Colon at Portland St. Patrick – – Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – October 30, 2021 – – by Chuck Krafft

This is the first weekend of the Michigan High School Athletic Association Eight Man Football tournament. Two strong teams will play in this first round Division 2 game hosted the Shamrocks from Portland St. Patrick, who enter the game undefeated with a 9-0 record. The visiting Magi from Colon have an 8-1 record; their only loss is to Division 1 Adrian Lenawee Christian.

St. Patrick will unfortunately need to play this game without two of their top players; Seniors Derec Fedewa and Shane Cook are injured and cannot play today. In fact, freshman Brayden Simon, who will play quarterback for St. Patrick, is actually listed on the roster as an offensive and defensive lineman.

It’s about 50 degrees out and their is some mist and drizzle in the air. Your Bleacher Denizen always enjoys the hospitality and atmosphere at St. Patrick games; the people in the Shamrock press box are always really helpful!

Let’s take a look at the events of this game through the occasionally clear lenses of a Bleacher Denizen who did not play football in high school. When he learned that hiring sumo wrestlers to do the manual labor involved was not permitted, it was the death knell to your Bleacher Denizen’s football career!

Tyler Groothuis’ opening kickoff was fielded by Justin Wickey at the 16 yard line and returned fourteen yards before Braxton Teachworth tackled him. Colon started its first drive of the game from its own 30 yard line.

Tyler Groothuis got into the Magi backfield to stop their first down run for a five yard loss. The Magi were assessed a penalty on second down and moved back five yards. On the next play, Kaleb Johnson went to the left, got to the sideline and outraced everyone down the field until Braxton Teachworth tackled him just short of a touchdown on the one yard line.

Simon Vinson took the ball the final yard into the end zone on the next play. Connor Hetman snapped the ball, Justin Wickey held the ball and Raul Fuentes-Garriga booted it through the uprights to give the Magi a 7-0 lead with 10:48 to play in the first quarter.

Raul Fuentes-Garriga kicked the ball off; Blake Vanderstraaten was nearly able to recover an onside kick for his Magi team, but his momentum carried him out of bounds and St. Patrick got the ball on its own 43 yard line.

Payton Russman gained ten yards and earned a first down in Colon territory for the Shamrocks before Tucker Lafler forced him out of bounds.

Tucker Lafler stopped the St. Patrick first down run for no gain. Lucas Simon gained six yards on a second down pitch to the right before he ran into Kodey Dovey. Alex Stoll got into the Shamrock backfield and forced their runner out of bounds for a one yard third down loss. A delay of game penalty moved the Shamrocks back another five yards. Alex Stoll knocked the St. Patrick fourth down pass out of the air. St. Patrick turned over the ball on downs on the Colon 47 yard line. The Magi started their next possession there.

Simon Vinson’s first down pass to Kodey Dovey gained twenty-five yards before Lucas Simon tackled him. This gave Colon a first down on the St. Patrick 28 yard line.

A first down holding penalty pushed Colon back twelve yards. Colon threw an incomplete pass on the first down replay. Braxton Teachworth stopped the Magi second down run to the right for no gain. Simon Vinson passed to Alex Stoll, who made a diving catch for a four yard third down gain. A false start penalty pushed Colon back another five yards. A fourth down pass interference penalty on the Shamrocks gave the Magi another chance. On fourth down, Brayden Simon recovered a Magi fumble and the Shamrocks started their drive from their own 20 yard line.

Payton Russman stormed up the middle for a four yard first down gain; Kodey Dovey made the Magi tackle. On the next play, Brayden Simon launched a pass to Braxton Teachworth, who caught a tipped pass and dashed to the end zone for a seventy-six yard touchdown. On the extra point attempt, Owen Wilson tackled the Shamrock passer and the attempt failed. With 5:42 remaining in the first quarter, St. Patrick trimmed the Colon lead to 7-6.

Tyler Groothuis kicked the ball off to the 17 yard line, where Justin Wickey fielded it and returned it about eighteen yards before he was tackled by Braxton Teachworth. Colon began its drive on its own 35 yard line.

Kaleb Johnson gained three yards on a first down run up the middle before he was tackled by Braxton Teachworth. Kaleb Johnson’s second down run gained another three yards before Braxton Teachworth and Brayden Simon teamed up to stop him. Lucas Simon covered on Colon’s incomplete third down pass. Justin Wickey booted a fourth down punt that went out of bounds on the Shamrock 37 yard line; St. Patrick started its next series there.

Tucker Lafler stopped the St. Patrick first down run for a two yard loss. Simon Vinson tipped the Shamrock second down pass away from the receiver. Alex Stoll tipped the third down pass away from the Colon receiver. On fourth down, Braxton Teachworth punted; his punt was downed by Brayden Simon on the Colon 30 yard line; the Magi started their next series there.

Daniel Huggler and Shawn Frawley got into the Magi backfield on first down and stopped their run for a three yard loss. A second down false start penalty cost the Magi five yards. On the second down replay, Simon Vinson three a pass to Justin Wickey for a twenty-nine yard gain that gave the Magi a first down in Shamrock territory on the 49 yard line.

Simon Vinson’s first down run earned three yards for Colon before he ran into Devin Cook and Braxton Teachworth. Lucas Simon knocked Colon’s second down pass out of the air. Payton Russman covered on Colon’s incomplete third down pass. Lucas Simon covered on the Magi incomplete fourth down pass. St. Patrick took over the ball on downs on their own 46 yard line.

Brayden Simon ran to the right for a six yard first down gain; Alex Stoll and Tucker Lafler teamed up for the Colon tackle. A false start penalty pushed St. Patrick back five yards. A roughing the passer penalty gave St. Patrick a first down on the Colon 39 yard line.

On the final play of the first quarter, Payton Russman gained one yard on a run to the left. Alex Stoll and Tucker Lafler made the tackle for Colon.

After one quarter, Colon held a 7-6 lead. St. Patrick had a second down with nine yards to go on the Magi 38 yard line.

Lucas Simon gained three second down yards on a run around the right end. Kodey Dovey made the tackle for Colon. Connor Hetman covered on the incomplete Shamrock third down pass. Simon Vinson knocked St. Patrick’s fourth down pass out of the air. Colon took over the ball on downs on their own 32 yard line.

Simon Vinson passed to Justin Wickey for an eleven yard gain. Lucas Simon made the tackle for St. Patrick.

Kaleb Johnson’s first down run netted two yards before Tyler Groothuis and Brayden Simon tackled him. Lucas Simon knocked the second down pass away from the Magi receiver. Simon Vinson completed a nine yard pass to Justin Wickey to give the Magi a first down on the Shamrock 46 yard line.

Simon Vinson went to the right for an eighteen yard gain before Payton Russman knocked him out of bounds.

On the next play, Simon Vinson passed to Justin Wickey for a twenty-eight yard touchdown. Connor Hetman snapped the ball, Justin Wickey held the ball and Raul Fuentes-Garriga booted the extra point kick through the uprights. With 9:12 remaining in the first half, Colon had a 14-6 lead.

Raul Fuentes-Garriga kicked the ball off to the 17 yard line where Lucas Simon caught it and returned it thirteen yards before Alex Stoll and Kodey Dovey tackled him. St. Patrick started its next possession on its own 30 yard line.

Lucas Simon went to the right for a four yard first down gain. Justin Wickey made the tackle for the Magi. Brayden Simon went to the left and broke a tackle on his way to a four yard second down gain. Justin Wickey and Connor Hetman teamed up to make the tackle for Colon. A holding penalty on third down pushed the Shamrocks back eleven yards. Brayden Simon completed a ten yard third down pass to Tyler Groothuis. Alex Stoll pushed him out of bounds.

St. Patrick was three yards short of a first down, so Braxton Teachworth punted. Connor Hetman fielded the punt and gained about ten yards before Payton Russman and Joel Enz knocked him out of bounds. However, a penalty on the return pushed the Magi back to their own 10 yard line, where they started their next series.

Braxton Teachworth stopped the Colon first down run for no gain. Tyler Groothuis rushed the passer on second down; he knocked the pass out of the air. Lucas Simon covered on the incomplete Magi third down pass. Justin Wickey’s fourth down punt went to the Magi 45 yard line. Lucas Simon caught the punt and returned it eleven yards before Maverick Downs pushed him out of bounds. St. Patrick had a first down on the Colon 34 yard line.

Justin Wickey covered on the incomplete Shamrock first down pass. Owen Wilson and Tucker Lafler teamed up to stop the Shamrock second down run for a three yard loss. Connor Hetman and Alex Stoll covered on the Shamrock incomplete third down pass. Brayden Simon’s fourth down run gained five yards before Connor Hetman tackled him. Because he was short of a first down, Colon turned down a possible penalty. The Magi started their series on their own 32 yard line.

Simon Vinson made a fine first down run; Lucas Simon made the tackle. After a penalty was assessed to the Shamrocks, the Magi had a first down on the Shamrock 48 yard line.

Kaleb Johnson gained two yards on a first down run up the right tackle before Brayden Simon took him down. After a fumbled snap, Braxton Teachworth tackled the Magi quarterback for a fourteen yard second down loss. Simon Vinson completed a third down screen pass to Kaleb Johnson, but Brayden Simon stopped the play for no gain. Justin Wickey punted on fourth down; his teammate Maverick Downs downed the punt on the St. Patrick 40 yard line. The Shamrocks started their next possession there.

Brayden Simon’s screen pass to Braxton Teachworth gained twelve yards up the right side before Kodey Dovey and Tucker Lafler tackled him. St. Patrick had a first down in Colon territory on the 48 yard line.

Simon Vinson knocked St. Patrick’s first down pass down. Kaleb Johnson covered on the incomplete Shamrock second down pass. After the Shamrock quarterback was forced out of the pocket on third down, Owen Wilson and Tucker Lafler teamed up to stop the play for no gain. Kodey Dovey’s timely hit caused the Shamrock’s fourth down pass (after either a faked punt or broken play) to fall incomplete. Colon took over the ball on downs on their own 48 yard line with just 1:27 to play in the first half.

Simon Vinson completed a twenty-seven yard pass to Justin Wickey to give the Magi a first down on the Shamrock 25 yard line.

Braxton Teachworth and Tyler Groothuis teamed up to stop Colon’s first down run for no gain. Simon Vinson’s second down pass to Alex Stoll, who made a diving catch earned twenty yards to put Colon on the St. Patrick 5 yard line.

Simon Vinson went to the right for a five yard touchdown run. Connor Hetman hiked the ball, Justin Wickey held the ball and Raul Fuentes-Garriga kicked the successful extra point. With just 16 seconds remaining in the first half, Colon had a 21-6 lead.

Raul Fuentes-Garriga kicked the ball off to the 50 yard line, where Braxton Teachworth caught it and returned it about eight yards before Blake Vanderstraaten shoved him out of bounds. St. Patrick had the ball on the Colon 42 yard line.

On the next play, Connor Hetman intercepted the ball and returned it about fifteen yards before Devin Cook tackled him. Colon had the ball and time for one play on its own 44 yard line.

Colon ran a complex play where Simon Vinson passed the ball to Justin Wickey, who flung the ball to Kaleb Johnson for an apparent touchdown on the last play of the first half. However, it was ruled that Justin Wickey was over the line of scrimmage; the touchdown pass was called back.

That was the end of the first half. Colon took a 21-6 lead into the locker room at halftime. If general football protocol holds up, the Magi will return to the field at the start of the third quarter with that lead.

Raul Fuentes-Garriga kicked the ball off to open the third quarter. The Shamrock kick returner was hit hard by Tucker Lafler and fumbled the ball; the Magi (I think it was Tucker Lafler, but it was hard to tell because of the pile of players) recovered the ball on the Shamrock 38 yard line and started their series.

Kaleb Johnson went into the middle for a four yard first down gain. Brayden Simon and Devin Cook made the Shamrock tackle. On the next play, Simon Vinson went around the right side for a thirty-four yard touchdown run. Connor Hetman snapped the ball, Justin Wickey held the ball and Raul Fuentes-Garriga kicked the successful extra point. With 11:07 to play in the third quarter, the Magi lead was at 28-6.

Raul Fuentes-Garriga’s kickoff was fielded by Lucas Simon at the 20 yard line. He gained about twelve yards before Justin Wickey and Tucker Lafler took him down. St. Patrick started its next series on its own 32 yard line.

Tucker Lafler and Kaleb Johnson stopped the Shamrock first down run for no gain. Tucker Lafler and Kodey Dovey stopped the second down run for a two yard loss. Interference was called on the Shamrock third down pass; St. Patrick ended up with a first down on the Colon 44 yard line.

Brayden Simon passed to Braxton Teachworth for a 22 yard gain; Connor Hetman made the tackle for Colon. St. Patrick had a first down on the Colon 22 yard line.

Connor Hetman knocked the Shamrock first down pass out of the sky. Brayden Simon earned two yards on his second down run; Tucker Lafler tackled him. Connor Hetman covered on the St. Patrick incomplete third down pass. Kaleb Johnson and Simon Vinson covered on the incomplete fourth down pass. The Magi took over the ball on downs on their own 20 yard line.

Braxton Teachworth stopped the Magi first down run up the middle for a one yard gain. Lucas Simon covered on the incomplete Colon second down pass. Landon Simpson covered on the incomplete third down pass. On fourth down, Colon lined up for a punt. I’m not sure if the punt was blocked or whether Justin Wickey deliberately faked the punt, but Justin Wickey ran for twenty-nine yards before Lucas Simon made the Shamrock tackle. The Magi had a first down on their own 45 yard line.

On the next play, Simon Vinson ran up the left sideline for a 55 yard touchdown. Connor Hetman snapped the ball, Justin Wickey held the ball and Raul Fuentes-Garriga kicked the successful extra point. With 5:55 remaining in the third quarter, Colon held a 35-6 lead.

Raul Fuentes-Garriga kicked the ball off to the 36 yard line where Braxton Teachworth snared it and returned it 10 yards before Kodey Dovey tackled him. St. Patrick started its drive on its own 46 yard line.

Payton Russman went to the left for an eleven yard gain before Tucker Lafler knocked him out of bounds. St. Patrick had a first down in Colon territory on the 46 yard line.

Brayden Simon passed to Braxton Teachworth, who had to fall to the ground to catch the pass, for an eight yard first down gain. Lucas Simon went to the right for a five yard second down gain to earn another first down for the Shamrocks. Tucker Lafler and Simon Vinson collaborated on the Magi tackle.

Blake Vanderstraaten covered for the Magi on the Shamrock incomplete first down pass. Brayden Simon went to the right for a five yard second down gain; Kodey Dovey and Kaleb Johnson teamed up for the Colon tackle. Kaleb Johnson and Tucker Lafler stopped the Shamrock third down run for a one yard loss. A false start penalty pushed St. Patrick back five yards. Owen Wilson, Tucker Lafler and Alex Stott teamed up to sack the Shamrock quarterback for a fourth down seven yard loss. Colon took over the ball on downs on its own 38 yard line.

Brayden Simon won a fight for the ball and intercepted Colon’s first down pass at the Shamrock 44 yard line. St. Patrick started its next series there.

Justin Wickey stopped the Shamrock first down run for a two yard loss. Simon Vinson covered on the incomplete Shamrock second down pass. Brayden Simon completed a third down screen pass to Tyler Groothuis, but Alex Stoll stopped the play for a four yard loss. Braxton Teachworth punted the ball to the Colon 27 yard line on fourth down. Justin Wickey caught the ball and returned it twenty-six yards before Tyler Groothuis and Devin Cook tackled him.

Colon had a first down on the St. Patrick 47 yard line.

On the final play of the third quarter, Tyler Groothuis stopped the Magi first down run for no gain.

After three quarters, Colon had a 35-6 lead. They had a second down situation with ten yards to go on the St. Patrick 47 yard line.

Simon Vinson gained six yards on a second down run to the right. Landon Simpson and Tyler Groothuis teamed up for the St. Patrick tackle. Braxton Teachworth and Tyler Groothuis teamed up to stop the Magi third down run for a three yard loss. Lucas Simon covered on Colon’s long, incomplete fourth down pass. St. Patrick took over the ball on downs on their own 44 yard line.

Kaleb Johnson stopped the St. Patrick first down run to the left for no gain. Brayden Simon passed to Lucas Simon for a four yard second down gain; Maverick Downs made the tackle for the Magi. Brayden Simon’s third down pass to Braxton Teachworth earned another four yards; Justin Wickey made the tackle for Colon. Alex Stoll and Justin Wickey covered on the Shamrock fourth down pass; it was deflected and fell incomplete. Colon took over the ball on downs on their own 48 yard line.

Kaleb Johnson went to the left for a five yard first down gain before he ran into Tyler Groothuis and Brayden Simon. Brayden Simon and Braxton Teachworth stopped the Colon second down run for no gain. Braxton Teachworth, Joel Enz and Devin Cook all got into the backfield on the Colon third down pass play; the pressured the quarterback into throwing the ball away; intentional grounding was called and Colon was moved back to its own 43 yard line. Justin Wickey’s fourth down punt was fielded by Lucas Simon on the St. Patrick 33 yard line and returned eight yards before he ran out of bounds. St. Patrick started its series on its own 41 yard line.

Brayden Simon went to the right for a five yard first down gain. Maverick Downs got the Magi tackle. Payton Russman dragged some tacklers on his way to an eight yard gain. St. Patrick had a first down on the Magi 44 yard line.

Colon chased Brayden Simon out of the pocket on first down, but he was able to gain six yards before Kodey Dovey tackled him. Payton Russman’s second down run to the left earned five yards before Chuck Wagner stopped him; St. Patrick had another first down.

Lucas Simon went to the right for a three yard Shamrock first down gain; Kodey Dovey made the tackle for the Magi. Brayden Simon passed to Tyler Groothuis for a ten yard second down gain to earn a first down for St. Patrick on the Colon 20 yard line. Connor Hetman made the tackle for Colon.

Lucas Simon’s first down run to the right gained five yards before Chuck Wagner stopped him. Maverick Downs stopped the Shamrock second down run for a three yard loss. A third down pass interference penalty gave St. Patrick a first down on the Colon ten yard line.

On the next play, Brayden Simon tossed a ten yard touchdown pass to Braxton Teachworth. Shawn Frawley centered the ball, Lucas Simon held it and Tyler Groothuis kicked the successful extra point. With 55 seconds left on the clock, Colon’s lead was at 35-13.

Tyler Groothuis kicked the ball off to the Colon 20 yard line where Justin Wickey caught the ball and knelt to down it.

Colon took a knee on the next play. St. Patrick took Braxton Teachworth, its only senior healthy enough to play today out of the game for the last round of applause of his football career. Colon took knees on the next two plays.

Colon won the game 35-13 to advance to the second round game in Morrice next weekend.