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Game
10...Griffins Drop District Title Shootout 42-35
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For
the second year in a row, the Griffins faced the
Jr. Bills from SLUH in the final game of the regular
season with a championship on the line. Last year,
the Griffins beat SLUH before a crowd of 4,500 to
win the MCC crown. This year the district title
was at stake before a packed house and a playoff
atmosphere. For the fans, the game did not disappoint
as the two conference foes traded ten lead changes
in a game that came down to the final possession.
The game featured almost 900 yards of total offense
and a touchdown for touchdown performance by both
teams. The Junior Bills scored first and the Griffins
quickly followed suit as the first quarter saw Vianney
lead 14-13. The Junior Bills took advantage of a
hotly disputed fumbled punt to go ahead at halftime
26-21. The second half was a back and forth battle
that saw both teams move up and down the field.
The Jr. Bills used another controversial call to
stop a Griffin drive that advanced to the SLUH five
yard line as the Griffs were ruled to have fumbled
near the goal line. The Griffins erased a 34-28
third quarter lead with a fourth quarter score to
go up 35-34. The Griffins left too much time on
the clock however, and the Jr. Bills were able to
add one final touchdown for the 42-35 margin.
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Game
9...Vianney Wins Battle Of The Boulevard |
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The
Lindbergh Flyers boast one of the area's most impressive
defenses, but it was the Griffin defense that stole
the show on Saturday as Vianney advances to the
district title game with a 16-6 win on Senior Day.
Mike Linneman had two interceptions at critical
times while Ted Grimes picked off one and added
10 total tackles. Bryan Boehmer dominated the middle
with 16 total tackles,two forced fumbles, and two
fumble recoveries. Nick Orf and Zack Franke kept
pressure on Lindbergh's QB, Rob Meeh, all day long,
forcing hurried passes and bad balls. The interior
tackles, Tim Kirchhoff, Jake Crews, and Nick Nekic
were run stoppers and shut down the Flyer inside
game. David Kramer and Dan Tipton contained the
perimeter and DeMarco Moorehead and Kevin Connors
kept the Flyer deep passing game in check and gave
solid run support. The offense controlled the ball
and the tempo of the game running 70 offensive plays
and controlling the time of possession as well.
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Game
8...District Game 1 Goes To Vianney |
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Game
1 in District competition goes to the Griffins as
they beat the Ritenour Huskies in a rare Saturday
afternoon game. The Griffins got things started
early as Demarco Moorehead recovered a fumble on
the game's second play and returned it for a touchdown.
Dalton Hewitt found Zack Franke in the end zone
twice for two touchdown passes and Ted Grimes returned
and interception for a touchdown as the Griffins
rolled. The defense accounted for five turnovers
in the game. Credit Bryan Boemer with another outstanding
performance in the middle while the Ted Grimes was
all over the field with tackles and pass coverage.
Jake Crews had career highs in tackles (7) and assists
(8). Dominic Vitale rushed for 147 yards on 19 carries
and Dalton Hewitt threw 2 touchdowns in a 10 for
20 performance for 156 yards
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Game
7...Griffins Win Against Howell North |
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In
their final game before district competition begins,
the Griffins got back on the winning path with a
29-20 victory over the Knights of Francis Howell
North. The Griffins scored first and never trailed
as they controlled a highly regarded Howell team
that is among the top squads in the GAC Conference.
The Defense had some outstanding efforts. Nick Nekic,
in his second start had two sacks and recorded a
safety. Nick Orf and Zack Franke were outstanding
on perimeter defense and Brian Boemer had another
big night at the middle linebacker spot, recording
16 tackles. Ted Grimes was big on both sides of
the ball as he rushed for a touchdown and had an
interception. The offense controlled the line of
scrimmage all night and ran over seventy plays for
the fourth game in a row.
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Game
6...Griffin Comeback Ends In Controversy |
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The
Griffin game day pattern continued, spotting Chaminade
a 21 point first quarter lead and then mounting
a furious comeback to keep the homecoming crowd
on the edge of their seats. This one was unusual
because the Griffins final scoring drive ended with
1:44 left in the game and pulled the boys to within
21-19, A two point conversion appeared to pull the
Griffins into a tie and looked to send the game
into overtime. But a late call by the officials
ruled that while the catch was made in the end zone,
the ball was actually outside the goal line...no
score. The game ended with the #11 Flyers winning
a heartbreaker before a packed house. Game highlights
featured Bryan Boemer's debut at linebacker with
an outstanding performance and Nick Orf's great
effort at defensive end with three blocked passes
and a sac. |
Zack Franke also blocked a pass and caught a TD
as well. The Randy Frisch Homecoming MVP trophy
went to Dominic Vitale, who has his second 160+
yard rushing effort in a row. Ted Grimes was a multiple
threat, playing in the secondary and carrying the
ball for 70 yards from his new running back position.
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Game
5...Five Turnovers Cost Griffs Win vs CBC |
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Dominic
Vitale's spectacular 41 carries for 226 yards were
for naught as two interceptions for CBC touchdowns
and one returned to the Griffin five yard line gave
CBC 21 crucial points as the Griffins lost at home
49-18. The one-sided score didn't tell the whole
story as the Griffs dominated the CBC front seven
on both sides of the ball, but interceptions and
a fumble gave CBC all the scoring they would need
to seal the game. The key play in the |
game
came with CBC up 21- 6 near the end of the first
half and the Griffins at the Cadet ten yard line.
A tipped ball fell into the arms of a CBC defender
who was able to go 95 yards for the TD and shock
the home crowd. The Griffins would mount numerous
drives that would move into CBC territory but turnovers
were the nightmare of the night as the Griffins
dropped this home MCC contest.
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Game
4 - Griffs Spot DeSmet 17...Comeback Fails |
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For
the second week in a row, the Griffins spotted their
opponent three first half scores before rallying
to make the game a close one. This time the task
was a large one as the defending State Champs from
DeSmet used three big plays to take a 17-0 lead
with 1:39 left in the half. The Griffins would get
a solid kickoff return, only to be penalized back
to their own ten yardline. With 1:21 left, the Griffs
mounted a seven play, 90 yard touchdown drive to
make the score 17-7 with only 5 seconds left in
the half. The second half belonged to the Griffins
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second
week in a row as the offense and defense outplayed
the Spartans. An 80 yard opening half drive saw
the Griffins cut the score to 17-14, but another
big bomb from the Spartans regained a 10 point margin
at 24-14. Vianney mounted another impressive drive
in the fourth quarter to bring some excitement into
DeSmet's homecoming crowd as the score was cut to
24-21. Both sides traded possessions and the Griffins
found themselves in familiar territory.....late
in the game with a chance to win. The offense moved
the ball but was unable to convert on a 4th down
situation to continue the decisive drive and DeSmet
took over in Vianney territory. DeSmet made some
yardage as the Griffins tried to strip the ball
with just seconds left and scored a late one to
make the final score DeSmet 31 - Vianney 21.
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Game
3 - Ist Half Dooms Griffins vs Jackson |
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The
Jackson Indians rank as the state's #7 all time
program in terms of wins. They lived up to their
reputation Friday night as they capitalized on numerous
Griffin mistakes to take a 21-0 halftime lead and
hold on for a 24 - 6 win at Don Heeb field. Vianney
and Jackson entered the game with identical 1-1
records and expectations were high for a typically
well played and tough game. From the outset though,
it was clear that the Griffins would struggle as
they plagued themselves with dropped |
passes,
missed tackles, and 6 penalties (the Griffs had
only 4 in the previous two games). Jackson opened
the scoring with a 70 yard sprint that saw 6 different
players miss shots on the ball carrier. The second
score came on the heels of a snap over punter David
Kramer's head. The Indians had the ball with 12
seconds left in the half an ran a QB bootleg to
try to set up a long field goal, but poor tackling
again cost the Griffs as Jackson scored with 2.3
seconds left in the half. The second half saw much
improve defensive play as the Griffins held the
Indians to only 3 points, but the offense had trouble
finding the end zone. Zack Franke scored on a 30
yard pass from Ted Grimes but the Griffs squandered
two scoring opportunities that could have made the
game's final minutes very interesting. The Griffins
must rebound as they prepare for their televised
contest against the defending state champion DeSmet
Spartans.
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Game
2 - Griffins Drop Riverview On Final Play |
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The
Riverview Rams came to Don Heeb Field with a team
they think may be their best since their 1999 State
Championship squad and their 42 point outburst last
week against Ritenour established them as a serious
offensive threat. The Griffins took an early lead
on a Ted Grimes touchdown run in the first quarter.
The Rams capitalized on two Griffin interceptions
in 3:30 to take a 12-8 advantage into the locker
room at halftime. In the third quarter, the Griffs
squandered a scoring opportunity |
on
a 4th an goal from the Rams 1. The boys would rally
with some tough defense to get the ball back and
Ted Grimes would find paydirt for the second time
as he scrambled for a five yard touchdown run. Turnovers
would plague the Griffins all night long as the
defense worked to defend Riverview quarterback,
AJ Steward and explosive running back, Demario Massey.
The Rams were able to capitalize on a phenomenal
pick by Steward who returned the ball to the Griffin
21. The Rams would gain the go-ahead score as Steward
found Dominick Thomas in the end zone with 5:47
left to play. The Griffins moved the ball on their
ensuing possession and looked to be in position
to make another scoring drive, but Riverview answered
with another acrobatic interception and appeared
to ice the game with just over two minutes remaining
and the ball at the Griffin 23. The Griffin defense
gave their best effort of the night, shutting down
the high powered Ram offense and regaining possession
of the ball at the 16 yard line with 1:09 left in
the game. The fans who left early missed one of
the greatest drives ever on Don Heeb field. With
84 yards to cover in 1:09 and no time outs remaining,
the Griffins managed to mount a nine play drive
that culminated in a Grimes to Jeff Shoor touchdown
catch on the game's final play. Final score: Vianney
21 - Riverview 20.
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Game
1 - Griffins Against #10 Oakville |
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The
Oakville Tigers lived up to their first top ten
ranking since Gerald Ford was President with a 35-0
win over the visiting Griffins. With 17 returning
starters from their District Championship team of
'05, Oakville played like the veteran squad they
are. Big plays highlighted the Tiger offensive attack
as the Griffin defense was tough at times, but struggled
against the deep pass. Oakville's quarterback, Cody
Terry came into the game as a question mark after
starting as a sophomore but not seeing much action
as a junior. Terry erased all doubts with an outstanding
performance with pinpoint deep ball |
accuracy. The Oakville ground attack was controlled
much of the game, but the Griffs gave up two key
fourth down runs that led to Tiger scores. Offensively,
the shutout was a rare day for the fast paced
Vianney attack. The Griffins moved into the red
zone on five occasions but couldn't penetrate
the endzone. Highlights for the Griffins included
the play of Nick Orf at defensive end. Nick, a
two-way starter was the most improved player from
the jamboree a week ago. Brian Boemer was solid
on offense as he recorded numerous pancake blocks
throughout the night. Inexperience showed as the
Griffins struggled to execute their offense at
key points in the game, moving the ball very effectively
at times, only to falter on some critical plays.
Positives were a lack of penalties for a typical
game 1 and the second half play of the defense.
Big improvement are needed as the Griffs move
on to face Riverview in the home opener on the
new Don Heeb field.
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