Royals Run Over Sand Creek

SAND CREEK -- A young Blissfield team thoroughly answered any questions anyone might have had about its readiness for the 2010 varsity football season as the Royals downed the Aggies 22-6 Friday at Sand Creek.

Running behind an offensive line that featured three and sometimes four sophomores, the Royals pounded out 362 rushing yards. Senior Dalton Goetz led the way with 192 rushing yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. Senior Eric Schmidt rushed for 76 yards on 11 carries and junior Josh Knorr rushed nine times for 56 yards. Schmidt also threw a touchdown strike to Knorr.

Three sophomores, Thomas Jackson, Grayson Strouse and Zech Bostick, joined seniors Taylor Kuhn and Eric Diesing on the offensive line. At times, sophomore TE Jordan Willson joined the young group up front.

Schmidt and Goetz credited the work of the offensive line – especially the young guys.

“We started slowly but surely and built more confidence. We started hitting plays and hitting them hard. The more and more good plays we hit, the better we did,” said Goetz. “I think our young guys had some first-game jitters. Once they got them out, they were great. They did an amazing job. They were just blowing people up by the end of the game. Winning this game is even bigger for them, because now they know that everything they’ve working for gets paid off in the end.”

Early in the game, the Royals struggled to manufacture offense. Blissfield’s first two drives netted 18 total yards.

Sand Creek’s second drive started with great field position after a good punt return and a penalty for a late hit. Sand Creek had a first down at the Blissfield 18 but went backwards after a fumbled snap. On fourth and 15 from the 23, Lucas Rains pass to the slot receiver was picked off by Knorr.

“I read his eyes and saw he was going for the slotting receiver. I just jumped up and picked it off,” said Knorr.

Blissfield began to have success moving the ball on its next drive. The Royals used an effective running game to push the ball to the Sand Creek 28. But the drive stalled with a couple incomplete passes and then a false start penalty. On 4^th-and-14 from the Sand Creek 34, Schmidt punted. But it was blocked by John Mehan and returned 60 yards for a touchdown by Chad Gauss for a 6-0 lead with 9:17 to play in the half. The extra point attempt was blocked by Bostick.

The Royals weren’t fazed. Goetz put the team on his shoulder pads and carried the Royals 80 yards on four carries, including a nine-yard sweep for a touchdown to tie it up. Schmidt converted the two-point attempt with a keeper and Blissfield led 8-6.

Blissfield took the slim lead into the second half.              

Sand Creek’s first possession came to an end when Jacob Coleman stuffed a 3-and-1 run. The Royals moved the ball into Sand Creek territory but a 4^th-and-9 pass play to Knorr came up inches short and Sand Creek took over at their 36. The Royals came up with one of its best defensive series of the game. First Noah Schultz tackled a runner for a one-yard loss. Then Jordan Bateson wrapped up a receiver after a catch for a small gain. Then Coleman and a pride of Royals got to Rains for a sack. Sand Creek punted from its 14 and Blissfield took over at the 38. Another false start penalty jeopardized the drive, buy Knorr had a five-yard run on third down and then Schmidt gained eight yards on 4^th-and-2 to keep it alive. After runs by Goetz and Schmidt, Blissfield had a 1^st-and-goal at the 10. On 2^nd-and-9, Schmidt rolled out to his right and found Knorr open at about the four-yard-line. Knorr caught it and forced his way into the end zone for six points. Schmidt’s run for two-points was successful and Blissfield led 16-6 with 42 seconds left in the third quarter.

With time running out and a ground game that couldn’t gain any yards against a tough Blissfield defense, Sand Creek went to the air. Rains completed three passes to Clites to move Sand Creek over midfield, but early in the fourth quarter, Rains’ pass went through the hands of a receiver and was intercepted by a leaping Jonathon McEwan. Blissfield took over at its own 36. After a nine-yard pickup by Goetz, Blissfield took two false start penalties. Then two passes fell incomplete and Schmidt punted the ball away.

Sand Creek went three-and-out and punted. The Royals started at their own 33. Knorr gained 12 yards to move the Royals out to midfield. Then Goetz found a big hole and busted to the sideline. He sprinted 46 yards before being tackled from behind at the Sand Creek 9. Ean Sablich plowed ahead for another four yards and then Goetz scored on a sweep to make it 22-6 with 5:56 to play. Riley Creps’ extra point boot was short.

Coach Ron Estes assessed the team’s performance after the game.

                “I thought we played hard, but at times, not too smart. We had way too many penalties,” Estes said.

He was especially impressed with the way the defense executed.

“It was assignment football. You have to be disciplined when a team is running the option. There are three guys who could carry it and I thought we did well with it.”

Estes, too, was impressed by the work of his big young guys on the offensive line.

“They did a really good job and this win is going to give them confidence. You can’t state the importance of that,” he said.

Schmidt also praised the work of the young guys on the offensive line.

“I am so proud of those guys. They’ve been working hard for three weeks leading up to this and busting their butts in camp and practice, so it is great that this turned out this way for them,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt also had good words about the play of his featured running back.

“Dalton is a workhorse. He’s such a hard runner. You give him the ball and he makes the yards,” Schmidt said.

Goetz and Schmidt both said that the Royals superior physical conditioning won out as the game went on.

“In the second half, you could see they were bending over between plays and we were still standing straight up,” Schmidt said. “We definitely had the physical battle won.”