Onsted vs SMCC @ Ypsilanti Lincoln High School

By Frank Vajcner

                The Falcons of SMCC continue their drive to a championship at Ypsilanti Lincoln High School where they will take on the Onsted Wildcats from the LCAA. This is the third all-time meeting between both schools, as SMCC won both meetings in 1959 and 1960.

Onsted (10-2, 5-2 LCAA)

How They Got Here:

·         Defeated Blissfield 28-21 (Pre-District)

·         Defeated Grass Lake 35-21 (District)

·         Defeated Hillsdale 12-0 (Regional)

Head coach Dan Terryberry has guided the Wildcats to their 15^th playoff appearance in school history, and their first trip to the Semifinal Round since 1993. The Cats will operate out of the double wing offense that averages 30.9 points per game. Running the football primarily will be senior RBs Travis Hill (1312 yards, 14 TDs) and Rourke Barth (1025 yards, 16 TDs), along with junior Greg Denkins getting into the mix. Junior QB Dylan Terryberry has been a very efficient passer, throwing for 1065 yards and 13 touchdowns against 3 interceptions. His favorite targets are senior TE Tucker Bean (28 catches, 492 yards, 7 TDs) and Hill (23 catches, 380 yards, 7 TDs).

                On defense, the Cats allow 18.4 points per game, but have tightened the screws over their last seven games, allowing 14.1 points per contest. Barth (101 tackles, 12 TFLs, 4 sacks, 3 FF) has been the leader of the defense at LB, with S Hill (52 tackles, 4 INT) and CB Denkins (84 tackles) manning the secondary. DL Luke Lewin and LB Dylan Erway (63 tackles each) are other names to watch on defense.

                Special teams are also a strength for the Wildcats, with Xander Oullette being reliable at kicker (13-15 PATs, 1-1 FG), punter, and kickoffs. Hill is also a dangerous kick returner.

Coach’s Comment:

“Facing SMCC, we must try and match their physicality.  They can wear teams down and then their great backs find creases behind those big linemen and bust a huge play.Our guys must be disciplined and tackle well.  Offensively we need to move the ball and not give them any extra possessions.  This will be an incredible challenge, but our guys are excited to have a chance.”

                -Dan Terryberry

SMCC (10-1, 7-1 Huron League)

How They Got Here:

·         Defeated Mount Clemens Clintondale 39-14 (Pre-District)

·         Defeated Warren Michigan Collegiate 44-14 (District)

·         Defeated Montrose 36-7 (Regional)

The Falcons are in the Semifinal for the first time under the guidance of Adam Kipf, and for the 12^th time in school history. Their last trip to the Semis was in 2014. The Falcons will operate out of the Full House T offense, headlined by a three-headed monster at RB in Alex Morgan (1571 yards, 16 TDs) Sam Cousino (695 yards, 11 TDs), and QB Wyatt Bergmoser (892 rush yards, 10 TDs). Christiaan Harrington is also reliable at QB in terms of passing the ball (351 passing yards, 4 TDs) when called upon. Jace Worrell, Caden Smith, and Cole Jondro will also see action at RB.

The reason the Falcons are able to run the ball so well is due to their offensive line of Connor Bogdanski (6’3″ 285lbs) and Luke Bilan (6’1″ 230lbs) at the tackles,James Hawkins (5’7″ 235lbs) and Zach Patterson (6’3″ 235 lbs) at the guards, and Brendan Sloan (5’10” 205lbs) at center. Mason Gullen (6’3″ 235 lbs), Gus Flint (5’11” 190 lbs), Jackson Strube (6’1″ 205), and Nieko Castiglione (6’0″ 200 lbs) make up a strong quartet of TEs, who are outstanding run blockers. Strube is the best pass catcher out of the bunch.

Much like their counterparts from Onsted, the Falcon defense is allowing 14.9 points per game, and 11.8 points per contest since October. Names to watch on defense are Flint and Gullen at DE; Gavin Witazek at DT; Cousino, Castiglione, and Strube at LB; and Bergmoser, Morgan, and Ezra McLaughlin at DB. The Falcons’ special teams are also strong with the Swiss Army knife Bergmoser handling kicking, punting, kickoffs, kick returns, and punt returns.

Coach’s Comment:

“Our kids are focused right now heading into the Onsted game. They know and understand without a victory this week, the season is over. All playoffs long, all season long really, we have emphasized to our kids one week at a time. Our focus right now is on Saturday’s game against Onsted.”

        -Adam Kipf

Frank’s Thoughts: This is a matchup between a blue blood program in SMCC, and a program that is making their first semifinal appearance in 26 years. Both teams are built on running the football and playing physical on defense. I have said it many times this week, and I’ll say it again here. This will come down to which defensive coordinator, Aaron Klotz of Onsted or Brian Flint of SMCC, can game plan better.