Yale football shocks Armada in dramatic BWAC opener
YALE — This wasn't a step forward for the Yale football team. It was more like a leap.
The Bulldogs used a late rally to stun Armada, 34-28, at Yale Park on Friday.
Quarterback Connor Jakubiak had five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) for Yale, which improved to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the BWAC. Zac Dykes ran for two scores to lead the Tigers (1-1, 0-1).
"You've got to give all the compliments to our kids," Yale coach Garrett Grundman said. "They were so poised and just cool as cucumbers. They went out and played some hard-nosed football. We've got to compliment Armada for making some great adjustments defensively. That's a great football team. We're just so doggone excited."
High school football: What we learned from Week 2 in the Blue Water Area
High school football: One player to watch from every team in the Blue Water Area
The Bulldogs stormed out to a 21-6 lead in the first 15 minutes, but Armada, the defending conference champion, mounted a comeback and scored the next 22 points.
A 1-yard touchdown run from Dykes gave the Tigers their first lead with nine minutes left to play. Following a successful point-after attempt, Yale found itself in a 28-21 hole.
The Bulldogs answered with a short touchdown run by Jakubiak with 2:20 left, but the game-tying kick was blocked.
Yale recovered the subsequent onside kick, and two minutes later came the game-winning play.
On fourth-and-13, Jakubiak threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Griffith with 19 seconds left. It was another clutch moment orchestrated by the Bulldogs' senior quarterback.
"(Jakubiak) has flown under the radar for a couple of years now," Grundman said. "I've been fortunate enough to have him. This is his third year at quarterback and he's stepped in and been an amazing leader. He's a great kid who does everything right. I'm just so happy for him because he deserves it."
Yale snapped a four-game losing streak to Armada. The Bulldogs are also 2-0 for the first time since 2017. Still, Grundman knows their work is just beginning.
"We're such a focused team, week-by-week, that it doesn't matter how we start," Grundman said. "We have to go week in and week out and prove ourselves. These kids have 100% bought into that theme. It's been a breath of fresh air to watch them work their tails off and for it to pay dividends."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Yale football shocks Armada in dramatic BWAC opener
