TRI-CITY AREA — Imlay City came out on top of a 34-3 verdict over host Capac in a non-league varsity football game last Friday night.
With the outcome, Imlay City finishes at 5-4. Capac winds up 1-8.
“We started out slow but woke up in the second quarter,” Imlay City Coach Brian Tresnak observed. “Defensively, we were able to hold them out until the offense finally clicked,” he noted.
“I am proud of how far this team has come since the start of the year. We will be watching Sunday night to see if we have enough points to qualify for an at large bid for the playoffs.”
Austin DeRocher, of Imlay City, breaks off a large gain during his team’s win against Capac last Friday. Photo by Rod Soule
On the opposite sideline, Capac Coach Rob Novy said he was pleased with the effort he saw from his ballclub.
“We started well and it was a close game at the half. Imlay City then came out strong in the third quarter and was able to pull away,” he noted.
“Give our team credit, they fought hard the whole way. The effort was there the entire contest.”
In Friday’s game, Imlay City and Capac ended the initial quarter with zero points apiece.
Quarter two saw Imlay City collect 12 points and Capac manage none.
When play resumed, Imlay City struck with a 14-3 third quarter edge. That left them holding a 26-3 advantage with 36 minutes gone.
Imlay City then outscored Capac 8-0 the rest of the way, closing out a 34-3 win.
The victorious Imlay City side generated their 34-point total aided by a Dakota Sandzik six-yard touchdown run; a Riley Bertram to Sandzik 65-yard touchdown pass; an Austin DeRocher five-yard touchdown pass (followed by a PAT pass from Bertram to Sandzik); a Brendan Biggs 15-yard touchdown run; and a Bertram 17-yard touchdown run (followed by a PAT tote from Joe Harper).
Capac managed their three-point total thanks to a 27-yard field goal courtesy of Ben Laskowski.
For the night, Bertram connected of four of six pass plays for 96 yards as Imlay City’s quarterback. He threw one interception along the way.
Sandzik had all of Imlay City’s receptions.
The Imlay City ground attack added 312 yards on 48 totes.
DeRocher (10 rushes for 107 yards) and Cristian Rojas (101 yards on 16 totes) proved Imlay City’s most productive ballcarriers. The remaining 22 Spartan rushes netted a combined 104-yard gain.
Julian Rojas (five solos and four assists) and Lance Wolford (two solos and seven assists) contributed Imlay City’s highest tackle totals. Wyatt Luther (two solos and four assists), Cristian Rojas (one solo and five assists), Sandzik (four solos and one assist) and Cam Shirling (five assists) backed their efforts.
The Imlay City defense also collected three takeaways. Sandzik and Wolford (an interception each) and Luther (a fumble recovery) notched those.
On the night, Joe Montney completed 13 of 21 pass plays for 179 yards as Capac’s quarterback. He threw two interceptions en route to those numbers.
His successful throws went to five different targets. Danny Parksi (five catches for 25 yards), Conner Robinson (three receptions for 74 yards), Jared Fahley (three catches for 23 yards), Donald Bruman (one reception for 52 yards) and Shane Hofmann (one catch for five yards) formed that group.
The Capac ground attack managed -14 yards on 23 totes.
Jordan Cherry paced Capac with 31 yards on 11 totes. The remaining 12 Chief rushes netted a combined 45-yard loss.
Cherry led Capac’s defense with 11 solo and six assisted stops. Omar Navarro (three solo and five assisted tackles), Ethan Bastian (six solos and one assist), Matt Dean (two solos and five assisted stops) and Bryce Tank (two solos and four assisted tackles) made their presence felt as well.
The Capac defense also registered three takeaways. Cherry (an interception) plus Josh Crane and Navarro (a fumble recovery each) supplied those.
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.
