At the onset of Clarkston and Utica Eisenhower’s opening round MHSAA district playoff game on Oct. 28, each side of Swinehart field pulsed with school spirit as the loyal and fervent fans readied themselves for a closely contested battle between two of the top football programs in Division I.
By the end of the third quarter though, a 38-7 Clarkston lead cut chunks of blue and white from the home stands, creating noticeable pockets of grey. When the final whistle sounded, Clarkston basked in front of a sea of maize and gold, their fans cheering them on to the next hurdle in the MHSAA playoffs ? a rematch with Lake Orion in the district finals on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. on the Dragons home field.
Clarkston lost to Lake Orion 27-21 on Oct. 21 in double overtime. Because of that loss, the Wolves became the fourth seed in the district draw.
‘It was tough losing to Orion. Us seniors have all been playing together since we were in sixth grade. We knew our season wasn’t going to be over, so we had to do whatever it took against Eisenhower,? said senior Kyle Cummings, who rushed for three touchdowns in helping fill the void left in the Wolves lineup by an injury to senior Mike Kittle.
But Clarkston’s redemption song began against Eisenhower, the team which eliminated Clarkston 10-7 in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. Eisenhower also bested Clarkston 14-9 in the state semifinals in 1999 and defeated the Wolves 14-7 in the opening game of the 2001 season.
‘We figured it was going to be a three-point game, but I guess they figured differently,? said Eisenhower Coach Bob Lantzy.
And early on, Clarkston and Eisenhower seemed to be cruising for another knockdown, drag-out affair. As Bradley Bielaniec put the Eagles up 7-0 just three minutes into the game after Clarkston fumbled on their first possession.
‘My heart was in my throat a lot tonight. This is a huge win for our program,? said Clarkston Coach Kurt Richardson
The Wolves however responded with a 76-yard drive, culminating in a 20-yard field goal by Ryan Breen, who also converted five extra-points during the contest.
An interception by senior Brent Cox on Eisenhower’s first play from scrimmage following Breen’s field goal gave Clarkston the ball back at the Eisenhower 25-yard line. Six plays later senior Nick DeVault plunged up, over and through the defenders entangled at the goal line to give the Wolves a 10-7 with 1:12 left in the first quarter.
Though Clarkston did not have the good fortune to begin another drive in their opponents territory, field position played a major factor as the Wolves seized control of the game.
?(Breen) was so efficient, instead of kicking it into the end zone, they were kicking it high and into the corner and pinning us inside our own twenty,? said Lantzy.
Following DeVault’s score, Eisenhower’s next two drives began from the 12-yard line and ended in punts. The Wolves next two possessions, beginning from the 40 and 43-yard lines respectively, both ended in touchdowns.
‘We worked on our kickoff coverage all week long, because it hurt us (against Lake Orion). We just preached it and preached it and preached it and those kids did a great job,? Richardson said.
In retrospect, the play which signaled the beginning of the end for the Eagles was what fictional character Homer Simpson would dub a ‘crisi-tunity? ? a situation equal parts crisis and opportunity. There is no better description of Cummings? 6-yard touchdown scamper to give Clarkston a 17-7 lead with 8:08 left in the second quarter.
Originally, Cummings was to receive a pitch from junior quarterback Eric Ogg, run off tackle to the left side of Clarkston’s offensive line and finish in the end zone celebrating with teammates. While the end result was the same, the means changed dramatically when Ogg’s toss through the crisp air ended up behind Cummings. The ever-aware running back reacted quickly though and deftly reached back with his right hand, trapped the ball on his hip, and in a casually smooth yet distinct manner, reversed the field, found a vein of blocking along the right side and rode it to the corner of the end zone.
‘A couple (plays tonight) did not happen the way we drew them up … (Cummings) just free-lanced all the way on that one,? Richardson said.
While not as spectacular as Cummings? one-handed stab, Ogg rumbled 41-yards for a touchdown with 3:39 left in the half on Clarkston’s next drive to give the Wolves a commanding but not insurmountable 24-7 lead.
The good times continued for the Wolves in the second half as Clarkston ripped off a 75-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter, finishing with another improvisational, field-reversing, flourish by Cummings on an 18-yard run for a touchdown.
‘I made one cut, then (senior tackle) John Garcia had a pancake block. I just went off of his block and went the other way. Again, there was just great blocking the whole way, it made it pretty easy for me? said Cummings.
Clarkston finished the scoring in the game with 1:24 left in the third quarter after a 77-yard drive, which ended in Cummings? third and most conventional touchdown of the evening on a 3-yard run.
‘Our total advantage all year was team speed, especially on the defensive side of the ball, and all of a sudden we run into a team that equals us in size, maybe bigger, and has more speed than us. It was real tough out there,? said Lantzy.
Clarkston amassed 372 rushing yards on 50 attempts as a team. Individually, DeVault piled up 131 yards on 18 carries, Cummings finished with 55 yards on 10 carries, senior Steve McIsaac added 47 yards on 10 carries and Ogg etched out 97 yards on nine carries and threw for 83 yards, completing all six of his passing attempts.