Division 7 - Gladiators Slay Bearcats
Traverse City St. Francis 41 Ubly 13
Traverse City St. Francis kicked off to Ubly and quarterback Jordan Kaufman returned it 21 yards. Then he took his offense to work and pushed the ball to midfield before they faced a third and 2. On that third down play, Kaufman handed to Justin Cleary for the first down. Ubly was using a lot of misdirection and running from the T formation. Unfortunately, Ubly fumbled the ball on the 25 and it was recovered by Gladiator. Then Ryan Farley took over and got the Gladiators to the other side of the 50 on a few plays. Matthew Benson caught a pass and fumbled it, but it took a friendly bounce and he regained control. Finally, on first and two from the two yard line, Farley pushed the ball into the end zone. It was obvious from the get-go that TCSF is a well coached team as they were methodical in their 11 play, 75 yard drive to the goal. Kaufman took over gain and picked up 18 yards on their first play of the second Bearcat drive. On fourth down, Kaufman threw an interception to Jack Gallagher.
The second quarter began with St. Francis having the ball on their 48. Two plays later, Ben Swan took the ball over the left tackle and bused one 47 yards for a second score. The extra point failed. Both teams traded punts next. St. Francis’ Joe Kerridge had a very impressive kick, 64 yards before it slowly rolled over the goal line. Ubly’s Alex Peruski then ripped off a 22 yard dash. On third and three, Kaufman picked up a nice six yard gain to get the first down. I think it angered Bullough because he made a crunching hit on the next play and got into it. Kaufman threw his first interception and it was returned to the Bearcat 42. Quarterback Corey Williams hit Matt Benson for a 34 yard touchdown, putting TCSF up 19-0. Mr. Everything Max Bullough caught the two point conversion in the back corner of the end zone with a defender on him. After yet another punt by Ubly, some of their coaches were visibly frustrated. Williams tossed another touchdown, this time it went for 58 yards to Farley. With less than two minutes before halftime, St. Francis was up 28-0.
Both teams drove some but were stopped by the defenses through most of the third quarter. They traded punts but didn’t allow much on offense. Late in the third quarter, Jordan Kaufman got his game going. He ripped off a 65 yard rush, making a few defenders miss and turning them backward along the way. Facing a fourth and one, the Gladiators’ Kerridge picked up four yards and a first. The offensive line of TCSF is playing much better than the defensive line of Ubly. You can see the Bearcat plays trying to say long, but still getting knocked off the line.
Farley ran in yet another score, this time from 33 yards out to begin the fourth quarter. Ubly wasn’t going down without a fight though. Justin Cleary picked up 23 yards on a rush to the right. Throughout the game, the Gladiator defense was gang tackling. If someone held up an Ubly back or receiver, five or six gold helmets came flying to the scene. Kaufman was able to complete some passes at this point of the game because TCSF played a bit softer underneath, protecting the end zone as they had driven down to the 13. On fourth and 17 from the 19, Kaufman was sacked for a six yard loss by Max Bullough. On second and six and the 30, Ben Swan ripped off a 70 yard run for a touchdown, his second touchdown of the game. Ubly moved the ball a little bit, but with fourth and six, the pass was too high. A flag was thrown and pass interference was called against the Gladiators. Ubly inched closer and closer until Alex Peruski ran it in for a two yard touchdown run.
Bullough looks a bit small. He has good size (6’3†225lbs) but his frame hasn’t filled out. Although I say he looks a bit small, he played huge. Luckily, he has received great coaching from his family and the staff at Traverse City St. Francis. For the game, he finished with 15 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss. He also caught the two point conversion in the second quarter.
Jordan Kaufman did not have a big day. Kaufman completed three of his seven passes for 31 yards. He did run for 84 and a touchdown on 14 carries. They were led by Alex Peruski’s 122 yards on 17 carries. Justin Cleary also chipped in with 58 yards on 13 totes.
For the Gladiators, QB Corey Williams completed four of his six passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Ben Swan led their rushing attack; on his eight carries, Swan gained 138 yards and scored twice. Ryan Farley was their work horse though. His 15 carries gained 110 yards, scored twice, and made four tackles.
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