ROCHESTER HILLS — After several giveaways and failing to score for more than two and a half quarters, Rochester Adams could have been ruled out of Friday night’s game against Grand Blanc.

After all, this is the team that was picked to finish last in OAA Red. And that was before losing his starting quarterback to a season-ending injury midway through the year. This wouldn’t be the first time they received a discount.

The final seven and a half minutes of the Highlanders’ 21-14 victory over the Bobcats for a Division 1 regional championship was the latest proof that they shouldn’t be underestimated.

“That’s nice,” Highlanders quarterback Nolan Farris said. “I always hoped we would get to this point, but I could never see it in my mind. Now that it’s here, it’s incredible.

With the game tied when Adams recovered the ball at his own 35-yard line with 7:27 remaining, Farris and running back Mateo Humbert each moved the chains to bring the ball into enemy territory, but the Bobcats stuffed the run to put the Highlanders. in a fourth-and-6 situation.

Coming out of left space, Farris hit fellow junior Cameron Dawood as he cut inside for a crucial 16-yard gain and the conversion.

“We played this play a lot in practice this week expecting a situation like this,” Farris said. “I saw the 1-on-1 coverage and I knew he would go down with that ball. I had a lot of confidence in him.

When the Highlanders had to convert again on third-and-4, Farris used his legs to gain six yards and advance to the 8-yard line. From there, Humbert, a two-way star of the night, ran a gap for the go-ahead touchdown, his second score of the night, with 1:11 to play.

After the corresponding kickoff, Grand Blanc, impressive and efficient in the passing game for most of the evening despite only two scores, placed the ball in Adams territory on a catch from senior receiver Caseton Sendry, backs against the wall, but the Highlanders ended the game with two big defensive plays. First, Matt Toeppner sacked Bobcats junior quarterback Jake Morrow, and Lachlan Tillotson sealed it with an interception downfield on the final play of the game.

It was a tough finish after it appeared Adams (10-2) might gradually pull away judging by the first quarter or so.

The Highlanders were methodical on the opening drive and took advantage of Humbert’s first rushing touchdown from a yard out to take a 6-0 lead after the extra point was blocked with 5:25 left in the first quarter.

When the Highlanders got the ball back, they relied on the running of Humbert and Dawood, then advanced the ball to the Bobcats’ 14-yard line after a defensive pass interference penalty on third-and-9. The next play, Toeppner veered toward the right sideline and used a long dive to break the pylon for a 14-yard score, and Humbert’s successful run on the conversion put Adams up 14-0 with 10:15 left in the half.

That’s when Morrow, who was elusive, unorthodox and crafty throughout the match, began to find his rhythm despite frequent pressure. Grand Blanc mostly moved the ball through the air on its first scoring drive, ending on a five-yard TD run by Sendry with 5:42 left in the half.

A fumble recovery by the Bobcats gave them a chance to tie the game before intermission, but it proved harmless when Adams’ pass defense held strong on a third-and-long situation and then an attempt 40-yard field goal failed. , hitting the crossbar.

Humbert recorded his second sack of the night on fourth-and-1 to end the Bobcats’ first drive of the second half, but the Highlanders didn’t do much better with the ball, stopping by about a foot on the fourth try. Grand Blanc was more dangerous when recovering the ball, settling for modest gains through the air before Morrow gained eight yards on a keeper and then a handful more to get into the end zone untouched, allowing to tie the match with just over two. minutes remaining in the third.

“Their offensive lineman, they were pretty good, I’m not going to lie,” Humbert said. “(Morrow) is pretty fast, he can honestly throw that thing.”

Regarding the difficulty of stopping the Grand Blanc QB, Adams head coach Tony Patritto added: “He’s made huge plays all season. He’s really good at extending plays and making late throws and he has some really good receivers. We had to play very strong team defense to contain him. Holding them to 14 points is a testament to our defensive staff and players.

With the game deadlocked, both teams’ defenses forced a punt each – Patritto credited Grand Blanc for bringing an extra defender into the box as the game progressed, slowing down the offense his team – then the Bobcats (9-3) recovered their second fumble of the game. match for what appeared to be a turnaround. However, that aforementioned defense, which also saw senior Liam Kania reach Morrow on multiple occasions, held on on a fourth-and-4 that allowed the Highlanders to get the ball back to start their victory.

Photo gallery of Rochester Adams vs. Grand Blanc during the D1 regional football championship

After the match, Patritto spoke about how his team was perceived in their march to the semifinals.

“We’re one of the smallest schools in the division, picked last or next to last every year, that’s exactly what it’s been like,” Patritto said. “We play such great teams. I kind of understand it. There’s not a lot of four or five star kids here. They’re all Adams kids from Rochester. So we’re used to it and we use it sort of like a badge of honor.”

The Highlanders beat Grand Blanc 40-20 in the semifinals three years ago. Now they will have a chance to reach the D1 title game again and will come through either Hudsonville or Howell. These teams will play a regional final in Howell on Saturday afternoon.

“When you get to this point in the season, the last eight, the last four, everyone is really, really good,” Patritto said. It comes down to execution, health, playing well and preparing. I trust our stuff will have our kids ready to play next week. »