PONTIAC — Statistics can be misleading. For instance, when looking at total yardage, where Marysville outgained Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 390-328 in a Division 4 pre-district playoff game, it’d be hard to predict the Irish won 54-13.
Prep jumped to a 21-0 lead before the first quarter was over, and pulled away thanks to four second-half Vikings turnovers.
However that’s not to say it was all smooth sailing for the Irish. Early in the second quarter Marysville junior Dante Chrcek broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run, and the Vikings recovered the ensuing kickoff. They would march to the Irish 16-yard-line, but could not convert a fourth-down attempt.
“(The early deficit) was a shock to the system,” Marysville head coach Mark Caza said. “We were looking good there for a few minutes, but we just couldn’t punch it in to cut it to a 1-score game.”
The Irish responded with a 9-play, 84-yard drive that was capped by a Matthew Durkin touchdown pass to Patrick Anger that put in front 28-7, a lead the Irish would hold at halftime. Anger had two long end-around runs — 38 and 47 yards — in the second half that each set up an Irish touchdown.
Durkin had a good first half, throwing for 87 yards and two touchdowns while completing 5-of-8 passes. He also finished with 41 rushing yards in the game.
Senior running back Luke Adams powered the Irish running game, gaining 104 yards on 18 carries. He also scored three touchdowns.
“We ran the ball well,” Irish head coach Pat Fox said. “We controlled the line of scrimmage, and we have a kid who can run the ball well.”
Prep scored twice on defense — senior Graham Miller on a 50 yard fumble return and Jacob Pollack on a 30 yard interception return — and recovered another fumble on the Marysville 1-yard-line.
“Marysville is a very good running program,” Fox said. “They don’t throw the ball. That’s not what they do. It’s the same thing for us. If we have to throw the ball 20 times a game, that’s the kind of trouble we have, too.”
The Marysville (7-3) rushing attack was powerful throughout the game, amassing 273. Chrcek led the Vikings with 134 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries while senior Ryan Ellul had 99 yards on 17 carries.
Senior tight end Kyle Cook led Marysville in receiving with 70 yards on five catches.
Prep (8-2) will play at Richmond (9-1), which defeated Croswell-Lexington 27-21, in a district final on Friday.
“We’ll have to play better than we played tonight (if we want to win a district championship),” Fox said, “and we played pretty well tonight.”
MIPREPZONE.COM, October 30, 2015
http://www.miprepzone.com/oakland/results.asp?ID=17399