Portagers
pick up first win of season
Manistee News Advocate Staff Report
Published: Saturday, September 11, 2010
COLEMAN — Onekama fended off a
fourth-quarter rally for their first win of the season Friday,
holding on for a 22-20 win over Coleman.
“It was a barn burner,” Portagers coach Jim Hunter said of the
contest. “We found some different ways to score.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Onekama jumped out to a 16-0 lead,
with scores coming from the defensive and offensive units.
At 11:47 in the second quarter, defensive tackle Raul Torres scooped
up a Comet fumble and returned it 35 yards for the game’s first
score. Quarterback Rease Heiler punched in the 2-point conversion
for the 8-0 lead. Then it was the offense's turn.
At 5:32 before halftime, Heiler threw
an 18-yard touchdown pass to Skyler Kimpel before tossing in two
points to Adrian Norman for the 16-0 mark.
|
Coleman answered back with a 44-yard passing
score to cut into the Portager lead, 16-8, before the break.
The Portagers opened the scoring in the third quarter with a Tyler
Fogarty rush from within the 10-yard line, which was set up by a long
punt return by Quinn Matthews.
However, after that, Onekama struggled offensively.
The Portagers took a 22-8 lead into the fourth, but watched it dwindle
as the Comets scored on an 8-yard run and an 8-yard touchdown pass.
However, after failing on both 2-point conversions, Coleman didn’t have
enough for a successful comeback.
“The defense really did the job,” Hunter said of his team. “They could
have tied with the 2-point conversions. (Those) make the difference in
close games. It was a fun one to watch.”
Overall for the Portagers, Matthews ran for 106 yards on 17 carries
while Fogarty rushed for a touchdown and 39 yards on 17 carries. Fogarty
also led the team in tackles with 15.
Heiler was 3-for-9 passing with 39 yards, an interception and a
touchdown. |
