GO LIONS!!!!! FAST AND PHYSICAL ALL YEAR LONG WAS NOT ONLY A BATTLE CRY BUT ALSO A CRYSTAL BALL PREDICTION THAT PROVED TRUE OVER AND OVER AGAIN. GO ST. MARK’S!!!!!
Greenhill took over on offense and the Lions defense immediately went to work and shut them down. Greenhill was forced to punt and the Lions took over.
Joe Bush made a nice run and then he hit Kendrick Spraglin for a good first down catch. On the very next play, Bush went to the right side and found John Caldwell for a long touchdown pass and the offense looked as if it would click all night. Jacob Wilner added the point after touchdown and after a long kickoff by Wilner, Victor Calvillo put a crunching tackle on the Greenhill returner.
Greenhill found a little room as Nick Brienzi completed a pass to Jason Girsin for a first down reception to the right side. After an incomplete pass, Brienzi found Devin Bullock for a first down on the right side, which was punctuated with a roughing the passer penalty on the Lions. The defense then stiffened as Harlan Burk sacked the quarterback. After two very short runs and excellent tackling by Mac Labhart and Otto Clark-Martinek, the St. Mark’s defense held on fourth and five.
The offensive line as a unit kept up their excellent blocking allowing Malcolm Bowman to run for 11 yards to the right side. Joe Bush completed a pass to a wide open Dillard Pinkston for a very nice 21-yard reception. After a questionable call by the official, John Caldwell picked up the ball and ran it into the end zone for another touchdown. Wilner’s point after touchdown split the uprights and his pooch kick was a thing of beauty. Harrison Hewitt showed his speed and determination on a great play to recover the kickoff. Bowman ran for nice yardage up the middle behind good blocking from Michael Doorey, Jackson Stager and Dom Garcia. By the way, I don’t remember anything but excellent snaps all year, and Michael Doorey should be recognized because that is tough duty when an opponent has their helmet six inches from yours. A little razzle dazzle on a reverse to the left by John Caldwell looked like he was going to throw it into the end zone, but was tackled for a loss. Caldwell came back immediately, causing a pass interference call in the end zone, and St. Mark’s had the ball first and goal on the four. Malcolm Bowman ran for two and ran for another two into the end zone. Wilner’s kick was good and St. Mark’s led 21-0.
After another nice pooch kick, Burk and Pinkston hammered the Greenhill runner in the backfield for a loss. Two incomplete passes by Greenhill and a nice pass defensed by Chris Roach forced them to punt and the Lions took over on their 35 yard line. Malcolm Bowman ran right for 14 yards behind excellent blocking by Stager and Paul Gudmundsson. Greenhill intercepted a pass and went to work by throwing to the right side for 7 yards ending in a good crushing tackle by Cole Labhart. Brienzi hit Bullock for a long completion down the right side. The Lions left side stuffed a pitch to the right and Will Perkins sniffed out a bubble pass to the left and dropped the Greenhill receiver for a loss ending the first quarter.
Bullock made a nice catch for a first down on the left side for a first down. Brienzi made a good run up the middle on a quarterback draw and 9 yards. After an illegal procedure penalty called on the Hornets and an incomplete pass, Brienzi found Bullock again for a good catch to the 2 yard line. Josh Dickerman ran for the 2 yard touchdown, bringing the score to 21-7.
Cameron Kline returned a very good directional kick by the Hornets all the way across the field out to the 25 yard line. Two Malcolm Bowman grinding runs resulted in a third down and six and Bush found Kline on a 13 yard reception for a first down. Bush then hit Spraglin on a long pass down the left side all the way to the Greenhill nine yard line. St. Mark’s was stopped and Jacob Wilner booted a 23 yard field goal straight and true.
Greenhill took over after another good pooch kick and a fair catch. Girsin got loose rumbling down the right side, but Mac Labhart roughed him up on a bruising tackle. The St. Mark’s defense held tight again forcing a three and out and a Greenhill punt, which was downed by Greenhill on the 1 yard line after an unfavorable bounce.
After a first down incompletion, Bush hit Kline on a deep out to the left, Kline broke a tackle and outran two Greenhill defenders all the way down the sideline for a 99 yard touchdown. As an aside, neither Arnie Holtberg nor Doc Browning remembered any other 99 yard play from scrimmage. After another good extra point and a good pooch kick by Wilner, Amir Saboorian nearly made a spectacular play on an interception try. The St. Mark’s defense forced another punt, but St. Mark’s fumbled the punt and Greenhill took over again on the Lions 34.
After a first down pass for 11 yards, the St. Mark’s defense stiffened again, forcing a turnover on downs. Again, Jackson Stager and Paul Gudmundsson blew open a big hole and Malcolm Bowman flew through it for a 37 yard gain. After an incompletion, Bowman ran left for 14 yards behind picture perfect blocking by Garcia and Calvillo. Another short Bowman run resulted in a first down and the offensive line gave Bush ample time again, allowing him to hit Kline with a pinpoint pass in the end zone on a nifty pylon route for a 21 yard touchdown reception.
After Greenhill fair caught the kickoff, Andres Miller sacked the quarterback on first down followed by a sack from Saboorian on second down. Greenhill was forced to punt and Bowman again took over. He ran for 7 yards up the middle and then another long run set up St. Mark’s on the 4 yard line. From the I formation, Bowman rumbled in up the middle behind a springing block by Michael Doorey for the touchdown, making it 44-7. After a good long kick by Wilner and a long exciting runback by the Greenhill returner, Cody Sixkiller tracked him down past midfield, bringing the successful half to a close.
Greenhill kicked out of bounds to start the second half and the St. Mark’s offense took over and used the regular huddle offense for the first time this season in the name of sportsmanship and fair play. Amir Saboorian chewed up yards regularly behind the strong St. Mark’s offensive line, running for 15 yards on four carries and John Webb added a nice 8 yard quarterback draw up the middle. After a holding call on the Lions, John Webb bulleted a pass to Kendrick Spraglin on a slant and Spraglin made the Hornets suffer finding paydirt and bringing the score to 51-7 after a long point after touchdown by Jose Gonzales.
Excellent defensive pressure and good pass defense by Cody Sixkiller forced a fourth down and the Hornets went for it and failed. The Hornets forced a three and out and Kline punted, pinning Greenhill deep in their own territory. Max McKamy, Greenhill’s top runner who has been out nearly all year made a cameo and Greenhill gained a first down on a pass to the right. Harlan Burk came up with a good tackle and Greenhill’s incompletion ended the third quarter.
After Greenhill’s punt, Saboorian started in again with rugged running to the right for 11 yards behind the Lions bruising offensive line. Another 11 yard gain on first down by Saboorian resulted in a second consecutive first down. Three more punishing runs by Saboorian created another first down, then the Greenhill defense stiffened on a third down pitch from Webb to Kline for four yards on a third down and six to go. The Lions defense stopped Greenhill for a four yard loss. Greenhill threw an incomplete pass, and on the next play, Ardis Graham stuffed Brienzi for no gain, forcing yet another Greenhill punt.
ALL SENIORS participated on the next offensive drive and again sportsmanship prevailed as the Lions took a knee on three consecutive plays to avoid any further forward progress. Kline punted one last time and after the Lions defense stopped Greenhill on three consecutive plays, Greenhill took a knee on fourth down to end the game.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE COMMENT ON THE SEASON, FAVORITE MEMORIES, FAVORITE PLAYS AND ANYTHING ELSE POSITIVE THAT STRIKES YOUR FANCY. THE SENIORS LED THIS TEAM TO THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL AND WITH THE INJURIES MOUNTING, EVERYONE FILLED IN WHERE NECESSARY TO PRODUCE A GREAT 7-2 RECORD THIS SEASON THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE PROUD OF AFTER TWO RELATIVELY LESS PROSPEROUS YEARS.
Kudos to the Cheerleaders, the St. Mark's pep band, the Spurs and the numerous fans who vocally supported this team all year long!
Even though there are too many to mention here and you know who you are, I want to send out a fervent thank you to all the faculty members who supported the Lions at the games and behind the scenes during this successful campaign as well as to Head of Upper School, Wortie Ferrell and Eugene McDermott Headmaster, Arnie Holtberg. A very special thank you to the Bartas, Josh Friesen, Scott Gonzalez, awesome and amazing super-fan Joe Milliet, quiet supporter Dwight Phillips, Mark Sullivan, senior supporter extraordinaire number one JT Sutcliffe, senior supporter extraordinaire number two Jon Valasek and the appropriately nicknamed man himself, HAP, the ever smiling and seemingly ever present Dr. Henry A. Ploegstra.
TO COACH EPPERSON, KEEP UP THE INFECTIOUS SPIRIT AND THE TIRELESS WORK THAT YOU SO SELFLESSLY GIVE TO THESE FINE YOUNG MEN TO KEEP THEM GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION! ASSISTANT COACHES KEEP BRINGING THE ENTHUSIASM TO KEEP THINGS RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
TO THE UNDERCLASSMEN, WITH THE OFFENSE IN FANTASTIC SHAPE FOR NEXT YEAR AND THE DEFENSE RETURNING MANY KEY COGS IN EVERY AREA, THINGS LOOK EXTREMELY BRIGHT FOR THE 2012 AND MAYBE WE CAN WATCH A FUN THURSDAY NIGHT GAME IN EARLY NOVEMBER.
FAST AND PHYSICAL!!!!! FAST AND PHYSICAL!!!!! FAST AND PHYSICAL!!!!!
~Greg Kline
I would like to personally thank Greg Kline for all of his hard work, effort and tireless devotion to creating the game recaps for this blog. Also, a special thanks to the photographers who contributed regularly to the blog- Tim Perkins for his videos, and Joe Pinkston and Jeff Stager for their photographs. This blog would not have been possible without all these guys helping me out.
~Laura Stager
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