vucinaj put St. Mary's up 7-6. The Eaglets fell behind 12-7, when junior wide receiver Allen Robinson snagged a 9-yard pass from senior quarterback Robert Bolden with 10:44 left in the game to go ahead 13-12.

That score seemed to put a wrench into Highland Park's spirit, however Highland Park didn't go away.

Polar Bears' junior quarterback Cameron Janack threw two completions, gaining the Polar Bears a first down. Janack found junior receiver Raymond Taylor with a 44-yard pass, and four plays later, on a fourth-and-goal from the 1, Janack got over the goal line to stun the home fans. Highland Park senior Jamere Murphy then ran the ball in for the 2-point conversion.

OLSM promptly turned the ball over on downs with 3:37 left. Highland Park generously fumbled and St. Mary's recovered, setting up their final drive.

Bolden hit senior Gary Hunter for a 31-yard gain, and McInnis had a small gain on a running play. Following a broken-up pass, and a low incomplete pass, Hosley snagged his interception and ended the Eaglets comeback.

Porritt said that the effort is there for OLSM, but the offensive flow is not.

“I thought we made way too many mistakes. We didn't have any consistency, and penalties at the wrong time and it's cost us the first two games,” Porritt said.

Porritt also said age cannot be blamed for St. Mary's play, as half of the team is either juniors or seniors, and had extended playing time last season.

“We're not young — we're just not executing right now,” he said.

Dortch has been the varsity football coach for 13 years at Highland Park. He said the result shouldn't be surprising considering the amount of road games the Polar Bears play this season, and the talent level on Highland Park's team. Highland Park plays Birmingham Brother Rice next week.

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