Semis: OLSM vs. Dewitt

Fenton- Orchard Lake dismantled a previous undefeated Dewitt team, 44-27, to qualify for the Division 3 state finals, and a week 1 rematch against East Grand Rapids. 

Dewitt came in as the favorite primarily due to their undefeated record and high scoring offense.  But two costly first quarter turnovers and just being unable to handle the speed and upfront strength of O-Lake doomed the Panthers.

Dewitt fumbled the first snap from scrimmage, allowing O-Lake to kick a 32 yard field goal and take a 3-0 lead.  After forcing a three and out, O-Lake’s offense took the field and Penn State bound quarterback Robert Bolden drove his team down field as Earnest Thomas capped the drive with a one yard run. 

O-Lake took a commanding 16-0 lead on Dewitt’s next possession when Jimmy Williams tried to throw an out route and corner Gary Hunter jumped the route for a “pick 6”. 

St. Mary’s built their first half lead to 30-0 thanks to two touchdown passes from Bolden to Allen Robinson and Chris Vucinaj. 

Dewitt managed to score late in the second quarter, to save some hope heading into the half, when Williams hit Joel Stiffler on a 66 yard post route. 

Dewitt started to gain some momentum in the second half by cutting the lead to 30-13 on a 13 yard touchdown pass from Williams to Jordan Johnson. 

But any hope the Panthers had was erased on O-Lake’s following drive.  Facing a 4^th-and-4, Bolden bootlegged left and it seemed like he was going to be tackled for a loss, however he outraced three to-be-tacklers, picked up the first down, then cut in to stay in bounds, and raced 24 yards for a touchdown and a 37-13 lead.

Player of Game: Robert Bolden, OLSM- Bolden had a heck of a game by making plays with both his legs and arm.  His accuracy was on point in this game and he made some tough throws.  Every time, and I mean every time, Dewitt tried to rally Bolden made a big time play that left Dewitt and their crowd just stunned.  Bolden ran for 78 yards and a TD while throwing for 150 yards and three more scores. 

Other Notable performances (In Alpha Order)

O-Lake defensive line- the hogs up front brought pressure that I don’t think Dewitt has seen all year.  They owned the trenches by taking away the Dewitt run game and getting pressure on Williams.  They tallied 6 sacks including one which should have been a safety, but Williams was called down at the inch line. 

Paul Jorgensen, Dewitt- the Northwestern commit finished with 8 tackles, two for loss.  He was solid on both sides of the ball, and I can see him play either side of the ball in the Big 10. 

Allen Robinson, OLSM- It’s obvious that Robinson is still learning the X’s and O’s and reads of football, but he’s a pretty talented athlete with D-1 skills.  He just beat his defender down the sideline and went up and made a nice grab while being able to keep his footing on the 80 yard score.  He also chipped in with some open field tackles from his safety position.  Finished with over 100 yards receiving. 

James Ross, OLSM- the sophomore LB is going to be the next high major recruit at O-Lake.  Even with Thomas on the field, Ross may be their best defensive player now.  He has the whole package of speed and toughness to go with his 6-0/2-3 pound frame.   

Earnest Thomas, OLSM- Thomas got 10 touches and ran for 50 yards but the UCLA bound LB makes his mark on defense.  He speed allows him to excel at both pass coverage and stepping up and stopping the run. 

Jimmy Williams, Dewitt- I liked his arm strength and accuracy. Only problem is everyone knew he had to drop back and throw once his team got down, and that allowed O-Lake to bring the pressure, but he was still able to connect on 14 of 26 passes for 240 yards and 4 TDs.