FeedsWestern too much for Plymouth gridders
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Nathan Gholston tries to make it out of the backfield in Plymouth’s 30-10 loss to Walled Lake Western on Friday.The roller coaster ride of a season continued for the Plymouth Wildcats’ football team last week.
The team fell to 2-4 on the year when the Walled Lake Western Warriors overpowered them 30-10 in the early game of a doubleheader at home on Friday. Western improved to 4-2.
Salem (0-6) lost to John Glenn (3-3), 41-0, in the late bout—the Rocks’ homecoming game.
The loss will make it difficult for the Wildcats to see a post season. The magic number for a playoff birth is six wins and there are only three games left in the regular season. The best Plymouth could hope for is a 5-4 overall record. There’s still hope—several teams made the playoffs with a 5-4 record last year.
“(Playoffs) are out of our hands,” said Plymouth Coach Jay Blaylock. “Our destiny is in other teams’ hands right now. If we finish 5-and-4 with the schedule we have, we have a great chance. We’re not eliminated but our backs are against the wall and we have to fight for it.”
Plymouth is at Wayne this week; has an undetermined crossover game for their homecoming next week; and are at Mt. Pleasant on Oct. 20 for the season finale before anything is a lock.
Western’s open offense gave the Wildcats trouble as the Warriors took a 14-3 lead at the half.
Plymouth had a punt blocked on its second drive of the game. Western recovered on the Wildcats’ 19. Three plays later Matt Woxny plunged in from one yard out to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead.
The Wildcats’ Jeff Lucco capped off a 10-play drive on Plymouth’s next possession with a 21-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 game with 7:15 left in the second quarter.
Western was quick to retaliate. Wozny rushed 78 yards on two plays—the second being a tricky reverse—to get his Warriors to Plymouth’s 1-yard line. Then he punched in the score, making it a 14-3 game.
Ken Loney extended the lead, 21-3, in the third when he lunged in from two yards out with 3:58 left in the quarter.
Plymouth got back in the game when Chris Gregory hit Kulraj Sandhu for a 41-yard TD. Lucco nailed the extra point cutting into the Warriors lead, 21-10.
Western added a field goal at the 8:13 mark of the fourth and capped off the scoring when Edison Vushaj made an interception and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown.
“They have great speed and if you over commit one way they can hit you another,” Blaylock said. “I noticed that a lot on the counter tonight. Our defense stepped up in the second half and played a lot better. I saw guys making plays all over the place.”
Plymouth heads to Wayne tomorrow for the Zebras’ homecoming. The Wildcats will have to be leery of the Freeman twins—David and Allan—who have wreaked havoc on defense all year.
“They’re athletic and fast and throw the ball around a little more and try to spread you out,” Blaylock said of Wayne, “but I think we can match up well with them.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Wayne Memorial High.
