COLUMNIST PETER JAKEY: The road to Australia won?t be an easy one
What?s tougher than playing Whittemore-Prescott on the high school gridiron? Probably going on a bottle and can drive against the Boy Scouts. That?s what happened to Rogers City seniors Cody Rhode and Brandon Gorlewski over the weekend.
The two are trying to raise funds over the next six months so they can represent Michigan on a high school football team that will play in Australia. Gorlewski and Rhode had no idea the Boy Scouts had planned to have a bottle and can drive the same weekend they planned theirs. Gorlewski said they started to go door-to-door in the Brege Street area, in the south section of Rogers City, and were planning to proceed toward Fourth Street, but ran into a group of Scouts who had that area covered.
After checking in at the Boy Scouts VFW headquarters, Gorlewski and Rhode learned the Scouts had the entire town blanketed. The net ?can count? from the drive for ?Big G? and Cody was $100 apiece. That?s not bad, but it?s all they?ve been able to come up with so far, and it?s still a long way from the $3,200 each of them needs to raise over the next half a year. Their plane leaves for Australia June 13, so the clock is ticking.
Gorlewski said the first fundraiser was a disappointment, but he?s not deterred. The 6?3,? 300-pound former Huron lineman, who started most of his four years at RCHS, has a deep desire to suit up again. Of the seven all-conference senior selections from Rogers City, invited to represent Michigan on the Australia-bound squad, only Rhode and Gorlewski have decided to make the trip and have dedicated themselves to coming up with the money. ?It?s going to be tough,? said Rhode. The first bottle and can drive, won?t be their last. I encouraged them to conduct a drive the weekend after the Super Bowl. Gorlewski said they?ll be placing donation jars around town, and if needed, they?ll have a spaghetti dinner or car wash when it warms up.
The two already have been visiting local service organizations and are receiving a lot of help from friends and family. The 13-day trip to the land down under will include a stay in the Olympic village in Sydney, with games on the Gold Coast. All 50 states will be represented at the football exchange with only 25 athletes representing each state. Past participants in the Australia trip have included Arizona quarterback Jake Plummer and Green Bay running back Ahman Green. If you want the help the boys, call 734-3089 or 734-8653.
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I was happy to see the Posen basketball team win its game over Atlanta Tuesday, 56-50, especially after a disheartening loss to Hale last Friday. The Vikings had a five point lead against Hale with just under three minutes to play, but mistakes on both ends of the court in the closing minutes fueled a 10-2 run for the Eagles. Even with the break down, it was a good effort, and that was with players out with injuries and illness. So, it was nice to see Posen snap a three-game losing streak. They held on to the victory by making 14 of 20 free throws in the fourth quarter.
In the losing streak, the Vikes lost a nail-biter at Mio, came up short at home against Hillman, and let one slip away against Hale. I still think better days are ahead for Viking basketball fans in the next two months. Looking at the scores on the Channel 9& 10 scroll, I noticed Mio defeated Hillman in a close one. The T-Bolts also defeated rival Fairview, so they haven?t slipped from the ranks of teams to beat in the north, as some had expected before the season.
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Comeback Sunday was something to see. After the Jets blew out Indianapolis on Saturday and Green Bay couldn?t mount a comeback of any kind, I was hoping for some close games on Sunday, and it certainly didn?t start that way. Cleveland built a huge lead against Pittsburgh, in front of a stunned Steelers crowd, but the Steelers somehow managed to have all the breaks go their way in the end. It adds yet another chapter to a string of disappointing playoff losses for the Browns and their fans.
While trips to the playoffs have been few and far between the last 50 years for the Detroit Lions, and seeing what?s happened to Cleveland in the post-season, maybe being a Lions fans isn?t so bad after all. Remember the ?ice bowl? game, ?the fumble,? ?the drive,? and now the debacle at Heinz Field.
The Steelers comeback
The largest lead given up in the playoffs was Houston giving up 32 points against a Super Bowl-bound Buffalo Bills. The comebacks weren?t quite finished as the Red Wings were down 3-1 to Chicago later that night.
The Wings came up with one goal to make it 3-2, pulled the goal keeper with a minute left, and scored the tying goal to send the contest into overtime. Less two minutes into OT, the game was over, and the Wings had the win, 4-3.
