Penalties prove costly in 21-7 St. Mary's defeat

Spinal Column Sportsweekly

EAST GRAND RAPIDS--Orchard Lake St. Mary's fell on the road to East Grand Rapids, 21-7, in its season opener on Thursday, Aug. 27.

The loss marked the Eaglets' (0-1) third straight defeat against the Pioneers (1-0), the three-time defending Division 3 state champions.

"I think we made mistakes and we played a good team," said St. Mary's Head Coach George Porritt. "We believe we're a good team if we eliminate a couple mistakes — we had four pass interference penalties."

St. Mary's took an early 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Robert Bolden, who was then intercepted by A.J. McEwen in the second quarter. McEwen returned the ball to the Eaglets' 1-yard line. Josh Drummond then scored to tie the game at 7 and later added another 1-yard touchdown run to give the Pioneers a 14-7 halftime advantage.

In the third quarter, Pioneers quarterback Ryan Eible found Colin Voss for an 18-yard touchdown reception for a 21-7 East Grand Rapids lead. The Pioneers' defense preserved that margin and the win.

The Eaglets were guilty of 7 penalties for 90 yards, which Porritt said hurt his team.

Bolden finished with 139 yards passing while Michael Padula finished with 8 total tackles on defense.

The Eaglets will next play their home opener on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 4, when they take on Highland Park.

Prep Football

No logos, photographs, or graphics on the site may be reproduced without written permission.