Main takeaways from Onaway football’s road victory at Pellston

PELLSTON – It was Homecoming in Pellston, but the Onaway Cardinals wanted to play spoiler.

On Saturday, that’s exactly what the Cardinals did as they rolled to a 47-18 victory over the Hornets at Sam McClutchey Field.

Fueled by big offensive plays, solid defense and several players stepping up, the Cardinals ended a three-game losing streak with a strong performance.

Here's some takeaways from Onaway’s triumph over the Hornets on the road.

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Seniors lead way with huge plays

It was a special afternoon for many of Onaway’s seniors, especially Brendon Brewbaker, who not too long ago suffered a neck injury that kept him out for a few weeks.

Against the Hornets, Brewbaker scored four total touchdowns – including a pair of receiving scores – to fuel the Cardinals (4-4, 2-3 Ski Valley 8-Player Conference). After intercepting a Pellston pass, Brewbaker used his blazing speed to get loose and scamper 78 yards for a TD that put the Cardinals up 6-0 early in the first. Brewbaker scored again on a 45-yard run in the second quarter and added a 6-yard receiving TD for the Cardinals, who led 26-12 at the break.

Onaway’s other senior leaders – Justin Kramer-St. Germain and Jackson Chaskey – made their presence known as well, as Kramer-St. Germain had a big defensive game and scored a 6-yard TD run. Chaskey finished with a 73-yard TD run and two TD tosses to Brewbaker.

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Missed opportunities, mistakes plague Hornets

The Hornets also made big plays, but they were undone by mistakes and lack of execution. The Hornets (1-7, 1-4) turned the ball over twice in the first quarter and mishandled a kickoff to start the second half, which gave the ball to the Cardinals, who went on a quick TD drive and went up 33-12.

Pellston’s big plays included an 11-yard TD pass from senior quarterback Jack Schmalzried to senior Jack Lane to get the Hornets to within 12-6 in the second quarter. Schmalzried connected on a 28-yard TD pass to junior Brach Taylor to cut Pellston’s deficit to 26-12 right before halftime. Taylor later hit Schmalzried with an 11-yard pass for a TD in the fourth, but it wasn't enough.

The Hornets had chances to hurt the Cardinals with trick plays, but they weren’t able to execute each time. If the Hornets converted those, the dynamic of the contest might have changed.

“(Onaway) really hit us on some big plays, and those turnovers definitely hurt,” Pellston coach Vince DeAgostino said. “We’ve got to get a little better with our physicality with our younger guys as they grow older and go through the bumps and bruises that we’ve had this year. We’ve played a heck of a schedule, but they’re going to learn from it and keep getting better.”

Defense fuels Cardinals in second half

Other than a late TD allowed to the Hornets in the fourth, the Onaway defense was stellar and had its way against a Pellston offense with playmakers.

Because of Onaway’s defensive discipline and ability to blow up plays, the Hornets had trouble moving the ball in the second half. The Cardinals pitched a shutout before Schmalzried’s TD catch.

“I thought our defense was phenomenal,” Onaway coach Eddy Szymoniak said. “They played physical, they played tough. We just knew that if we could put the pressure on, they were going to struggle with it. I thought our guys up front and our linebackers – Justin Kramer (St. Germian) obviously leads us every night on defense. It’s like having a coach out there. I’m not sure how many sacks Lelin Splan had, but he has been an animal at defensive end and broke the sack record. Darin Wolgast played the game of his life. He dominated at the defensive end spot, so that was nice to see.

“Our guys really stepped it up.”

Schmalzried crowned Pellston Homecoming king

Schmalzried was honored at halftime when he was crowned Pellston’s Homecoming King. Schmalzried joined fellow senior Caroline Crenshaw, who was named Homecoming Queen.

Schmalzried finished the game with two TD tosses and a reception for a score to lead the Hornets.

Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Onaway football rolls to big victory over Ski Valley foe Pellston