Football: Chemics cruise into playoffs with 38-14 win over Dow

by Cory Butzin

The weather couldn’t stop the Chemics Friday night.

Neither could the Chargers.

Midland put together a methodical scoring drive on the game’s opening possession, jump starting a 31-point first half as they cruised into the playoffs with a 38-14 win against Midland Dow in the final game of the regular season.

“The big thing is, after the tough game last week we bounced back and played real well early in the ball game,” said Midland Coach Terry Wilczek. “That was really important. “

The Chemics took the opening kickoff and began a drive that took seven minutes off the clock and concluded when Joel Parsons charged in for a 3-yard touchdown. Catlin Porter added the extra point to give Midland a 7-0 lead.

The game remained close until the second quarter when everything seemed to go right for the Chemics and everything seemed to fall apart for the Chargers. Andrew Maxwell started the onslaught with a 1-yard touchdown run two minutes in. Porter’s extra point made the score 14-0.

Five minutes later, the Chemics would march down the field again and found the end zone when Colter Roberson plunged in from three yards out. The Chemics’ moved the lead to 21-0 following the extra point.

With a minute remaining in the half, Maxwell found Andrew Cox for a 7-yard touchdown reception to push the lead to 28-0, and fifty seconds later, Andrew Grillo picked off a Dow pass and returned it to the Dow 10 yard line to give the Chemics one final chance to score before the break.

Porter did just that, adding a 27-yard field goal with one second left to give Midland a 31-0 lead going into the half.

“They didn’t make any mistakes,” said Midland Dow Coach Kurt Faust, who also pointed out that the Chargers were limited by their own offensive shortcomings. “You put together a seven-minute first drive to begin a game and I think that’s the toughest blow right there… “

But Faust and his coaching staff clearly figured something out in the locker room as it seemed as if a different Dow team came out in the second half. On the opening drive of the third quarter, Kyle Partlo took the handoff, broke through the Midland defense and raced 56 yards for a touchdown to give the Chargers their first touchdown in three games. Alex Faust’s extra point made it 31-7.

Midland answered on the next possession, though, with a 45-yard completion by Maxwell to Michael Albrecht that put the Chemics into scoring position. Roberson scored his second touchdown of the night two plays later from six yards out to give Midland a 38-7 lead, following the extra point.

“Andrew Maxwell was sharp, on the money,” said Wilczek. “He was right on. That took the pressure off our running game.”

Dow later added another touchdown with three minutes left in the game when Partlo scored on an 8-yard run to close the scoring at 38-14.

The loss marks the end of an up-and-down season for Dow as they finish 4-5. But while the final record may not be what the Chargers had envisioned, a visibly emotional Faust made sure to point out how proud he was of his team, specifically the seniors.

“They’ve meant a lot to me because I’ve watched them grow up,” he said. “I’ve seen most of these kids on sports fields since they were four years old…God’s going to bless them for what they learned here, and they’re going to have many happy memories and they’re going to do great things.”

Meanwhile, the end of the regular season marks the beginning of a new one for Midland as they head into the playoffs with a 7-2 record. Their opponent will be announced Sunday night when the state brackets are released.