Imlay City delivers setback
to Yale in BWAC road clash
IMLAY CITY — Imlay City handed host Yale a 27-3 setback in a Blue Water Area Conference varsity football game last Friday night.
With the result, Imlay City goes to 4-2 and 3-2. Yale slips to 1-5 and 1-4.
“This was the most complete game we have played all year,” Imlay City Coach Brian Tresnak said. “We started out a little shaky on offense at the beginning but once we got over our nerves and settled in we started to move the ball,” he emphasized.
“Defensively, we had another solid outing and were able to force some turnovers.”
In Friday’s game, Yale took a 3-0 edge after one quarter was over with.
Imlay City then countered with a 14-0 advantage during the middle two quarters. good for a 14-3 cushion with 36 minutes gone.
The visitors then outscored Yale 13-0 the rest of the way, closing out a 27-3 win.
Imlay City’s Cristian Rojas looks to shed a Yale tackler during last Friday’s BWAC confrontation. Photo by Rod Soule
The winning Imlay City side generated their 27-point total aided by a Riley Bertram to Dakota Sandzik two-yard touchdown pass (followed by a successful extra-point kick courtesy of Wyatt Luther); a Cristian Rojas 68-yard touchdown run (followed by an accurate extra point boot from Luther); a Bertram 48-yard touchdown run; and a Rojas nine-yard touchdown run (followed by an accurate extra point boot from Luther.)
For the night, Bertram connected on four of eight pass plays for 90 yards as Imlay City’s quarterback. He threw three interceptions along the way.
His successful tosses went to two different targets. Their ranks consisted of Sandzik (two catches for 59 yards) and Rojas (two receptions for 31 yards).
The Imlay City ground attack managed 342 yards on 50 totes.
Individually, Rojas (150 yards on 14 totes), Austin DeRocher (19 rushes for 104 yards) and Bertram (70 yards on seven totes) led Imlay City. The remaining 10 Spartan rushes netted a combined 18-yard gain.
Luther (three solos and 12 assists) plus Joe Harper and Lance Wolford (one solo and six assists each) put up Imlay City’s top tackle outputs.
The winning Imlay City side also collected three takeaways. Luther (two recoveries) and Wolford (a recovery) supplied those.
Imlay City returns to action this Friday when it travels to North Branch. That matchup lists a 7 p.m. starting time.
Kevin Kissane has been covering high school sports for the Tri-City Times since 1985. When not standing on a field or court with his camera and notepad, he enjoys golf, travel and family. Kevin is a 1980 graduate of Capac High School, and is also a grad of St. Clair Community College and earned a degree in journalism from Central Michigan University.
