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2005– The Year in Review
Catholic League and District Champions (11-1)
Week 1: OLSM 44 Oxford 3 at Oxford (1-0)
Taking advantage of five Oxford turnovers in the first half and showing off team speed that is fleet even by standards at St. Mary's, the Eaglets jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, led 31-0 at halftime and invoked the 35-point running clock rule by grabbing a 38-0 lead in the third quarter. In his first game at St. Mary's after transferring from the now closed Detroit DePorres, junior quarterback Justin Siller ran for a touchdown and threw touchdown passes of 42 and 25 yards to Taurian Washington and Nick Koenigsknecht, respectively, in the first half. Siller went 7-of-8 in the first half for 177 yards. Anthony Bowman had a touchdown run in the first half, while Dominique White and Nick Sloney added touchdown runs of 9 and 35 yards, respectively, in the second half to complete the rout. The damage would've been worse had St. Mary's not had four touchdowns called back in the first half because of penalties. The Wildcats managed only one scoring drive in the whole game, which ended with a 21-yard field goal by Zach Wasylyna in the fourth quarter. Starting quarterback Bill Keenist rushed for 60 yards by himself on the drive, which unfortunately for Oxford , proved to be the only highlight.
Week 2: OLSM 34 Birmingham Detroit Country Day 21 at Country Day (2-0)
The Eaglets improved to 2-0 with a 34-21 victory at a packed Detroit Country Day. With students, parents, and onlookers standing around the field and the parking lot packed along 13 Mile Road , the Eaglets didn't just survive, but they thrived at times and looked like they were in midseason form. OLSM carried a 21-7 lead into halftime after junior quarterback Justin Siller ran it in from the 1-yard line. Before that, Siller rocketed a 69-yard pass to junior wide receiver Taurian Washington after the Yellowjackets had tied the game 7-7. Washington 's score came with 3:43 left in the second quarter. He also hauled in a 55-yard pass from Siller to give OLSM the two-touchdown lead. Country Day tied the game at 7 when sophomore running back Jonas Gray broke free on a 15-yard touchdown run with 4:43 left in the first quarter. OLSM took a commanding 28-7 lead once junior receiver Dionte Allen caught a 13-yard pass from Siller with 4:24 left in the third quarter. The Yellowjackets showed some life after it took just one play for senior quarterback Nick Potter to find fellow senior Tom Rooke near the goal line with a 33-yard bomb with 1:31 left in the third quarter to bring Country Day within 28-13 (the Yellowjackets missed the PAT attempt. OLSM put the game away with a touchdown with 2:33 left. Sophomore running back Dominique White scored on a 4-yard rush to push the Eaglets' lead to 34-13. That score came about six minutes after OLSM's White intercepted Country Day's third down pass. Country Day had a last-gasp score with 1:26 left when senior David Middleton grabbed a 33-yard pass from Potter and the Yellowjackets made the 2-point conversion.
Week 3: OLSM 28 Davison 7 at OLSM (3-0)
When Orchard Lake St. Mary's played its first home game of the season most everything else remained the same as the Eaglets improved to 3-0 with a 28-7 victory over Davison. Justin Siller continued his strong quarterback play and he spread the ball around to several of the Eaglets' dangerous ballhandlers. Additionally, St. Mary's defense, led by the defensive line - Jerron Horn, Matt Brimer and Jon Misch - continued to play well, narrowly missing a shutout, until the last few seconds of the game. The Eaglets scored twice in the second quarter. Anthony Bowman crossed the goal line on a four-yard run, then Siller scored on a one-yard sneak. Siller added two touchdown passes in the third quarter - a 34-yarder to Pat Carroll and a 16-yard toss to Taurian Washington . Steve Andrews booted all four extra points. Davison closed the scoring on a 15-yard TD pass. Siller completed 11 of 15 passes for 191 yards. Bowman was a dual threat, catching two passes for 78 yards while rushing 10 times for 52 more.
Week 4: OLSM 47 Dearborn Divine Child 6 at Ford Field (4-0)
Orchard Lake St. Mary's gave up a 70-yard touchdown pass in the game against Dearborn Divine Child. And so ends the list of things that went wrong for the Eaglets. St. Mary's rode several big plays to a convincing, 47-6 win over Divine Child at the Catholic League Classic at Ford Field. Six of the Eaglets' touchdown plays were 10 yards or longer, and three of them covered 60 yards or more. After quarterback Justin Siller put the Eaglets up, 7-0, on a 1-yard touchdown run with 5:15 remaining in the second quarter, the fireworks began. On Divine Child's ensuing possession, St. Mary's senior Ian Dupack sacked Divine Child quarterback Matt Forystek and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Eaglets senior Alex Delisi. On the next play, sophomore running back Dominique White put the Eaglets up 13-0 (the extra point failed) on a 10-yard touchdown run with 4:05 remaining. St. Mary's led, 19-0, at halftime on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Siller to junior Taurian Washington , and then took a 26-0 lead when junior Dionte Allen opened the second half by returning the kickoff 78 yards for a touchdown. Senior Anthony Bowman then ran for a 21-yard touchdown run and junior Chris Mitchell returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown to put St. Mary's ahead, 40-0, in the third quarter. After Matt Forystek hit Pat Nagle for a 70-yard touchdown pass for Divine Child (2-2, 0-1) to cut the lead to 40-6, junior Kourtney Price made one last big play for St. Mary's when he ran for a 60-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Offensively, Siller led the way with 148 yards passing for St. Mary's, which ran for 194 yards as a team.
Week 5: OLSM 30 Warren DeLaSalle Collegiate 0 at West Bloomfield HS (5-0)
The end of the line came early for Warren DeLaSalle, courtesy of the ends of St. Mary's defensive line. Led by a dominating defense and a strong rushing attack, the Eaglets gained a 20-0 lead before the game was eight minutes old and went on to defeat the Pilots, 30-0. The St. Mary's homecoming contest was played at West Bloomfield High. The Eaglets caused five turnovers, three of which went to defensive ends Jon Misch and Blair Hollis. The pair also had two quarterback sacks apiece. Before St. Mary's defense had a chance to do damage, the Eaglets' offense dented the scoreboard quickly. On their second play from scrimmage following the opening kickoff, Anthony Bowman burst through the middle and dashed 75 yards for a touchdown. Steve Andrews added the first of his three extra points. St. Mary's defense then forced the first DeLaSalle turnover when Hollis recovered quarterback Cecil St. Pierre 's fumble at the Pilots' 34. The Eaglets capped a short drive when quarterback Justin Siller threw a six-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Nick Koenigsknecht for a 14-0 lead. The Eaglets' defensive ends then combined for a big play when Hollis deflected a St. Pierre pass, which floated into Misch's hands. Misch took the ball 29 yards into the end zone to build the lead to 20-0. St. Mary's lost a fumble of its own late in the quarter, sparking a brief DeLaSalle drive into Eaglets territory before senior safety Nick Koenigsknecht picked off a pass at the St. Mary's 10. The Pilots drove to St. Mary's 30 early in the second quarter, but senior linebacker Ian Dupack stopped running back Dan Lomasney cold on a fourth-and-two play to halt the drive. Another tipped DeLaSalle pass was picked off, this time by Hollis, at the Pilot's 28 early in the third quarter, which set up a 37-yard field goal by Andrews. DeLaSalle's best scoring chance was thwarted by St. Mary's at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Pilots drove to the St. Mary's four, but three runs netted no yards, then a St. Pierre pass intended for Paul Nielsen was incomplete at the back of the end zone. St. Mary's then drove 96 yards on 15 plays, all but one on the ground, taking 8:19 off the clock. Junior Chris Mitchell capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown run. The Pilots were held to 58 yards rushing and 90 passing. Senior Dominic Knight and junior Alex Delisi led St. Mary's with seven tackles apiece. But the ends were the keys to St. Mary's effort, led by Misch.
Week 6: OLSM 17 Detroit Catholic Central 7 at Novi (6-0)
Orchard Lake St. Mary's scored all the points it needed in the second quarter, then let its defense and kicking game do the rest in a 17-7 Catholic League Central Division victory over Catholic Central on the Shamrocks' new home field. St. Mary's shattered the scoreless game when quarterback Justin Siller hit Dionte Allen with a 72-yard touchdown strike in the second quarter. The first of two Steven Andrews extra points made it 7-0. Later in the quarter, Siller scored on a one-yard sneak, then Andrews booted a 30-yard field goal, 26 seconds before halftime. Catholic Central broke the shutout on a 46-yard pass from quarterback Rob Forte to wide out Derek Smith in the final period. Steven Cummings added the extra point. St. Mary's punter Andrew Jones, who boomed a 63-yard kick earlier in the game, helped preserve the lead with his final two punts. One was downed at the Shamrocks' five, the other went out of bounds at the CC one. Allen then put an exclamation point on the victory by intercepting the Shamrocks' final pass. Aaron Gant led the Eaglets' running attack, gaining 80 yards on 19 carries, as St. Mary's finished with 140 yards on 42 rushes. Siller was six of 16 passing, for 127 yards. Catholic Central was limited to 69 yards through the air and 91 on the ground. Defensive end Blair Hollis and linebacker Alex Delisi had five solo tackles apiece for St. Mary's. Hollis had 1.5 sacks plus a fumble recovery, while Delisi added a sack and caused a fumble.
Week 7: OLSM 35 Detroit Jesuit 7 at Ferndale HS (7-0)
St. Mary's threw the football effectively all season, but in the contest at U-D Jesuit, the Eaglet defenders caught more passes than St. Mary's wide receivers. But the new formula added up to the same result: A St. Mary's victory, 35-7. U-D Jesuit opened the scoring after Anthony Bowman lost a fumble on his first run from scrimmage. The Cubs capitalized with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Luke Nemes to Torrey Johnson. The play of the game might have been a goal-line interception by Eaglet senior linebacker Aaron Gant on the first play of the second quarter as the Cubs were threatening to go up by 14 points. Bowman then redeemed himself on his second carry of the day, dashing 91 yards for the tying touchdown. Steven Andrews then added the first of his five extra points. St. Mary's increased its lead to 21-7 before halftime. Quarterback Justin Siller, who threw only five passes, hit Taurian Washington with a 32-yard TD strike in the second quarter. Siller then scored on a 10-yard run later in the quarter. Aaron Gant scored twice in the second half, on runs of four and eight yards. Defensively, junior corner Dionte Allen intercepted three passes, including two in the red zone. One of his picks - on the final play of the first half - came in the end zone, another at the St. Mary's 12. St. Mary's ran for 355 yards, led by Bowman (12 carries, 178 yards) and Gant (12-95). Siller completed three of his five passes, for 84 yards. The Cubs ran for 131 yards and passed for 103.
Week 8: OLSM 24 Birmingham Brother Rice 21 at OLSM (8-0)
In a game filled with big plays, St. Mary's scored three touchdowns of 48 yards or more, while Rice had two, a key difference in the Eaglets' 24-21 triumph on Senior/Parent Appreciation Day. But a field goal drive that ate up most of the second quarter was also vital for the host Eaglets, and better exemplified the type of physical game it was, as experienced by the players in the trenches. The contest between the previously-unbeaten Catholic League Central Division powers left St. Mary's 8-0 overall, 5-0 in division play. The Warriors, who entered the game ranked first in the state, fell to 7-1, 4-1. St. Mary's had begun the day ranked second in the state. The Warriors opened the scoring on their second possession, as John Goebel turned the right corner on a sweep and raced 75 yards to the end zone. Dusty Greenbury added the first of three extra points for a 7-0 lead. St. Mary's answered three plays later, when quarterback Justin Siller rolled out right and found Anthony Bowman wide open down the right sideline for a 64-yard score. Steven Andrews booted the first of his three extra points to tie the game. After scoring with his arm, Siller used his legs moments later, scrambling out of trouble, then dashing 63 yards with 2:07 remaining in the quarter to give the Eaglets a seven-point margin. Rice came back on its next drive, which concluded early in the second quarter. Quarterback Mike Cappetto, who completed four of 10 passes on the day, connected for three completions during an 80-yard drive. Running back Joey Henry turned a short pass into a 34-yard gain, then Cappetto fired a 31-yard strike to Charlie Gantt, to the Eaglets 10. On third-and-goal from the 15, Cappetto found Kaunda Hancock inside the five, and Hancock battled into the end zone to even the score at 14. St. Mary's took possession at its 20 with 10:12 remaining in the half and drove 77 yards in 18 plays, capping the eight-minute 40-second drive with Andrews' 21-yard field goal. The Eaglets converted four straight third down plays to keep the drive rolling. Aaron Gant ran eight yards on a draw on a third-and-eight situation, while Siller completed a 25-yard pass to Nick Koenigsknecht on a third-and-four. When the drive finally stalled on the Rice three, Andrews' kick gave St. Mary's a 17-14 halftime edge. St. Mary's went three-and-out after receiving the second half kickoff, forcing an Andrew Jones punt. But Pat Carroll stole the ball from Hancock during the runback, giving St. Mary's possession at the Warriors 46. Three plays later, the strong-armed Siller, throwing against the wind, hit Taurian Washington in stride down the left sideline, and Washington carried it across the goal line for a 24-14 lead. Rice answered with its final score when Henry swept right, turned the corner, then swiftly cut back to his left and out-raced the defenders for a 48-yard TD run with 7:29 left in the quarter. But the Warriors had no first downs for the rest of the game. St. Mary's out-gained Rice on the day, 366 yards to 266. Siller ran 10 times for 89 yards while Gant added 74 yards on 22 carries. Siller also completed four of 10 passes for 149 yards. John Goebel led all rushers with 129 yards on 13 carries. Henry ran five times for 61 yards. Cappetto matched Siller's 4-for-10 performance, for 84 yards. Defensively, Matt Shango had 15 tackles for Rice, including seven solo stops, while Chris Colasanti had nine solo tackles among 13 stops. Dominic Knight led St. Mary's with 10 tackles, including four solo hits, while Alex Delisi had three solo tackles plus four assists.
Week 9: OLSM 20 Birmingham Brother Rice 7 at Ford Field (9-0)
As good as Birmingham Brother Rice's defense was, the one at Orchard Lake St. Mary's was just a bit better at the 2005 Prep Bowl. St. Mary's clamped down on Brother Rice's running game and the Eaglets made enough big plays offensively to defeat the Warriors 20-7 in the Catholic League A-B Division final at Ford Field. For top-ranked St. Mary's (9-0) it was its first league title since 2001. St. Mary's held No. 4-ranked Brother Rice (7-2) without a first down until midway through the second quarter and without a point until there was 3:11 left in the game. By that time the Eaglets had a 20-0 lead. St. Mary's opened the scoring on Steven Andrews' 27-yard first-quarter field goal. The three-pointer was set up by a 31-yard completion from Siller to Dionte Allen on a fourth-and-nine play, as Allen made an acrobatic catch at the Rice three. In the second quarter, Taurian Washington 's fingertip catch of a 24-yard pass set up Andrews' 31-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead. Siller then unloaded a 71-yard touchdown bomb to receiver Nick Koenigsknecht late in the second quarter to give the Eaglets a 13-0 halftime advantage. Defensive back Christopher Mitchell stopped a Rice scoring bid with a third-quarter interception at the St. Mary's 20. That triggered a drive which culminated in Siller's 12-yard TD toss to running back Anthony Bowman, followed by Andrews' second extra point. Rice Coach Al Fracassa went to Andy Lentz at quarterback in the final minutes and the sophomore led the Warriors on an eight-play, 95-yard drive for a touchdown. John Goebel (13 carries, 94 yards) caught the 14-yard scoring pass with 3:11 left to avoid the shutout. Junior quarterback Justin Siller led St. Mary's by throwing two touchdown passes, one to Nick Koenigsknecht of 71 yards and the other to Anthony Bowman for 12. Siller was 8-for-15 for 173 and one interception, his first of the season. Aaron Gant led the Eaglets in running with 79 yards on 14 carries. St. Mary's defense, which made a trio of fourth-down stops, was led by defensive end Jon Misch, whose seven tackles included one sack, plus defensive tackle Jerron Horn, who also recorded a sack among his six tackles.
Week 10: OLSM 35 Walled Lake Central 26 at West Bloomfield HS (10-0)
Somebody obviously forgot to tell Walled Lake Central's players that a 5-4 team that squeaks into the playoffs can't beat a top-ranked, undefeated squad. The Vikings didn't beat Orchard Lake St. Mary's in the Division 2 pre-district game, but they made the Eaglets work for every inch of their 35-26 victory. The first big plays, however, belonged to Central. Tim Cross ran 43 yards on the initial play from scrimmage then Torrey Stimson, who ran the wing-T offense skillfully all afternoon, ran an option keeper 26 yards for the opening score. Craig Dropiewski's extra point kick went wide. The Eaglets promptly took to the air, as quarterback Justin Siller completed 13- and 12-yard passes to Taurian Washington -- the latter on a third-and-seven situation -- then threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to running back Anthony Bowman, who benefited from Washington 's downfield block. Steve Andrews added the first of five extra points for a 7-6 St. Mary's lead. Later in the quarter, St. Mary's drove 81 yards on five plays to make it 14-6. Bowman attacked the outside, with runs of 16 and 17 yards, which set up Aaron Gant, who burst straight up the middle for a 37-yard touchdown run. Central bounced back quickly, as Kevin Long's 31-yard kickoff return gave the Vikings possession at their 46. The drive, which ended early in the second quarter, featured an excellent catch by Cross on a 22-yard pass from QB Stimson. Stimson capped the drive with a one-yard sneak. His two-point conversion pass to Cross was broken up by Nick Koenigsknecht. On their third possession, the Eaglets converted a fourth-and-one play from their 49, as Siller gained two yards on a sneak. Siller then hit Dionte Allen in stride down the right sideline for a 48-yard gain that set up Siller's one-yard touchdown carry. Central then drove from its 21 into St. Mary's territory, keyed by a 23-yard Bryan Stolla run and a 16-yard Stimson-to-Aziz Atiyeh completion. But on third-and-eight from the Eaglets 14, St. Mary's defense end Blair Hollis knocked the ball away from Stimson and Jon Misch recovered for St. Mary's. The Eaglets then drove to the Central 27 with one second left in the half, but Andrews' 45-yard field goal try fell short. St. Mary's finally gained some breathing room on the second play from scrimmage in the second half. Bowman ran left, then bounced the play outside. He turned the corner, burst down the left sideline, then cut into the middle of the field and out-raced the Vikings to the right pylon for a 73-yard touchdown run. But Central still had life, as Stimson ran an option keeper 56 yards on Central's next play from scrimmage, to set up Mike Denison's 10-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 28-18 with 8:34 remaining in the third quarter. St. Mary's then capped its scoring with its fifth touchdown in six possessions. Gant gained 14 yards early in the drive, Siller ran for 15 to give the Eaglets a first down at the Vikings seven, then Siller snuck the ball in from one yard out on fourth down. Central answered with a 65-yard drive that took 7:48 off the clock. The drive was capped by Stolla's one-yard touchdown run and Stimson's two-point conversion pass to Cross, to cut the lead to 35-26 midway through the final quarter. But that was Central's last gasp, as the Eaglets burned most of the remainder of the clock with their ground game. St. Mary's finished with 418 yards of offense. Gant was the Eaglets' second-leading rusher with 101 yards on 14 carries. Siller completed eight of 10 passes for 137 yards before leaving the game with an injured hand in the fourth quarter. Central gained 329 yards. Stimson had 107 on the ground, on 10 carries, and completed six of eight passes for 80 more. Cross ran five times for 62 yards while Stolla gained 59 yards on 12 tries.
Week 11: OLSM 48 Walled Lake Western 10 at West Bloomfield HS (11-0)
Senior Nick Koenigsknecht had not thrown a pass since his freshman year, but he made his first varsity pass for Orchard Lake St. Mary's count. The Eaglets had not attempted a passing play the entire game against Walled Lake Western until near the end of the second quarter, when Koenigsknecht completed his first - and only - pass of the game to Taurian Washington for an 85-yard score. The pass was one of several huge Eaglets plays in their 48-10 win over the Warriors in a Division 2 district final. Koenigsknecht got the start at quarterback for the Eaglets because of an injury to starter Justin Siller. St. Mary's struck on its fifth play of the game, when Anthony Bowman broke a 49-yard touchdown run. The Warriors answered on their next possession when Andy Omiatek hit a 33-yard field goal, but the Eaglets pushed the lead to 13-3 when Bowman ran in a 6-yard touchdown with 1:46 left in the first quarter. Koenigsknecht ran for a 5-yard touchdown on the Eaglets' first drive of the second quarter, and Christopher Mitchell ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 21-3 with 6:56 left in the half. Aaron Gant had two touchdown runs, and Dominique White had a 6-yard touchdown run for the Eaglets in the third quarter. Henry Ford broke a 93-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for the only touchdown of the game for the Warriors (7-4). Gant finished with 156 yards on 14 carries. Bowman ran seven times for 76 yards while Koenigsknecht gained 43 yards on 10 carries. Ford's 93 yards led Western and Ken Loney added 54 yards on nine carries while quarterback Travis Maxey completed five of 19 passes for 33 yards. Overall, St. Mary's out-gained Western, 404 yards to 187.
Week 12: Birmingham Brother Rice 17 OLSM 8 at West Bloomfield HS (11-1)
Orchard Lake St. Mary's defied the football axiom that it's difficult to beat a team twice in one season by defeating the Birmingham Brother Rice in the final two weeks of the regular season, which included the Catholic League championship game. There is no football axiom regarding what happens when a team tries to defeat an opponent for the third time in one season. But if two victories are difficult, three are almost impossible -- at least judging by Rice's performance in the Division 2 regional final at West Bloomfield , where the Warriors defeated St. Mary's, 17-8. The third meeting between Birmingham Brother Rice and top-ranked Orchard Lake St. Mary's wasn't anything like the first two. This time, Brother Rice made the big plays and St. Mary's was left searching for offense. John Goebel rushed for 157 yards and got what proved to be the winning touchdown, leading Brother Rice (10-2) to victory over St. Mary's. St. Mary's won the first two games between these Catholic League rivals, 24-21 and 20-7, the latter in the league championship game at Ford Field. Quarterback Justin Siller, who led the Eaglets to those two victories, missed his second straight game after suffering a fracture in his right index finger. With Nick Koenigsknecht is his place, Brother Rice went with eight players within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage to stop the run and did just that, limiting St. Mary's to 30 yards on 26 carries. St. Mary's rushing leader Anthony Bowman, who has committed to Iowa , carried six times for nine yards. Brother Rice put its trust in the offensive line and Goebel, who carried a career-high 32 times. Goebel and his Warriors' teammates began getting it done on their opening possession, following a short St. Mary's punt into a stiff wind. Taking possession at the Eaglets' 41, the Warriors ground out three first downs and reached the St. Mary's five. But a third down sack by Blair Hollis and Matt Brimer forced Dusty Greenbury to boot a 28-yard field goal. Defenses ruled the remainder of the half until the final minute, when Koenigsknecht hit Dionte Allen for 31 yards to the Rice 29. But on third down from the 24, Pickens tackled Koenigsknecht for a nine-yard sack, leaving Steven Andrews with a 50-yard field goal try. The strong-legged Andrews, with an assist from the wind, kicked it far enough, but he was wide left. Rice enjoyed another good start in the second half. Goebel had runs of 12 and 10 yards and quarterback Mike Cappetto completed an 11-yard pass to Charlie Gantt, which left Rice with fourth down and less than a yard to go at St. Mary's 32. Chris Colasanti then ran for four yards to keep the drive going. Goebel eventually capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run. Greenbury's extra point made it 10-0. Early in the fourth quarter St. Mary's got its biggest break of the game when a snap flew over Rice punter Scott Beals' head, and into the end zone. Beals retrieved the ball -- preventing St. Mary's from scoring a touchdown -- but he was tackled for a safety by Christopher Mitchell. Koenigsknecht then threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Rikco Rhoades. But a would-be two-point conversion pass to tie the game was batted away by Warrior safety Kaunda Hancock. The Warriors' Joey Henry scored on a 16-yard run with 3:08 left for the final margin.
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