St. Mary's tops De La Salle

By Michael Shelton
Spinal Column Sportsweekly Online

ORCHARD LAKE-- Orchard Lake St. Mary's earned its first win of the season on Saturday, Sept. 19, with a hard-fought 25-16 homecoming game win over Warren DeLaSalle, handing the defending Catholic League A-B champion and Division 2 state runner-up its first loss of the season.

"It was a very big win because it's our first league game. We know we're not a bad football team," said St. Mary's Head Coach George Porritt.

St. Mary's (1-2 overall, 1-0 in the Catholic League Central) now has new life after dropping its first two games to East Grand Rapids and Highland Park. The Eaglets' scheduled game against Melvindale ABT on Saturday, Sept. 12 was canceled.

After Dominic Brugnoni scored the Pilots' (3-1, 0-1) first points on a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter, Gary Hunter responded by taking the ensuing kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown.

Hunter then struck again on defense with under a minute left in the first half by intercepting a pass and returning it 30 yards for a touchdown and a 12-3 halftime advantage for the Eaglets.

"I thought Gary Hunter made a couple of big plays in the first half," Porritt said.

DeLaSalle regained the lead, 16-12, in the third quarter on touchdown runs by Tim Zabawa (5 yards) and Parris De'Angelo (8 yards).

But Corey Lucas stepped up for St. Mary's with an 18-yard touchdown run in the third before he intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter in Eaglets' territory, which set up Earnest Thomas' game-clinching 5-yard touchdown run.

The Eaglets' second-half touchdowns came on drives of 71 yards and 81 yards that ate up the clock.

St. Mary's will look to keep its momentum going when traveling to Ferndale High School on Saturday, Sept. 26 to face The University of Detroit-Jesuit Cubs (2-2).

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