Bay City Western Stuns Number 4 Ranked Midland Dow Chemics
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Bay City Western QB Matt Grew Passed and ran (Below) the Warriors to a 28-21 Win over Dow
The Bay City Western Warriors shocked the Michigan High School football scene on Friday night with a dramatic victory over the number #4 ranked Midland Chemics 28-21 in Midland. Even with the Detroit Free Press calling for a Chemic victory the Warriors, who were undermanned with some nagging injuries, marched down the field on a 97 yard drive to score the go ahead touchdown.
The full house sat stunned with the Warriors going on top with Matt Grew plowing into the end-zone with 1:42 to go for the 28-21 lead. The Chemics moved the ball to mid-field and was stopped as All-State quarterback Andrew Maxwell was tackled for a loss on fourth down. The Warriors then downed the ball twice to run out the clock.
The match-up between the Bay City Western Warriors and the Midland Chemics has shaped up to be one of the "games of the year" in the Saginaw Valley League. Coming into the game with a combine 9-1 record and only a double overtime loss by 1 point is all that kept the game from being played by two undefeated teams.
The Midland Chemics were coming off a Class A State runner-up finish in 2007. They returned with a veteran offense lead by All-State quarterback Andrew Maxwell. The Midland senior has been the starting quarterback been leading the Chemics for the past four seasons.
A drenched and emotional Head Coach Jim Eurick said immediately following the game that "I wish that my dad could have been here to see this." Eurick, in a quiet voice, spoke on how his Warriors rose to the occasion. "There was no letdown in this team. They faced adversity and rose to the occasion."
Quarterback Matt Grew, who was banged up and it wasn't certain if he would be able to play effectively until shortly before game time, marched the Warriors up and down the field all night. His performance against the highly ranked Chemics earned him the player of the night while completing 7 of 11 passes for 122 yards and then also carrying the ball 24 times for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The key to the game (pointed out by Coach Eurick earlier in the week) was to have a good 1st quarter against the explosive Chemics.
After a scoreless 1st quarter, the Warriors showed the overflow crowd that the they could hang with the Chemics. Going into the locker down 14-7 at halftime, the Warriors knew that they would keep pace with the Chemics.
Western got some unexpected production from Zach Lang who rushed for 93 yards on 22 carries and scored a touchdown. Western effectively used the clock to their advantage keeping the high powered Chemic offense off the field with a good mix of running the ball and well timed passes.
Coach Eurick said he felt "A bit worried when Midland when ahead 21-7 in the third quarter." "This was a clean game no cheap shots because both teams respect each other."
With the victory comes first place in the Saginaw Valley League and with 3 games to play, both teams will now start to focus on one more victory which would qualify them for the MHSAA playoffs.
There is a good chance that these two teams could meet again in the first two rounds of the State Championship playoffs. Western now faces Saginaw Arthur Hill Coach Jim Eurick's old school. The Lumberjacks started off fast with a 4-0 start but have stumbled a bit dropping their last two games. But you can expect another tight game with Arthur Hill who also has a highly touted quarterback leading them.
But if the Western defense plays like they did in this game, they will be tough to beat down the road. This victory for Jim Eurick and his solid coaching staff has to rank right up their with some of his most memorable coaching victories.
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Tom Baird |
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