Bridgeport at Frankenmuth – – Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – September 30, 2022 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is off to his hometown to watch his Alma Mater, the Frankenmuth Eagles host the Bridgeport Bearcats in a Tri Valley East football game. Frankenmuth is undefeated coming into the game; Bridgeport is struggling this season.

In my You Tube Video of Red River Valley, I explain that you never know where the Red River Valley will lead you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w03AhhNk1M8

One place it does not lead is Frankenmuth, but fortunately, M-83 does, so I was able to get to the game!

I love doing Frankenmuth’s games; a big reason is that I get to watch my brother’s grandson, Matt Kelley play on Frankenmuth’s offensive line. He is the Right Tackle. Hunter Schmitzer mans the center position. Aden Betz is the left guard and Carter Weiss is the right guard. Derrick Simmons is the left tackle. Together, they provide a lot of protection for Frankenmuth’s backs and receivers, which has contributed greatly to this fine season.

Tonight’s a special day; the cheerleaders and football players from the third grade to the eighth grade were all introduced to the crowd. The third to eighth grade cheerleaders also stayed and cheered along with the varsity cheerleaders for the whole game.

There was then a ceremony to officially name the press box after Chick Rodammer, who has been doing statistics for the football team for a long time! It was great to see him be recognized for his years of service.

The Frankenmuth High School Band came out and played the Eagle Fight Song. Shortly after, the Color Guard from the American Legion Post 150 raised the flag as the Frankenmuth High School Band did an excellent job playing the National Anthem.

It’s now time to look at the events of the evening through the blurry prism of a Bleacher Denizen whose football career was irreparably damaged when the powers that be refused to allow him to use curare darts when he played the offensive line. Fortunately, the Eagle linemen don’t need to resort to tactics like that to stay on their feet!!!

Bridgeport won the opening toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Will Soulliere booted his opening kickoff to the 9 yard line, where it was fielded by Khalil Cliff and returned 20 yards. Bridgeport started its opening series on its own 29 yard line.

Dalton Debeau stopped the Bearcat first down run for a one yard loss. Khalil Cliff took a second down pitch to the right side for a nine yard gain. Khalil Cliff went to the right side for a five yard gain before he ran into Travis Brenner and Dayne Reif. Bridgeport had a first down on their own 42 yard line.

Riley Hubbard stopped Bridgeport’s first down run to the right for no gain. Dalton Debeau intercepted Bridgeport’s second down pass; he returned it about five yards before Khalil Jones tackled him.

Frankenmuth started their first series on the Bridgeport 37 yard line.

Elijah Bowes stopped Frankenmuth’s first down run for no gain. Eagle Quarterback Aidan Hoard completed a screen pass to Hunter Bernthal, who scampered for a twenty-four yard gain before he ran into Tayshaun McKinney to give his Eagles a first down at the Bridgeport 13 yard line.

Khalil Cliff and Lamarion Roby-Clemons got into the backfield and caused an Eagle three yard first down loss. Griffin Barker went into the middle for a three yard second down gain. Khalil Cliff made the tackle for the Bearcats. On the next play, Aidan Hoard completed a thirteen yard touchdown pass to Brendan Scharrer on the right side in the back of the end zone.

Drew Titsworth centered the ball, Travis Brenner held the ball and Will Soulliere booted the extra point kick through the uprights to give Frankenmuth a 7-0 lead with 6:36 to play in the first quarter.

Will Soulliere kicked the ball off to the 1 yard line where Khalil Cliff grabbed it and returned it 16 yards; Zak Andrews and Brenden Marker made the Eagle tackle. The Bearcats had a first down on their own 17 yard line.

Fransco Lee, Jr. threw a screen pass to Jonathan Jackson for a three yard gain. Brenden Marker made the Eagle tackle. On second down, Bridgeport lost eighteen yards on a reverse play. Nicklaus Hoesman made the tackle for Frankenmuth. A penalty cost Bridgeport half the distance to the goal (one yard) which put the Bearcats on the 1 yard line.

A personal foul on Frankenmuth gave the Bearcats fifteen yards. On the next play, La’Marion Moore punted the ball out to near the 50 yard line. Zalyn Martin had a hard hit to make the tackle of the Eagle runner who only had time to run a couple yards.

Frankenmuth had a first down on its own 49 yard line.

Aidan Hoard passed to Hunter Bernthal for a twenty-one yard gain and a first down. Tayshaun McKinney made the tackle for Bridgeport.

On the next play, a pitch was fumbled. Sam Barger dove on the ball to prevent a turnover; Frankenmuth lost five yards on the play. Keyshawn White and Khalil Jones teamed up for the Bearcat tackle. On the next play, Aidan Hoard passed to Travis Brenner for a thirty-five yard touchdown.

Drew Titsworth centered the ball to Travis Brenner, who held the ball as Will Soulliere booted it through the goalpost to give Frankenmuth a 14-0 lead with 3:11 to play in the first quarter.

Will Soulliere kicked the ball off to the 1 yard line where La’Marion Moore caught it and returned it seven yards before Brenden Marker tackled him. Bridgeport had a first down on their own eight yard line.

Drew Titsworth stopped the Bearcat first down run for a four yard loss. Khalil Cliff’s second down run to the left gained two yards before Dalton Debeau halted his progress. Taybren Baldwin completed a third down pass to Khalil Cliff for a twenty-five yard gain. Travis Brenner made the Eagle tackle. Bridgeport had a first down on their own 31 yard line.

On the next play, Frankenmuth’s Colin Main recovered a fumble to give Frankenmuth a first down on the Bridgeport 15 yard line.

Griffin Barker went to the left and scampered for a fifteen yard touchdown. Drew Titsworth centered the ball to Travis Brenner, who held the ball as Will Soulliere kicked it through the goalpost. With 41 seconds to play in the first quarter, the Frankenmuth lead was at 21-0.

Will Soulliere’s kickoff went to the 24 yard line where Khalil Jones caught it, but was immediately tackled by Zak Andrews after a short gain. Bridgeport had a first down on its own 25 yard line.

On the final play of the first quarter, Barrett Rowden, Colin Main and Carter Weiss all invaded the Bearcat backfield; Carter Weiss finally made the tackle.

The first quarter ended with Frankenmuth holding a 21-0 lead.

Bridgeport had a second down with 16 yards to go on their own 19 yard line.

Riley Hubbard covered on Bridgeport’s incomplete second down pass. On third down, Drew Titsworth and Nicklaus Hoesman teamed up to sack the Bearcat quarterback for a nine yard loss. The fourth down snap for the punt went into the end zone and Brenden Marker was able to make a tackle for a safety.

With 11:12 to play in the first half, the Eagle lead was at 23-0.

La’Marion Moore kicked off from the 20 yard line. Jack Rich caught the ball at the Bridgeport 40 yard line and gained 15 yards before Tae’vion Heart tackled him. Frankenmuth had a first down on the Bridgeport 45 yard line.

Sam Barger took the ball to the right for a twenty-eight yard gain before Jonathan Jackson pulled him down to give the Eagles a first down on the Bearcat 17 yard line.

Aidan Hoard passed to Thomas Conzelmann for a fifteen yard gain to give Frankenmuth a first down on the Bridgeport 2 yard line.

La’Marion Moore stopped the Eagle first down run for a three yard loss. On second down, La’Marion Moore leaped to knock a touchdown pass out of the air. Griffin Barker’s third down run up the middle earned Frankenmuth a five yard touchdown.

After Drew Titsworth hiked the ball, Travis Brenner held the ball and Will Soulliere made the extra point kick, Frankenmuth had a 30-0 lead.

Will Soulliere kicked the ball off to the 4 yard line where La-Marion Moore caught it and gained thirteen yards before Zak Andrews took him down. Bridgeport had a first down on its own 17 yard line.

Dalton Debeau and Colin Main teamed up to thwart the Bearcat first down run for a seven yard pass. Will Soulliere covered on the Bridgeport incomplete second down pass. Drew Titsworth stopped the Bridgeport third down run for a seven yard loss that put them back on their own 3 yard line. La’Marion Moore leaped to prevent the fourth down snap from going over his head. He then was able to quickly punt the ball out to the 25 yard line where his teammate, Zalyn Martin, downed the ball. Frankenmuth had a first down on the Bridgeport 25 yard line.

On Frankenmuth’s next play, Aidan Hoard kept the ball and used a good block by Nate McMillan to score a twenty-five yard touchdown. Drew Titsworth hiked the ball to Travis Brenner, who held it as Will Soulliere kicked another successful extra point to give the Eagles a 37-0 lead with 7:10 remaining in the second quarter.

Will Soulliere boomed his kickoff into the end zone, so Bridgeport started its next series on its own 20 yard line.

On first down, Taybren Baldwin went back to pass, but then ran up the middle and gained five yards before Colin Main took him down. On second down, Will Soulliere intercepted a pass, but a pass interference penalty gave Bridgeport a first down on their own 40 yard line.

Dalton Debeau and Colin Main stopped the Bearcat first down run for a one yard loss. Brenden Marker stopped the Bearcat second down run for a seven yard loss. Brenden Marker intercepted the Bridgeport third down pass and took it to the end zone for an Eagle touchdown.

After Will Soulliere kicked the extra point, Frankenmuth had a 44-0 lead with 4:37 to play in the first half.

Will Soulliere kicked the ball off to the 2 yard line where Khalil Cliff caught it and returned it eight yards before he ran into Jack Rich, Brenden Marker and Griffin Barker. Bridgeport had a first down in its own 11 yard line.

Nicklaus Hoesman and Carson Knoll teamed up to sack the Bearcat quarterback for a ten yard first down loss. Travis Brenner and Riley Hubbard teamed up to stop the second down run for no gain. Travis Brenner knocked Bridgeport’s third down pass away. Khalil Cliff downed La’Marion Moore’s fourth down punt on the Bridgeport 38 yard line; Frankenmuth started its next series there.

Jack Rich went into the middle for a two yard first down gain before Khalil Jones stopped him. Zak Andrews took a second down pitch to the right for a two yard gain. La’Marion Moore made the tackle for Bridgeport. Jack Rich plowed through the middle for an eleven yard third down gain. Khalil Cliff made the tackle for Bridgeport.

On the next play, Owen Fehrman went up the middle and gained ten yards to give Frankenmuth a first down on the Bridgeport 13 yard line. The Eagles let the clock run down to two seconds left in the half.

Will Soulliere kicked a thirty yard field goal as the first half ended to give the Eagles a 47-0 lead going into the locker room at halftime. If traditional football customs are adhered to, the Eagles will also have a 47-0 lead to open the second half.

The Frankenmuth High School Marching Band performed their “The Beatles” halftime show. Drum Majors Emily Techentien and Molly Pergram did a fine job directing the band, who played “Get Back”, “Let It Be”, “Hey Jude” featuring trumpet soloist Robbie Brown and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. The music and the precision marching were really impressive!

As I can’t play an instrument in this blog, for those of us who missed the halftime show, here is a Herb Alpert song from my “Chuck Krafft” You Tube Channel for your (hopeful) listening pleasure!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmJmDiyf3ps

La’Marion Moore kicked off for Bridgeport to open the second half. The kick went out of bounds and Frankenmuth had a first down on their own 40 yard line.

Jack Rich took the ball up the middle for a nine yard first down gain. Jonathan Jackson made the tackle for Bridgeport. Owen Fehrman took the ball up the left tackle for a four yard gain and a first down before he ran into Zalyn Martin.

Frankenmuth fumbled the ball on the next play; the Eagles were able to recover, but lost six yards as Edgar Jones and Thomarus Shipman teamed up to make the Bearcat tackle. Owen Fehrman’s second down run up the middle was good for nine yards; Khalil Cliff made the tackle for Bridgeport. Jack Rich’s third down pass to Jared Watchorn gained eighteen yards to give Frankenmuth a first down on the Bridgeport 26 yard line.

Owen Fehrman went up the middle for a seven yard first down gain before Khalil Jones tackled him. Zalyn Martin stopped the Eagle second down run for a one yard loss. Owen Fehrman went to the right for a two yard gain before Jacob Scott and Edgar Jones pulled him down. On fourth down, the Eagles tried a thirty-five yard field goal, but missed.

Bridgeport had a first down on their own 20 yard line.

Nick Ragan covered for Frankenmuth on the incomplete Bridgeport first down screen pass. Fransco Lee’s second down screen pass was completed to Khalil Cliff, but Barrett Rowden tackled him for a three yard loss. Carson Knoll stopped the Bridgeport third down run for a four yard loss. La’Marion Moore’s fourth down punt was downed at the Bearcat 46 yard line.

Owen Fehrman went into the middle for a two yard first down gain. William Harris made the tackle for the Bearcats. William Harris stopped Frankenmuth’s second down run for a one yard loss. Jack Rich’s third down screen pass to Jared Watchorn gained eleven yards to give the Eagles a first down on the Bearcat 34 yard line.

The third quarter ended. Frankenmuth’s lead was at 47-0; the Eagles had a first down on the Bearcat 34 yard line.

Jack Rich went to the left for a seven yard gain; Keyshawn White made the tackle for Bridgeport. Owen Fehrman fought his way through the middle for a one yard gain before Thomarus Shipman tackled him. Owen Fehrman went back into the middle to gain four yards before Zalyn Martin tackled him; it was enough to get a first down.

Owen Fehrman took a pitch to the right for a four yard first down gain. La’Marion Moore got the tackle for Bridgeport. Jacob Bentley went to the left for a two yard second down gain. There was a fumble on third down; Jack Rich alertly recovered the ball to prevent a turnover. Edgar Jones made the tackle for Bridgeport. On fourth down, the Eagles tired a forty-three yard field goal, but missed.

Bridgeport had a first down on its own 20 yard line.

Fransco Lee, Jr. gained four yards on a run around the left end. Chris Rittmueller made the tackle for Frankenmuth. Bridgeport’s second down screen pass fell incomplete. Logan Lipka knocked the Bearcat third down pass down. La’Marion Moore punted on fourth down; the punt was downed on Bridgeport’s 35 yard line where Frankenmuth started its next possession.

Owen Fehrman gained three yards on a run into the middle before William Harris took him down. Jack Rich gained fourteen yards on a second down quarterback keeper before Zalyn Martin pushed him out of bounds. Frankenmuth had a first down on the Bridgeport 18 yard line.

Owen Fehrman gained six yards on a first down run up the middle. Edgar Jones made the tackle for the Bearcats. Frankenmuth’s second down run lost one yard. Zak Andrews earned four yards on a third down run to the left before Keyshawn White tackled him.

On the final play of the game, Will Soulliere kicked a twenty-five yard field goal.

Frankenmuth won 50-0.

Thanks to Matt Kelley for his information about the offensive line and for informing me that Will Soulliere set a record for Frankenmuth by kicking his seventh field goal this year!!