Week 1 Friday Region football roundup: Who grabbed opening victories?
GROSSE ILE – It was a strange starting time and a strange atmosphere.
But none of that seemed to bother Ida’s football team as it opened the 2023 season with a 41-7 rout of Grosse Ile on Friday afternoon.
“The kids did a good job of focusing on the job at hand,” Ida coach Jeff Potter said. “We’ve been preaching to them to make sure they are ready to go.”
That was tough to do: The game was originally scheduled for Thursday night, but was moved to Friday. Then, kickoff was moved up three hours because Grosse Ile High School didn’t have power.
That meant there was no clock, scoreboard or public address system. Fans were occasionally informed of the time remaining by a portable microphone and speaker.
“It was a crazy day,” Potter said.
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Ida had the advantage of having all five starters on the offensive line back from last season along with an outstanding group of tight ends.
Jackson Wertenberger, Alex Giarmo, Cam Satkowski, Jeremiah Hoffman, Chris Galloway, AJ Sivil, Kaden Gerth and Logan Czlapinski imposed their will on the game.
Ida had 11 backs combine for 435 rushing yards, averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
“They do a good job up front,” Potter said of his offensive line. “Everyone meshed well.”
Potter said the biggest play of the game was a 68-yard touchdown run by Trevor Konieczny in the second quarter.
"That opened the floodgates," Potter said.
Konieczny led Ida’s rushing attack with 109 yards on just 8 attempts.
Dean Thomas ran for touchdowns of 1 and 13 yards and Gavin Albring scored on a 6-yard run and a 25-yard pass from Owen Snyder. Wyatt Dirkmatt wrapped up the scoring for Ida with a 9-yard run in the third quarter.
Thomas intercepted two passes and Albring one. Dylan Jarrett recovered a fumble.
Summerfield 14, Waterford Our Lady 7
WATERFORD – New Summerfield coach Dylan Szegedi feared his team had given a game away.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over on downs inside the 5-yard line and fumbled away two other promising opportunities Friday. They found themselves trailing 7-6 with 2:50 left in the game.
One play changed the outlook of the rookie head coach.
Tyler Defoe got loose behind defense and quarterback Trace Secor hit him in stride for a 65-yard touchdown.
“It was a great throw and a great catch,” Szegedi said. “My heart was definitely pumping on that one.”
And it was great for Szegedi to see his players deliver with the game on the line.
“We preach mental toughness all the time,” Szegedi said. “It worked out this time that we were mentally tough.”
It was the second time in the game that Defoe and Secor hooked up for a long TD. The duo produced a 55-yard TD in the first quarter. They also connected for a 2-point conversion following the go-ahead score.
“It was definitely touch and go,” Szegedi said. “I felt like we played pretty well early. We moved the ball, but turned it over inside the five and had two turnovers that held us back.”
Defensive end Brendon Myshock led the defense with 9 tackles, a sack and a pass deflection. Safety Eli VanHuysen added 8 tackles and 2 sacks. Jake Wadsworth had a strong game on both sides of the ball.
“This is one to remember. That’s for sure,” Szegedi said.
Milan 7, Ypsilanti Lincoln 3
WILLIS – Lukas Linzell ran 3 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter and Milan’s defense made it stand up. The Big Reds trailed 3-0 at halftime.
Lincoln blocked a punt with about four minutes left and moved the ball just inside the Milan 10 with a first-and-goal.
The defense allowed nothing on the first three downs, then pulled down the Lincoln quarterback on a scramble at the 3 to get the ball back with 1:25 remaining.
“Those plays were nerve wracking, but we were aggressive on defense,” Milan coach Jesse Hoskins said.
Linzell was a defensive standout.
“Linzell was a guided missile all game,” Hoskins said. “He had multiple tackles for loss. He was very disruptive.”
William Gaskell V and first-year starters Gavin Mick also stood out on defense. Chris Bergeron and Linzell recovered fumbles.
“A lot of guys on defense made big plays,” Hoskins said.
Canton 35, Bedford 17
TEMPERANCE – Bedford scored a pair of second-half touchdowns, but could not recover from a slow start.
The Mules trailed 28-3 at halftime.
“It was a tough day,” Bedford coach John Phillips said. “We made mistakes and missed some tackles.”
The Mules were better in the second half as Brandon Rozek and Drew Logsdon scored on short runs. Jack Decker kicked a 37-yard field goal and a pair of PATs.
“We definitely improved in the second half,” Phillips said. “Guys stepped up and worked really hard. I’m glad to see them kept in the fight.”
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe-area high school football: Ida, Summerfield, Milan win
