Football: Oilers stun Chemics

by Quinn Kane

Midland High coach Terry Wilczek knew his team had to play well in their season opener against Mount Pleasant Friday. Unfortunately for the Chemics, they just didn’t do it.

The Oilers scored 29 second-half points and the Chemics gave up big play after big play as Mount Pleasant defeated Midland High 43-23 at Midland Stadium.

“I think [Mount Pleasant’s] ability to convert those big plays was the difference in the ball game,” Wilczek said afterwards. “We didn’t make any plays in the third quarter, and they made a couple that got the momentum going in their favor.”

That momentum got going less than three minutes into the third quarter when Fisayo Farnoye took a screen pass from William Arnold 78 yards to give the Oilers a 20-15 lead. But while Farnoye’s touchdown proved to be the go-ahead score, it was the play of receiver Tyler Mills that stole the show for the Oilers.

Mills put the Oilers on the board just 1:04 into the game when he took a screen pass from Arnold 69 yards. He followed that up four minutes later with a 77-yard touchdown grab that stunned the Chemics and the Community Stadium crowd.

Not to be outdone, Midland came right back with an impressive drive that was capped off by a 9-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Maxwell to Kevin Alcott, who then turned around and scored on a punt return with just 26.9 seconds to go in the first to put the Chemics right back into the game. However Midland failed on both extra-point attempts and the score was 14-12 heading into the second.

The second quarter saw limited action, though the Chemics would take their first and only lead of the game when Catlin Porter snuck a 31-yard field goal inside the uprights to put Midland up 15-14 at the half.

But Farnoye would score early in the third quarter, and Mills later added his third touchdown grab of the game as Mount Pleasant built a 28-15 lead. John Arlt and Jarrett Leister would later add scores to make it 43-15 before Joel Parsons finally got the Chemics back on the board with a one-yard touchdown. Catlin Porter hauled in the two-point conversion to close the scoring.

“We came from behind in the first half, but they got a little momentum in the third quarter,” Wilczek said. “We just didn’t respond well at all.”

Yet the Chemics will have to respond quickly if they hope to avoid an early season hole, as they face off against a tough Bay City Central squad next week.

“We have to go back to work,” Wilczek said. “It’s another tough opponent [next week] so we have no choice.”

The Chemics will square off against the Wolves Thursday when they travel to Bay City. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.