Shamrocks Overpower Vestaburg

The Vestaburg Wolverines visited Portland on Friday September 27th for a gridiron match with the Portland St. Patrick's Shamrocks. Both teams were 4-0 coming into the game, but the Shamrocks were far too much for the Wolverines, winning the game 53-0. In the first quarter, the Shamrocks struggled to find their rhythm against the significantly bigger Wolverines. John Schneider broke through for a 55 yard touchdown scamper, and Connor Cross connected with Zach Spitzley for a 72 yard touchdown pass, taking a 14-0 lead after one quarter. St. Patrick's broke things open in the second quarter, kicked off with a 30 yard touchdown run by Ned Smith. On the next series, Jeff Davlin nailed a 31 yard field goal. John Schneider also caught a 19 yard touchdown pass from Connor Cross. Fireworks flew on the defensive side, when a tipped pass ended up in the hands of defensive lineman Bret Weller and he flew 38 yards for a touchdown. Alex Kissane also picked off a pass and returned the interception 55 yards for a pick-six. This left the Shamrocks leading 45-0 at halftime. With lightning strikes beckoning, the Shamrocks knew they had to put the game away and shutdown the Wolverines in the third quarter. The Shamrocks struck one last time, on a 26 yard touchdown pass from Connor Cross to Derec Fedewa to put the final score at 53-0. A lightning strike at the end of the 3rd quarter initiated a rain delay, but due to the 50 point lead, the clock does not stop even for a rain delay, so the game was officially over when the clock ran out. Offensive leaders for the Shamrocks were John Schneider who had 6 carries for 100 yards and 1 touchdown, Zach Spitzley who caught 3 passes for 119 yards and 1 touchdown, and Connor Cross who went 5 for 9 with 164 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jeff Davlin continued his excellence kicking the ball, going 4 for 4 on extra points, and knocking down a 31 yard field goal. Defensive leaders were Alex Kissane with 8 tackles, 2 tackles for loss (TFL), Brian Kwiecinski with 8 tackles, and both Ned Smith and Riley Kissane with 5 tackles and 2 TFL. The Shamrocks play next Saturday for Homecoming, against Manistee Catholic Central at 7 pm.

Photos courtesy of Lindsey Bos.