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2006– The Year in Review
(8-3)
Week 1:
OLSM 34 Detroit King 18 at Msgr. Milewski Field (1-0)
St. Mary's Preparatory opened this football season with very high expectations, due in large part to the Eaglets' flock of future Division I college players on both sides of the ball. In its preview issue, Sports Illustrated picked the Eaglets as the #1 team in Michigan and #22 nationally.
Turnovers and big plays were the difference for St. Mary's in an easy 34-18 season-opening win over the Crusaders. Detroit King didn't arrive to the field until 15 minutes after the scheduled 1 p.m. game time and seemed sluggish at the start, allowing two easy touchdowns. The only highlights for King were two kickoffs that were returned for touchdowns.
RB Dominique White rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and FB Blair Hollis scored twice and finished with 62 yards on the ground for St. Mary's. QB Justin Siller ran for 45 yards and two touchdowns as well. St. Mary's took early control with two impressive drives covering a combined 120 yards. Hollis ran 13 yeards for a touchdown four minutes into the first quarter before Siller ended a 51-yard, five-play drive with a nine-yard scamper with 2:41 left for a 14-0 Eaglets lead. After Eaglets senior CB Dionte Allen intercepted a pass and returned it to the Crusaders' 16-yard line, King appeared to dodge a bullet when the Eaglets missed a field goal. However, King couldn't convert a first down, and a few minutes later, White's 48-yard touchdown run gave St. Mary's a 21-0 lead. Darrin Williams followed with a 94-yard kickoff return for King. At that point the Crusaders still had managed just 13 total yards and no first downs. That changed when King drove 96 yards in nine plays, only to turn the ball over for the fourth time in the first half when Noland's pass was intercepted by Eaglet LB Laurence Treadaway, who returned it to the King 21-yard line with 26 seconds to play in the first half. Siller took the next snap 21 yards for his second score of the game and a commanding 28-6 lead for the Eaglets.
Donovan Dickerson began the second half with a 96-yard kickoff return for King, but again St. Mary's answered, this time with a 58-yard drive that chewed up over five minutes of the third quarter. Hollis scored his second touchdown on a 12-yard run for a 34-12 lead. Chris Greenwood added a late touchdown reception for the Crusaders.
Week 2:
OLSM 35 Grand Ledge 7 at Grand Ledge (2-0)
St. Mary's built on an 18-play, 86-yard opening scoring drive to pummel Grand Ledge, 35-7. RB Chris Mitchell scored on a 6-yard run and St. Mary's never looked back. No play gained more than 11 yards during the drive, which lasted nearly nine minutes.
QB Justin Siller completed 8 of 13 passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. FB Blair Hollis rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown plus a touchdown reception. In addition to scoring the first touchdown, Mitchell also had an interception in the second half. He returned it 65 yards to Grand Ledge's 4. He ran for his second touchdown on the next play.
The Eaglet defense, led by senior LB Alex Delisi, completely stifled the Comets' running game, only allowing 50 yards on 18 carries and 3 rushing first downs. The Comets had more success through the air, completing 15 of 25 passes for 165 yards and 1 touchdown. St. Mary's controlled the clock, holding onto the ball for 11 more minutes than Grand Ledge. The Eaglets were denied a shutout when the Comets finally scored with 14 seconds left in the game.
Week 3:
OLSM 28 Toledo St. Francis de Sales 0 at Msgr. Milewski Field (3-0)
After an hour weather delay, the Eaglets were able to take care of Toledo St. Francis de Sales, 28-0, at Msgr. Milewski Field. Senior RB Chris Mitchell led the Eaglets offense throughout the afternoon, rushing for 154 yards on only 12 carries for a touchdown and a two-point conversion.
Mitchell was the first in the game to find the end zone when he broke a 29-yard touchdown run with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. The run capped off a 10-play, 65-yard drive on the Eaglets second possession of the game. On the next play from scrimmage, Eaglets QB/DB Justin Siller intercepted St. Francis QB Matt Meinert to give the ball back to the Eaglets. Siller then led the offense on the field for two plays before FB Blair Hollis scored the Eaglets second touchdown on a 1-yard run.
Siller threw for 100 yards on 6-for-11 passing with a touchdown and intercepted two passes on defense. After a 30-yard connection with WR Taurian Washington, Siller hooked up with WR Dionte Allen on a 12-yard strike to put St. Mary's up 21-0, putting the game out of reach for St. Francis.
The Eagles gained 245 yards on 37 carries. St. Francis' two quarterbacks combined to throw 3-for-15, for a total of 37 total yards. The Knights finished with 40 carries for 159 yards.
Week 4:
OLSM 37 Dearborn Divine Child 0 at Ford Field (4-0)
In the second annual Catholic League Classic at Ford Field in Detroit , the Eaglets registered a second consecutive shutout by dominating the Falcons, 37-0. The Eaglets led 35-0 after three quarters, which triggered a running clock. St. Mary's added two points on a safety when a Falcons' punt snap sailed into the end zone. Divine Child not only never threatened to score, but didn't gain a first down until its final possession, playing against St. Mary's reserves.
Offensively, St. Mary's running game was in its usual high gear, with 329 team rushing yards, 17 first downs and 5 touchdowns. Chris Mitchell led St. Mary's with 136 yards, including two touchdowns, on 10 carries. Dominique White also scored twice while Blair Hollis crossed the goal line once. QB Justin Siller completed 6-of-12 passes for 78 yards. The Falcons were limited to 26 net yards of offense. Senior DT Tom Shermetaro received credit for the fourth quarter safety.
St. Mary's scored on four of its first five possessions in the opening half to take a 28-0 halftime lead. Three of those possessions included a fourth down conversion, including White's 42-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-five situation. Mitchell's 69-yard run late in the third quarter set up White's second score, permitting the Eaglets to clear their bench in the final period.
Week 5:
Birmingham Brother Rice 14 OLSM 7 at Southfield-Lathrup HS (4-1)
In the first of three possible match-ups between the top two Catholic League teams, Brother Rice scored 14 unanswered points to beat St. Mary's, 14-7, at Southfield Lathrup. After Brother Rice's Dusty Greenbury missed a 32-yard field goal attempt with 1:43 remaining, St. Mary's had one final chance to erase its 14-7 deficit. St. Mary's advanced the ball to the Brother Rice 30-yard line, but on 3rd-and-10, Rice's Kaunda Hancock intercepted QB Justin Siller's pass with less than 10 seconds remaining.
Hancock also converted the Warriors' key offensive play late in the second quarter. With Brother Rice facing a 3rd-and-11 from its own 45-yard line and trailing 7-0 late in the quarter, Hancock caught a perfectly thrown ball from Rice QB Mike Cappetto for a 55-yard touchdown. Hancock's touchdown, which capped a seven-play, 78-yard drive, tied the score at 7-7 going into halftime.
The Warriors' first scoring drive came a possession after the Eaglets scored the game's first touchdown. QB Justin Siller scored on a 4-yard run with 4:36 remaining in the second quarter, capping a 39-yard drive.
After a scoreless third quarter, Rice's Caulton Ray IV scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run midway through the final quarter. On the ensuing possession, Rice's Joey Henry intercepted a Siller pass at midfield, but Brother Rice couldn't capitalize after Greenbury's kick sailed wide right. That set the scene for the final drive and Hancock's interception. Siller, a 6-foot-4 senior committed to Purdue, struggled against the Brother Rice defense. He threw no touchdowns and was intercepted three times. WR Dionte Allen ( Florida State ) and Taurian Washington ( Ohio State ) were ineffective for much of the game. Allen had an amazing 35-yard reception on the final drive, and Washington caught a 7-yard pass late in the second quarter. St. Mary's was strong on the ground, with 174 yards on 35 carries. Blair Hollis had 60 yards on 11 carries, Siller gained 49 on 12 tries and Dominique White ran seven times for 45 yards.
The loss was Siller's first at St. Mary's. The Eaglets were 10-0 when Siller started last season. He missed the final two playoff games with a broken hand.
Week 6:
OLSM 28 Detroit Catholic Central 7 at Msgr. Milewski Field (5-1)
In a driving rain for most of the afternoon, junior RB Dominique White rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns and the Eaglets had a stout defensive effort in defeating Detroit Catholic Central, 28-7, on a chilly Homecoming Saturday.
The Eaglets scored late to break the game open with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, which pushed a 13-7 lead to a three-touchdown advantage. St. Mary's outscored the Shamrocks 21-0 in the final two quarters. The Eaglets scored their final two touchdowns with 10 minutes left to put it away. White scored on runs of 1 and 27 yards, and also on a 2-point conversion after his 27-yard TD.
The Eaglets had their running game going, gaining 253 on the ground. Senior QB Justin Siller went 7-for-11 passing and didn't throw an interception before being lifted for junior QB Kris Morris late in the fourth quarter.
CC relied on the running of senior RB Dan Foley and Foley responded with 73 yards on 17 carries. The only problem was that the rest of CC's team had negative-5 yards rushing. CC went four-and-out on the first possession, as did OLSM. The Shamrocks recovered a St. Mary's fumble 1:45 into the game, but didn't capitalize on the turnover. CC also missed a field goal with 8:19 left in the first quarter to leave the game 0-0.
Senior RB Blair Hollis put the Eaglets on the scoreboard with a 13-yard run with five minutes to play in the first quarter, as junior K Sean Graham made one of his three PATs for a 7-0 lead. Senior WR Dustin Hess' 6-yard TD catch from CC sophomore QB Chris Cagle tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter. Then White plowed through with an 11-yard TD score in the third quarter to give OLSM a 13-7 lead about five minutes into the second half.
The Eaglets outgained the Shamrocks 366 to 128 in total offense.
Week 7:
OLSM 27 Detroit Jesuit 7 at Msgr. Milewski Field (6-1)
In the regular season's final home beneath sunny skies, the Eaglets fine-tuned their play for the postseason. Dionte Allen caught a 5-yard pass from QB Justin Siller in the second quarter and Siller had two 3-yard runs for touchdowns as St. Mary's beat Detroit Jesuit, 27-7. With the win, the Eaglets clinched a spot in the state playoffs.
With 1:13 left to play in the third quarter in the third quarter, Siller found Allen for the touchdown and a 21-7 Eaglets lead. That broke open a game that had been competitive for the Cubs. U-D tied the game at 7-7 when freshman QB Devin Gardner raced in on a 15-yard run on the keeper with 2:19 remaining in the first half. The Eaglets then drove up the field after the Cubs' touchdown and six plays later, Allen scored the go-ahead touchdown.
U-D kept the score tied in the first half primarily on the running of junior RB George Winn. Winn rushed for 65 yards on nine carries in the first half and finished with 82 yards on 17 carries. One big play for U-D came in the first quarter as DL Preston Reddick blocked Eaglet Andrew Jones' punt. The Cubs recovered the ball at the Eaglets' 15-yard line and two plays later, scored their only touchdown.
Junior RB Dominique White ran for 41 yards as St. Mary's used a collection of backs by design. Senior Blair Hollis scored on a 45-yard run with 2:10 to play in the first quarter to give OLSM a 7-0 lead on the Eaglets' third possession. OLSM got those seven points off a turnover as U-D fumbled on a first-and-10 from their own 45. Hollis had 116 yards on 18 carries, including a 29-yard run for a key first down and a 12-yard gain in the second half.
For the game, the Eaglets held the ball for 9 minutes longer than the Cubs, and twice as long in the second half.
Week 8:
Warren De La Salle 14 OLSM 7 at Warren Community Center (6-2)
Tough defense, a strong running attack, and accurate passing with an occasional deep throw tossed in. That's been the formula for many Eaglet victories in recent years. In the final regular season game before the Prep Bowl, however, the Pilots employed that same formula against the visiting Eaglets and came away with a 14-7 victory.
The win sent the Pilots into the Prep Bowl championship game and another shot at Birmingham Brother Rice, which defeated them the previous week. The loss meant the Eaglets will play in the Prep Bowl's wild card game, against either Novi Catholic Central or U-D Jesuit, teams St. Mary's had beaten earlier in the season.
St. Mary's finished 3-2 in the Catholic League Central Division.
A ball-control offense that controlled the clock, plus superior field position, were De La Salle's key advantages. Senior RB Jimmy Berezik ran for 121 yards on 29 carries to lead the Pilots' ground attack, while QB Brian Lewis was remarkably accurate, completing 12 of 13 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
When De La Salle scored the go-ahead touchdown, with 10:19 remaining in the game, the Pilots had run 49 plays from scrimmage and totaled 273 yards, while St. Mary's had run 27 plays, good for just 128 yards.
The Pilots set the tone on their opening possession, even though they didn't score. De La Salle marched from its 26 to the Eaglets' 12 before missing a 34-yard field goal. But the Pilots ran 16 plays from scrimmage, including a fake punt that kept the drive alive, pounded out five first downs and took 8:43 off the clock.
St. Mary's first play was promising, as RB Dominique White swept left and carried 35 yards to De La Salle's 45. But the Eaglets netted just 65 more rushing yards the rest of the game.
De La Salle scored on its second possession, mixing runs and short passes before Lewis capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to TE David Blackburn with 9:16 remaining in the half.
The Eaglets mounted their best drive of the night just before halftime. QB Justin Siller threw completions of seven and 10 yards to Dionte Allen, then hit Suave Lavallis for a 39-yard gain to De La Salle's nine. Three plays later, Siller snuck over from one yard out. Sean Graham's extra point tied the game at 7-7.
The third quarter was a defensive struggle until Berezik broke a 31-yard run on the final play of the period. Four plays into the final quarter, Lewis hit Don Fowler on a quick slant for an 11-yard TD pass.
With Siller operating from the shotgun, St. Mary's tried to battle back through the air. Midway through the fourth quarter he hit Allen with a 21-yard pass -- with Allen hanging on despite taking a ferocious hit -- to the Pilots' 45. But Siller's next pass was intercepted by De La Salle's Jimmy Martinez.
St. Mary's crossed midfield again on its final drive, as Siller scrambled 23 yards to De La Salle's 30. But Siller's scrambling success ended three plays later, when he was stopped five yards short of a first down on fourth-and-seven.
Siller finished 9-for-19 passing for 105 yards. Allen caught five for 50 yards. White was St. Mary's leading rusher, with 38 yards on six carries.
Week 9:
OLSM 28 Detroit Catholic Central 7 at Ford Field (Prep Bowl wildcard) (7-2)
It took the Eaglets most of the first quarter to get the offense untracked. A 75 yard punt return by sophomore Tayler Peruski put St. Mary's in the red zone with 38 second left in the quarter. Three plays later, with 11:54 left in the second, senior QB Justin Siller connected with senior RB Chris Mitchell on a 9-yard screen pass to open the scoring.
The Eaglet defense stopped Catholic Central with a 3-and-out series, and following runs by Siller and FB Blair Hollis, Mitchell took a 3rd down pitch from Siller and went 65 yards for St. Mary's second score with 7:18 left in the half.
St. Mary's threatened a third time before halftime. Siller connected with senior TE Pat Carroll on a post pattern for 18 yards and also ran for 17, but his second down pass from the Shamrock 24 was intercepted by Dustin Hess. The Eaglet defense held Catholic Central to another 3-and-out, and the half ended with St. Mary's stalled on their own 36.
The Eaglets took the second half kickoff and went 51 yards in 11 plays, taking 5:09 off the clock, but Sean Graham's field goal try from the Shamrock 8 was blocked.
The Shamrocks then mounted their best offensive drive of the game, going 76 yards in 14 plays, with QB Chris Cagle throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to WR Jared Morris to bring Catholic Central to within seven with 2:09 left in the third quarter.
After a touchback on the kickoff, St. Mary's drove the ball 80 yards in 13 plays, highlighted by a 46-yard completion from QB Siller to senior WR Taurian Washington. On second-and-goal from the Shamrock 1-yard line, FB Blair Hollis went airborne to score the Eaglets' third touchdown of the day.
At this point Catholic Central refused to roll over and quit, taking the ensuing kickoff with 9:54 left. After a sack by DE Jason Semmes and Blair Hollis and pass break-up by CB Dionte Allen, Shamrock QB Cagle completed a 30-yard pass on 4th down to WR Ryan Houska to the Eaglet 20-yard line to keep Catholic Central alive. The Eaglet defense bent but refused to break, getting another sack. But after a personal foul penalty gave the Shamrocks a first down on the Eaglet 12, the defense stepped up and stopped Catholic Central on two successive runs, setting up a third-and-6 from the St. Mary's 8. Catholic Central tried a bit of trickery, with Cagle handing off to RB Cory Ambie for a halfback-pass, but LB Steve Settimo intercepted the pass, returning it 95 yards for the game-sealing touchdown. It was the Eaglets' longest interception return for a touchdown since 1999.
DB Pat Carroll intercepted a Shamrock last-gasp pass at the Eaglet 39 and returned it to the Catholic Central 19 where junior QB Kris Morris ran out the clock.
Week 10:
OLSM 34 White Lake Lakeland 0 at Milewski Field (MHSAA Playoff) (8-2)
Neither rain nor snow nor the gloom of a muddy field could stay Orchard Lake St. Mary's from the swift completion of its appointed task Saturday, that task being a first-round football playoff victory. The game was played in rainy and windy conditions that turned St. Mary's home field into a muddy, slippy mess. Nevertheless, the Eaglets took good care of the football. While Lakeland lost five fumbles, St. Mary's did not turn the ball over once.
St. Mary's Milewski Field had a few puddles and plenty of mud when Saturday's game began, and the driving rain never let up all afternoon, except when it turned to sleet. But the field conditions didn't stop the Eaglets' runners, who carried 61 times for 215 yards. QB Justin Siller, who scored on runs of six and 10 yards, threw just seven times, completing three for 66 yards, including a 34-yard TD toss to WR Taurian Washington. But St. Mary's most impressive number was zero -- as in, zero turnovers.
Lakeland , meanwhile, managed a turnover-free first half Saturday but lost four fumbles in the third quarter and one more in the fourth. In the third quarter, the Eagles ran five plays from scrimmage, three of which resulted in lost fumbles. Lakeland also fumbled away a kickoff. St. Mary's, which led 14-0 at halftime, turned the third-quarter miscues into three touchdowns.
The Eaglets began their initial scoring drive with 4:55 left in the first quarter, and held the ball until 7:15 remained in the half. In between, St. Mary's ran 18 plays -- including 17 runs -- and ground out five first downs, with two of them coming via fourth down conversions.
Key plays included Dominique White's five-yard carry on fourth-and-two from Lakeland 's 21, plus Siller's 14-yard quarterback draw on fourth-and-nine from the 15. Two plays later, Blair Hollis ran two yards into the end zone. Sean Graham added the first of his four extra points for a 7-0 lead.
With 47 seconds left in the half, St. Mary's took possession on Lakeland 's 31 following a shanked, four-yard punt. Siller's 20-yard run set up his six-yard TD carry.
The Eaglets scored in the third quarter on Siller's second touchdown run, his TD toss to Washington and Ben Caplinger's one-yard touchdown carry. The Eaglets then substituted freely in the final quarter.
Siller led St. Mary's runners with 67 yards on 12 carries. White ran 12 times for 44 yards and Caplinger added 38 yards on six tries. Washington caught two passes for 39 yards.
The Eagles, who finished 6-4, gained 120 yards, all on the ground. Cody Leavenworth led Lakeland with 59 yards on 10 carries.
Week 11:
Walled Lake Central 35 OLSM 27 at Milewski Field (MHSAA Playoff) (8-3)
After losing to the Eaglets in the first round of the 2005 playoffs, the Vikings waited an entire year to return the favor and did, beating St. Mary's 35-27 in the district final. Walled Lake Central 's trio of Steve Robinson, Kevin Long, and Nick Lusk outplayed the much-heralded St. Mary's trio of Justin Siller (Purdue), Dionte Allen (Florida State), and Taurian Washington (Ohio State), combining for 219 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Vikings QBTorrey Stimson completed only 4 of 7 passes - but two were touchdown strikes to TE Jesse Caddell. The offensive line, however, was just as much a key to Central's victory as the running backs.
The Vikings (9-2) dominated the first half, outgaining the Eaglets, 176-62, on offense, and led 14-0 at halftime after a 71-yard touchdown run by Robinson and a 21-yard touchdown catch by Caddell.
In the third quarter, St. Mary's came back with two rushing touchdowns (2 yards and 15 yards) by RB Dominique White, cutting the Vikings' lead to 21-14. The Vikings scored on a 2-yard run by Long after St. Mary's had stopped Central, but was called for a roughing-the-punter penalty.
In the fourth quarter, St. Mary's looked to its passing offense. QB Siller threw two touchdown passes in the quarter -- to WR Suave LaVallis for 43 yards and to WR Dionte Allen for 8 yards -- to cut the lead to 35-27 with 2:42 remaining. The Eaglets got the ball back with 43 seconds left to try and tie the game. But the Viking defense forced St. Mary's to turn the ball over on downs to quell the comeback.
St. Mary's saw a season that started with sky-high expectation -- the Eaglets were ranked among the top-25 teams in the nation by Sports Illustrated -- end in disappointing fashion.
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