It’s all about paying attention to detail.
That was the message from Brandon varsity football coach Ron Gill to the Blackhawks in the wake of their 15-0 loss to visiting Millington in their Aug. 26 season opener.
Gill said taking care of such details is the difference between a program such as Millington, which has made the state playoffs 11 of the past 13 years, and Brandon’s program, which he said is trying to find their identity.
‘They won because they did the little things and you guys didn’t,? he said to the team in the postgame huddle on the Blackhawks? field. ‘It’s all about doing the little things every day.?
Afterward, Gill said the Blackhawks need to work on such things as being on time for practices and meetings, and taking care of all details.
‘They do the little things and that’s what we have to do,? he said. ‘We have to go back to work on Monday.?
The Blackhawks started out the game by recovering a Millington fumble on the opening possession of the game. However, Brandon was unable to capitalize and punted on their opening possession.
On their second possession, the Blackhawks were driving toward a potential touchdown, but a fourth down pass by Blackhawks senior quarterback Sean Montgomery, intended for senior wide receiver Nick Toreli, was intercepted by the Cardinals in the end zone.
The game remained scoreless until the latter half of the second quarter. The Cardinals intercepted a Montgomery pass with 4:37 remaining, and 41 seconds later, Millington quarterback Josh Tolbert hit wide receiver Adam Love for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Running back Nate Daniels rushed for the two-point conversion to give the Cardinals an 8-0 lead, which they would take into the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Blackhawks moved into scoring position, thanks to a 37-yard punt return by junior Andrew Hyde with 8:31 remaining in the third.
Hyde’s return landed the Blackhawks at the Millington 15-yard line. However, Brandon could not put the ball in the end zone, and a field goal attempt by sophomore Jacob Hardy went wide left.
Millington sealed the victory when Daniels scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 3:52 left in the third quarter.
The Blackhawks mounted one last scoring drive, keyed by a Montgomery pass to junior Alex Ruhle which landed the Blackhawks at the Millington 23 yard line with 7:48 left in the fourth.
However, Brandon was unable to convert a fourth-and-15 with 6:05 left in the fourth, and Millington wrapped up the win.
The Blackhawks were scheduled to visit LakeVille in a Sept. 1 contest, and their next game is Sept. 9, when they travel to Flint Metro League rival Lapeer East for a 7 p.m. matchup.
The Falcons, a member of the Genesee Area Conference, went 4-5 in the 2004 season, and lost 42-10 to Almont in their 2005 season opener on Aug. 26.
Meanwhile, Lapeer East is coming off a 9-2 season in 2004, and won the Flint Metro title with a 5-1 league record. Last season, the Eagles defeated the Blackhawks 42-17.
The Eagles advanced to the state playoffs last season, where they defeated league rival Linden 24-16 in first-round action before they were eliminated by St. John’s 31-21.