Hurons host Newberry in playoff game Friday
by Richard Lamb–Advance Editor
It is on to the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Division 1, eight-player playoffs for the undefeated and untied Rogers City Hurons. The Hurons come into the playoffs with the third-highest playoff point total at 37.333. The foe is a familiar one in Newberry (8-1, 33.681 playoff points) whose only loss in 2022 came to undefeated Munising, 14-0, in week two.
The Indians have won five of their last six games by shutouts, with Pickford the only team in the string with a winning record. They defeated three teams with winning records: Rudyard 6-3 (38-31); Cedarville 5-4 (44-14); and Pickford 6-3 (41-0).
Last season, Newberry derailed the Hurons’ undefeated season with a 44-36 win at Gilpin Memorial Field. In that game, the Indians gained 293 yards through the air and another 183 on the ground compared to the Hurons’ 196 rushing and 89 passing yards.
Newberry then went on to defeat Pickford in the first round of the 2022 playoffs before losing to Rudyard in the regional final. Newberry has made the playoffs each of the past three years in eight-player football.
The winner of Friday’s game will face the winner of the Norway (6-3, 30.583) vs. Munising (9-0, 37.833, the highest playoff point total in Division 1) either Nov. 4 or Nov. 5. That winner will face the winner of a regional that includes Inland Lakes (6-3, 31.000) facing Merrill (9-0, 37.000) and Fulton (7-2, 31.444) vs. Breckenridge (7-2, 31.444).
LAST WEEK, Rogers City came from behind and then blitzed to a 58-16 win at Hillman (3-6). The Tigers marched through the heart of the Rogers City defense on a 67-yard drive that ate up the first six minutes of the game. They completed just one pass on the 10-play drive, an 18-yard touchdown pass, followed by a two-point conversion run to lead 8-0 with 6:13 left in the first quarter.
A failed fourth-down play on the ensuing drive for the Hurons gave the Tigers the ball back. Two plays later, a quarterback sneak up the middle resulted in a 64-yard touchdown run and Hillman was up 16-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Hillman got the ball back on a fumble and moved into Rogers City territory on a 34-yard run up the middle. That drive stalled on downs at the Hurons’ 42.
That would be all the scoring for the Tigers as the Hurons scored the game’s next 58 points.
“We made some small adjustments. It was a little bit of shell shock at first but then we know we are a second-half team and we made adjustments. We almost tied it up at halftime. We were not letting this one get away,” said Rogers City coach Jesse Fenstermaker.
Following a 7-yard run by senior quarterback Spencer Whitford, senior running back Hayden Hentkowski darted 52 yards for the score. Isaac Paull added the two-point conversion and the Hurons were on the board for the first time at the 5:15 mark of the second quarter.
A DAZZLING 56-yard pass from Whitford to Hentkowski came with 43 seconds left in the first half. Hentkowski shook off a defender after making the catch on the right sideline, left two defenders grasping for air and sped around to his left for the score. Hillman led 16-14 at the half.
Hentkowski scored his third touchdown of the game on a 36-yard burst around the left side on the second play of the third quarter. Whitford’s two-point run gave the Hurons a 22-16 lead.
“Every play seems like a big play for this group. We can score in 10 seconds or we can score in five seconds,” coach Fenstermaker said.
An 18-yard pass from Whitford to Jaymison Fleming increased the lead to 28-16 with 7:38 left in the third quarter.
Paull scored on the next Hurons’ possession, finding the end zone on a 41-yard run. Whitford passed to Fleming for the two-pointer and Rogers City led 36-16 with 5:59 left in the third quarter.
A Hillman drive ended with an interception by Josh Altman and the Hurons took over at their own 12. A Whitford to Fleming 20-yard pass and a Whitford to Mason Bowden pass gave Rogers City a 44-16 lead with 10:15 left in the fourth quarter.
Fleming recovered a Hillman fumble on the kickoff and the Hurons were in business at the Hillman 30. Three plays into the drive, Hentkowski took a direct snap from senior center Gus Bellmore and sprinted 16 yards around the left side for his fourth touchdown of the game. Rogers City now led 52-16 with 8:48 left in the game.
HENTKOWSKI, IN at left cornerback, ended a Hillman drive by taking the ball away from a Tiger receiver for an interception at the Rogers City 21. That set up the next score as Paull went 45 yards for the final touchdown with 3:41 left in the game.
Rogers City never punted in the game.
Paull led the rushing attack with 174 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns. Hentkowski had 137 yards on 11 carries with three rushing touchdowns. He caught two passes for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Whitford rushed for 8 yards on three carries and completed four-of-six passes for 130 yards and three touchdowns.
Austin Fenstermaker rushed four times for 46 yards and Fleming caught two passes, both good for touchdowns and 38 yards.
Dylan LeFleche had 16 tackles, Fleming had six tackles and Mason Bowden had four tackles.
Hillman had 43 rushing plays for 275 yards and they had 35 yards passing, completing three-of-10 passes with a touchdown and two interceptions.
“EFFORT IS unbelievable with these guys. They never give up. They pick each other up and keep going, that is what we talk about all year long. Just pick each other up and keep going, no matter what happens, we can always get right back into it with a big play,” said the coach.
The game will be broadcast on 99.9-FM The Wave with Karl Grambau and Karl Momrik calling the action. Erik Nadolsky will be the public address announcer for the playoff game.
Tickets may be purchased at GoFan.com. https://gofan.co/app/school/MI10366?fbclid=IwAR2eBsdc99Zi3wjWN2CvwrzLI41iRr7QtHgCxXGCmU8ax94xpnpHGKABfpI
Tickets, priced at $7, will also be on sale at the gate. No season passes issued by the high school will be accepted since this is a MHSAA event and not a locally-sponsored game. The back gate will be open to handle admissions to the game.