Shamrocks handle Deckerville in semifinals

Portland St. Patrick has been on a mission to win a State Championship all season, and on Saturday, November 15th, a familiar foe stood in their way. Deckerville had dashed the Shamrocks hopes in the semi-finals in 2012, and the Regional finals in 2023 with close losses for Portland St. Patrick. This year would be different, as the Shamrocks were more experienced, bigger and faster than the Deckerville Eagles and St. Patrick handled the game from start to finish, winning 36-15.

In the first quarter, both teams played strong defense, but the Shamrocks showed their speed when Jerryd Scheurer busted loose outside the right end and scampered for a 70 yard touchdown run. Brody Beckhold made the extra point, and the score was 7-0 after one quarter of play.

The second quarter saw more Shamrock dominance, as the Shamrocks stymied the Eagle offense and held them scoreless. Brady Leonard came to play on offense, and pushed a touchdown into the endzone on a 2 yard run, and Brody Beckhold made the kick. Brady Leonard then broke another for a 77 yard touchdown, and this left the score 20-0 at halftime.

After the half, Deckerville found a crack in the highly vaunted Shamrock defense, and struck paydirt on a 48 yard touchdown pass. Fullback Caleb Pline carried the ball multiple times on the next drive,  and the Shamrock offensive line answered with a pounding drive all the way down the field. Brady Leonard punched it in from 4 yards, and the Shamrocks led 28-7 after three quarters.

In the fourth quarter, Hudson King decided he needed a score, and he put it in the endzone from 1 yard. The Shamrocks made another two point conversion, and the score was 36-7. The Eagles punched in another score to make the final 36-15.

Offensive leaders for the Shamrocks were Brady Leonard, who had 18 carries for 172 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jerryd Scheurer had 10 carries for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Caleb Pline was the real star of the day, running straightforward dives right into the teeth of a strong run defense, and grinding out 72 yards on 20 carries- which opened up the fast run game for the Shamrocks, and ate up the entire second half.

Defensive leaders for Portland were Augustus Teachworth with 11 tackles, Aiden Mosser with 9 tackles, and Mason Simon with 6 tackles and a clutch interception.

The St Patrick Shamrocks will travel north to the Northern Michigan University Superior Dome in Marquette this week. There they will meet the North Dickinson Nordics for the first ever meeting between the two programs. North Dickinson is coming off a 12-0 season, where they dominated the U.P. teams all year, and are celebrating a 44-28 victory over previously unbeaten Onekama. The Nordics play a run and gun style of offense, with both passing and running threats. Game time is Saturday, November 22nd at 2 pm.

Photos by Lindsey Cook and Nathan Fears.