Strong ball control and disciplined defense paved the way for a Michigan victory on a beautiful March evening. The men in blue got out to a 31-0 lead with 20 minutes left and held on for the win, 31-17.
A mostly second string Davenport side kicked off to start the game and put in a big hit and early pressure on the Wolverines. However, they committed the first of a string of ruck offenses and allowed Michigan to get out of their own end. DU continued to pressure early but their penalties allowed U of M a kicking opportunity from about 40 meters out and Grady Bridges made it 3-0 Michigan, 10 minutes in.
The penalties against the Panthers continued and caused referee Dave Jameson to yellow card an infringing DU forward. This continued and another Davenport player was sent off for 10 minutes a few minutes later. Michigan was unable to take advantage of the two man advantage as DU covered U of M’s attacks out wide. A set piece knock on while in the Davenport 22 allowed DU to relieve pressure.
It wasn’t until the game was back to 15 on 15 that Michigan put a try on the board. A solid 5 man line-out in the Davenport half gave Michigan options in the midfield. Karl Boothman was able to attack second phase to keep the movement going. Eventually, the ball came to Grady Bridges who was able to carry a defender in on the right side of the try zone. The small but vocal contingent of Michigan parents and fans were brought to their feet. Bridges slotted the conversion and U of M was on top 10-0 with 13 minutes left in the half.
Michigan put themselves under pressure off of the kickoff with a Drew Vecchio knock on. DU attacked blindside with their #8 and wing but a strong tackle by Sebastian Harrison drove the wing out of bounds and gave Michigan a 5 meter line-out. The subsequent throw was long and a knock on in the scramble for the ball gave Davenport a 5 meter scrum. Davenport’s passing let them down off of the scrum and Michigan was able to gobble up the ball and thump it down field. The long kick by Grady Bridges rolled out inside the DU 22 and the men in blue officially had weathered the storm on their goal line.
Pressure in the Davenport end caused a ruck offense by the Panthers and gave Michigan another shot for three from only 20 meters out. However, the kick by Bridges was wide and DU was given a 22 drop. The kick was straight down field and caught by scrumhalf Ian Etheart. Ian checked his options as he attacked the Davenport line but found a nice opening for himself. Showing off his speed, Etheart went straight through the Davenport defense, avoided the last tackler and put the ball down behind the left post. Bridges nailed the conversion and after killing the last minute of play, Michigan went to halftime up 17-0.
The Wolverines would be facing the sun in the second half and knew they had to start strong to keep DU out of the game. A Davenport handling error gave U of M possession around midfield. Working a few phases, Jared Bosma move the ball to Bridges who dragged the defense and dropped the ball off to outside center Matt Crabtree. Crabtree took a hard switch line and cut back through the DU defense, straightened up field, avoided one tackler, and outraced the last to get Michigan the early try they were looking for. Bridges was good on the conversion again and it was U of M 24, Davenport 0 with 38 minutes left.
The game started to get a bit slower as the warm March evening was wearing on the players. Matt Pilon came on for Vecchio, CJ Stock came on for Ian Etheart who left with a shoulder injury, and Evan Rourke came on for Zach Kendall. With some fresh legs on, Michigan had a line-out around mid way. Won by U of M, the ball was moved to the midfield where Matt Crabtree took a hard cut in and through the DU defense again. Kenny Andutan ran a great support line and took a tight pass from Crabtree. Andutan then outran the last defender just enough to bounce into the try zone. Bridges again good with the conversion, Michigan up 31-0 with 24 minutes left.
The Michigan fitness started to wane though, and Davenport got on the board a few minutes later to make it a 31-5 lead. The last subs of Chris Padmos and Cole Van Harn were used but U of M’s offense was noticeably slowed nonetheless. DU took advantage of their possessions and pressured forward with strong runs through a disorganized Michigan defense. This resulted in tries with 6 and 5 minutes remaining to make the score 31-17. But solid kicking by Grady Bridges relieved any following pressure and Michigan walked away with the victory.
Special thanks to the Conzelmann and Etheart families for their snacks for the team. Thanks for all of the supporting families as well as Davenport for the excellent facilities and post-match food.
1. Spencer Scolnick
2. Pete Melgren
3. Zach Kendall
4. Sebastian Harrison
5. Drew Vecchio
6. Mike Wilinski
7. Kenny Andutan
8. Mike LaCivita
9. Ian Etheart
10. Jared Bosma
11. Karl Boothman
12. Grady Bridges
13. Matt Crabtree
14. Brandon Kolk
15. Joel Conzelmann
16. Evan Rourke
17. Matt Pilon
18. Cole Van Harn
19. Chris Padmos
20. CJ Stock
Tries: Bridges 27′, Etheart 38′, Crabtree 42′, Andutan 56′
Cons: Bridges 28′, 39′, 43′, 56′
Pens: Bridges 10′
