Marine City strikes early and often to dominate Yale in district semifinal
EAST CHINA — Thirteen seconds. That's how long it took for the Marine City football team to impose its will.
On the first play from scrimmage, Yale quarterback Connor Jakubiak threw a pass to the right side. As the ball left his hand, Mariners safety Paul Muscat shot out of a cannon.
"I just saw separation so I broke at the wide receiver," Muscat said. "And I saw the ball, picked it off and ran."
He returned the interception 27 yards for a touchdown.
"The kid did his assignment right," Marine City coach Daryn Letson said. "He did his job right. And if you do your job right, sometimes you get things like that ... it was a huge start."
That start was a dream for the Mariners' defense. And it began a long nightmare for the Bulldogs.
Marine City never looked back and dismantled Yale, 42-7, in a Division 5 district semifinal at East China Stadium on Friday.
The Mariners improved to 8-2 and advanced to next week's district final against Flint Hamady. The Bulldogs finished the season at 5-5.
"I saw a lot of fight (from our players)," Yale coach Garrett Grundman said. "Marine City is a heck of a program. They're a perennial powerhouse. In the first half, they came out and executed ... for us, we wanted to come out and compete in the playoffs. Obviously, it wasn't the outcome we wanted. But we saw some growth this season."
"I thought we really controlled the line of scrimmage and asserted ourselves up front," Letson said. "This time of year, it's survive and move on. So we're going to enjoy the journey another week and go from there."
Freshman Lyncoln Osterland (4-of-7 passing, 65 yards, one touchdown) got the start at quarterback for Marine City. The usual starter, senior Jeffery Heaslip, lined up at tailback to bolster the running game.
"With (running back Zach Tetler) out, we just needed that type of presence in the backfield," Letson said. "It's nothing against any of the other kids. The other kids have done a fine job. But we just needed that presence and Jeff did a nice job of being a physical running back tonight."
Added Letson: "How far Lyncoln has come as a freshman is rather amazing. Credit to both of them for handling it and doing things the right way for the program."
Muscat's pick-six helped ease the transition.
"My first thought was, 'Having a freshman at quarterback, he's obviously going to be really nervous,' " Heaslip said. "But when you have a seven-point comfort zone, it just eases the nerves that much more."
"It takes a bunch of stuff off my shoulders," Osterland said. "So I don't have to worry about not scoring on the first drive."
But the Mariners still found the end zone the first time they had the ball. Heaslip (11 carries, 72 yards, two touchdowns) took an inside handoff 5 yards for a score. That gave Marine City a 13-0 edge at the 7:14 mark of the first quarter.
Heaslip delivered again on the next offensive possession with a 7-yard touchdown run. A minute later, Osterland took a 47-yard keeper the distance. The Mariners led 27-0 after the first 12 minutes of play.
Marine City added 15 more points in the second quarter to grab a 42-0 advantage at halftime.
"I think the biggest thing was that we wanted to assert ourselves physically," Letson said. "And then we were able to make some plays with that. Momentum is a weird thing. Once you get momentum rolling, it's tough (to stop). That's really what happened."
Yale got on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run from Jakubiak (nine carries, 59 yards) at the 3:47 mark of the third quarter.
While the loss marked a sour end to the Bulldogs' season, Grundman reminded his players that it doesn't diminish the progress they've made.
"These boys were coming off a 2-7 season," Grundman said. "And to come into the playoffs at 5-4 — it's growth. I'm very, very happy with and proud of this senior class that has set the future for the program."
Yale refused to let a 2-3 start squash its hopes of a playoff berth. The Bulldogs turned their season around in late September to get to this point.
"The growth that we had was not necessarily in the season," Grundman said. "It was in the offseason ... every coach knows that the growth is done in the offseason. And (our players) put the time in. They're getting stronger, they're getting better and they're learning the game. I'm very proud of the direction this program is going."
The Mariners' direction is much more clear, as they'll host Flint Hamady with a district championship on the line next week. The date and time for that game are to be determined.
"We'll enjoy tonight," Letson said. "We'll wake up tomorrow, hit the weight room, get some film going — things like that. Then we'll get ready to play the next opponent."
Other area scores from Friday
Brown City 66, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian 38 (8-Player)
Deckerville 14, Kingston 8 (8-Player)
Flint Hamady 36, Armada 35
Madison Heights Lamphere 49, Marysville 13
Morrice 62, Peck 6 (8-Player)
Orchard Lake St. Mary's 28, Croswell-Lexington 14
Ovid-Elsie 21, Almont 14
Ubly 49, Saginaw Nouvel 6
St. Clair Shores Lakeview 33, Port Huron Northern 27
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Marine City strikes early and often, rolls Yale in district semifinal
