It was a disappointing end for the Goodrich varsity football team in their Sept. 23 Homecoming game against Lake Fenton.
The Blue Devils? Scott Hooks ran for a three-yard touchdown on fourth down in overtime to give Lake Fenton a 21-14 victory against the Martians in Genesee Area Conference Red Division action.
Lake Fenton improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the GAC Red, while Goodrich dropped to 1-4 and 1-2.
After the teams ended regulation tied at 14, Goodrich won the overtime coin toss and deferred to Lake Fenton, which got the ball on the Goodrich 10-yard line with four downs to score.
The Martians had a chance to tie the game, but Goodrich running back Paul Burt fumbled on the Martians? first play of overtime, and the Blue Devils recovered for the win.
Goodrich raced off to a quick start against the Blue Devils. The Martians scored first when Burt ran 33 yards for a touchdown with 8:32 left in the first period. Jessica Engler’s extra point conversion gave the Martians a 7-0 lead.
Less than a minute later, the Martians capitalized on a Lake Fenton miscue. Senior Joel Calverley intercepted a pass by Lake Fenton quarterback Connor O’Reilly and raced 28 yards down the Goodrich sideline for a touchdown. Engler’s extra point increased Goodrich’s lead to 14-0.
However, the Blue Devils came back in the second quarter, as they capitalized on a Goodrich mistake. On a Goodrich punt, the ball sailed past punter Dusty Bourassa. An ensuing unsportsmanlike conduct penalty gave Lake Fenton the ball on the Goodrich 14-yard line.
O’Reilly then threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to tight end Blake Crider with 7:24 left in the second. Nick Edling’s point-after conversion trimmed the Martians? lead to 14-7.
The Blue Devils then scored another touchdown just before the half, as running back Tony Wallace scored on a nine-yard touchdown run. The successful point-after kick by Edling tied the game at 14 heading into halftime.
Both teams were unable to put any more points on the board in the second half, although Lake Fenton’s O’Reilly threw an apparent 18-yard touchdown pass to Crider toward the end of the third quarter. That touchdown, however, was called back due to an offensive pass interference penalty against Lake Fenton.
Burt led the Martians in rushing with 82 yards on 17 carries. Defensively, Josh Johns had 18 tackles for Goodrich, while Bennett Gillam added 17.
The Martians were scheduled to travel to Mt. Morris for a Sept. 30 contest. The Panthers are currently 2-3 overall and 1-0 in Genesee Area Conference Red Division action after a 20-7 win against Memphis in a nonleague matchup Sept. 23.
Goodrich’s next game is Oct. 7, when the Martians host LakeVille. The Falcons are currently 0-5 overall and 0-2 in GAC Red action after a 35-13 loss to Durand Sept. 23.
The Martians have dominated LakeVille in the past three seasons, winning 61-14 last season, 44-7 in 2003, and 33-7 in 2002.