Wildcats pick apart Royals

The previous week, Royals football fans screamed for the Blissfield varsity  to pass.

At Onsted Friday, pass they did — successfully 10 of 19 tries, but four of those passes were intercepted and three of them led directly to touchdowns as the Wildcats claimed a 40-14 victory on home turf.

As the game began, the teams looked evenly matched. In Onsted’s starting series, Blissfield’s defense was all over the Wildcats, with senior Eric Diesing pulling down the quarterback Steven Spears  in the backfield  before Blissfield’s Garrick May started the interception tale with a pick on the sixth play of the game. However, the Royals failed to capitalize on the opportunity and gave up the ball on downs at the Ida 36, with a penalty that allowed Onsted to start first and five.

That series yielded no score, though, nor did a Blissfield series and the quarter ended with double goose eggs on the scoreboard and Onsted in possession.

It wouldn’t stay that way for long. Onsted’s senior Spears who had success with the quarterback keeper  throughout the night twisted like a wildcat for a first down in the second quarter’s first play and took his team from the Royal 28 to first-and-goal at the five. On a keeper, he swept to the left and scored at 10:43 in the second quarter. The kick was good; 7-0 Onsted.

Blissfield senior quarterback Eric Schmidt then came out throwing hitting Blake Haupricht for seven yards at the Royal 47, then May who took it to the Onsted 48. Schmidt targeted Haupricht again who had a nice run to the Onsted 43. A Schmidt bullet to Lucas Stange who ran right took the Royal cause to the Onsted 22.

The next pass try to Jordan Bateson was no good after defensive pressure forced him off balance downfield. A handoff to Haupricht took the Royals two yards closer, then a pass to a speeding May who moved Blissfield to the Onsted 12. Another pass to Haupricht took the ball to the four and set up three running attempts with Goetz spying a gap to run it in standing up for a 7-6 score. Schmidt’s hand-off to Haupright put Blissfield on top 8-7.

On the next Onsted series, the Wildcats ran a nice punt to the 50, then kept going to make it 13-8. A leaping Mitch Winkelman swatted the pass out of its path and prevented extra point.

On the second play of the next series, the tide’s turn began with Onsted’s first interception of a Schmidt pass which started Onsted off at the Blissfield 31. Seven plays later, Spears swept in for the final score of the first half making it 19-8 Onsted with 48 seconds to go. May broke up the pass try.

The Royals tried to pass their way to a pre-half score, but with five seconds on fourth-and-10 on the 49, Onsted’s defense blasted through the Blissfield line and nailed Schmidt in the backfield.

The second Onsted interception came on the first series of the second half at the Onsted 33 after Blissfield had marched it from their 35. Six downs later, Spears (three for nine) connected with tight end Zane Aebersold, and a kick through the uprights made it 26-8 at 6:39.

Blissfield came right back, led by a passing Schmidt  who, at second-and-14 in the second series, launched a beautiful 60-yard pass to a reaching May who tucked it in and scored at 4:43 in the third quarter. Onsted stopped Dalton Goetz who tried  to run it in for two.

The Blissfield defense spent a lot of time on the field that night as Onsted was in possession 30:59 minutes to the Royals’ 17.01. A big Onsted series of 15 plays including three fourth-down conversions resulted in a 32-14 score at 10:10 in the fourth, then 33-14 after a good kick.

On second-and-eight from their own 38 in Blissfield’s next series, the Wildcats intercepted their third pass of the night and scored three plays later running up the  middle for a score of 39-14 at 8:05 in the final quarter. Another boot through the uprights made it 40-14.

May made a nice catch as he nabbed the kickoff which almost went over his head. However, the fourth Onsted interception of the game came on the next play, but failed to yield another score in spite of converting another fourth down with 3:32 left on the clock.

Blissfield earned two first downs, but couldn’t score again as the buzzer sounded on their second loss of the year and left Onsted alone in second place in the LCAA.

Blissfield had nine first downs to Onsted’s 17; and 56 yards rushing to Onsted’s 256. Schmidt had 125 yards in the air, to Onsted’s 56. Haupricht was the leading Royal rusher with 22 yards on seven tries; followed by Dalton VasBinder with 17 yards on three carries. May received four times for 74 yards for the Royals and handled five kickoff returns to net 84 yards.

Winkelman led the defense with 15 tackles and eight assists, followed by Schmidt with six tackles and three assists, and VasBinder with five tackles and six assists.

The Royals will be at home Friday for homecoming against Erie Mason.