Tigers run wild on Royals in first half

Entering Friday’s much anticipated game against Hudson, the number one team in the AP Division 7 rankings, the Blissfield Royals knew they were going to have to play a great game to remain undefeated.

There were a lot of things the Blissfield coaching staff wanted to see in Friday’s game -- a big defensive stop early in the game, ranking high on that list. Conversely, the staff didn’t want to see costly penalties at critical junctures. Unfortunately for the Royals, things did not go as hoped, and Hudson defeated the Royals, 22-12. (CLICK HERE FOR STATS)

Hudson (4-0, 2-0 LCAA) is the only unbeaten team in the LCAA. Blissfield (3-1, 1-1) lost its first game of the season.

Hudson carried a 22-6 lead into halftime.

“We just didn’t have an answer in the first half, and that’s when this game was won,” said Blissfield coach Ron Estes. “We had a bad half and some boneheaded plays by some young guys who tried hard and gave it their all. We just need more games under our belt. That’s not an excuse. It’s just what we’ve got to do.”

Anticipation was high for the game between the unbeaten teams. Last year, Hudson won 35-30 in a game with no punts. A defensive stop on the first series of the game would have been just what the doctor ordered for the Royals. Instead, Drew Milligan (181 yards, three TDs), Grant Benschoter (92 yards) and Camden McCaskey (68 yards) carried the Tigers 75 yards on seven rushes for an early 6-0 lead. McCaskey’s 30-yard rush moved Hudson into Blissfield territory. Hudson hid the ball all game long, keeping the Royals defense guessing. On Milligan’s 20-yard TD run, most of the Blissfield defense was caught chasing the runner without the ball.

The Royals answered with a long, effective drive that started at their own 34. Runs by Dalton Goetz, Eric Schmidt and Josh Knorr gave Blissfield a first down near midfield. After a penalty against Hudson, Goetz earned another first down with a hard run through the middle. A couple more rushes for Goetz gave Blissfield a first at the Hudson 29. Runs by Goetz and Knorr set up a 3^rd-and-1 at the Hudson 20. Schmidt dumped a short pass off to Jonathon McEwan, who found a little space and then fought his way down to the Hudson three. Goetz plowed up the middle for a TD on the next play and the game was tied at 6 with 2:52 left in the first quarter. Schmidt’s keeper on the two-point play came up short, as he was met by two hard-charging Tigers at the one-yard line.

The Tigers’ next drive began at their 37. On 3^rd-and-1, Benschoter slammed through Blissfield defense for a big game and first down at the Blissfield 46. Two plays later, on the first play of the second quarter, on 3^rd-and-4, the Royals looked like they had the Tigers by their tails. Milligan took the hand-off and two Royals missed a chance to tackle him behind scrimmage. A third Royal whiffed near the first down marker, and Milligan sprinted the rest of the way for a 40-yard TD. Milligan scored on the two-point play to give Hudson a 14-6 lead with 11:50 left in the first half.

The Royals didn’t have an answer this time. Runs by Knorr and Goetz set up a 3^rd-and-5. Schmidt’s pass to Noah Schultz was incomplete and the Royals were forced to punt from their 34. Schmidt booted a terrific punt, but Milligan returned it to the Blissfield 48. Hudson’s running attack looked poised to score again. On 2^nd-and-5, the Royals defense forced a fumble after a first-down run and Lucas Stange recovered the ball at the Blissfield 19.

But Hudson’s defense shut down the Royals again, and Blissfield punted from its 25. The Tigers took over at their 44 and began to march down the field with 5:18 to play in the half. The Hudson runners kept gaining four and five yards at time before McCaskey’s 10-yard run gave the Tigers a 1^st-and-goal at the Blissfield 8. On first town, Taylor Kuhn and Ean Sablich stopped the Hudson runner for no gain. On second down, Eric Diesing stopped the Hudson runner behind scrimmage. On third down, Schultz came up with a big play to stop Milligan for a one-yard gain. The Royals seemed poised for the big stop they’d been looking for. But an offside penalty against Blissfield shortened the Hudson field. On the next play, Milligan barely eluded Knorr and swept in for the TD. A pass to Matthew Smith on the two-point play made it 22-6 with just 23 seconds to play in the half.

“That was a tough one to give up,” Estes said.

The Royals tried to put up some points before halftime. They began at their 35. Passes to Devon Moore and Garrick May moved them to the Hudson 38 with 4.8 seconds left. And end zone try for Moore fell incomplete as the half expired.

Blissfield opened the second half with the ball but was immediately set back five yards with a penalty. A14-yard pass to McEwan and 10-yard run by Blake Haupricht set up a first down at the Blissfield 48. But on 4^th-and-2, Hudson stopped a Haupricht rush six inches short of the market and Hudson took over.

The Royals defense was much stingier in the second half. Hudson worked into Blissfield territory but the Royals slammed the door shut and Hudson punted

The Royals offense began at their 19 and earned first downs on runs by Haupricht and Schmidt. But after making it to the 46, penalties sent Blissfield backwards, and Blissfield punted from its 35. Schmidt lifted another beauty and Hudson started from its 19.  On first down, Milligan broke loose for a 56-yard run to the Blissfield 25. A run by McCaskey gave Hudson another first down at the Blissfield 14. Hudson looked sure to put the game away, but the Royals came up big. On first down, Coleman stopped Benschoter after a three-yard gain. On second down, Schultz took down James Williams for a two-yard loss. Zech Bostick and Mitch Winkelman teamed up to stop McCaskey behind scrimmage on third down. Josh Knorr came up with the stop on fourth down and the Royals.

Blissfield wasn’t able to turn the defensive stop into points, though. A 3^rd-and-5 pass by a scrambling Schmidt for Schultz fell incomplete and Blissfield bunted from its 198.

The defense came right back out on the field and stopped Hudson again, with the aid of a holding penalty. On 4^th down from their 35, Hudson punted. Returner Garrick May caught the ball, scrambled through a hole, bounced outside and then cut back to the middle for a big return to the Hudson 26. On the next play, Schmidt delivered a strike to Devon Moore over the middle for a 26-yard TD. Schmidt was forced out of bounds on the two-point play and the Royals were down 22-12 with 5:41 to play.

Hudson recovered the onside kick attempt and moved deep into Blissfield territory. Tackles by Coleman, Goetz, Winkelman and Stange ended the drive and Blissfield took over at their own 10 with 2:58 to play. Any slim hopes for a comeback were dashed by the Hudson defense. Blissfield went-three-and-out and punted from its 18 yard line. The Tigers ran down the clock and sealed the victory.

The tough loss did little to shake Estes’ faith in his team.

“Coming in, I liked us and thought we were a pretty good team. I don’t feel any differently,” said Estes.               

Blissfield hosts Ida (3-1, 1-1 LCAA) in the Hall of Fame game Friday.