The Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Cranes defeated the Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes (WOLL) Lakers in their Catholic League opener 36-21 on Friday. This win is Cranbrook’s first victory over WOLL since joining the CHSL in 2010.
The Cranes jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter with 2 TD passes from junior QB Trevor McConnell. Targeting sophomore WR Torrell Williams on a 32-yard TD pass and sophomore WR Kobi Russell on a 17-yard TD pass, the Cranes would add 2 field goals by junior K Pierson Cooke from 40 yard and 28 yards to lead 19-0.
The second quarter saw another Cooke field goal from 25 yards for Cranbrook. But the WOLL defense would find the end zone on an interception by sophomore Noah Robak for a touchdown. The Cranes would lead 22-7 at the half.
“We got a great effort from a lot of our younger players,” said Cranes Head Coach Joe D’Angelo. “Their competitiveness helped us to build an early lead.”
Early in the 3rd quarter, the Cranes would strike on another touchdown pass, this time a 52-yard pass to sophomore Kobi Russell.
Not to be deterred, the WOLL defense would intercept a second McConnell pass, and return it for a touchdown. Late in the 3rd quarter, WOLL would pull together a drive, and score on a 1 yard TD run by senior RB Isaac Oliver. The Cranes held a 29-21 lead at the end of the 3rd period.
With the contest still in doubt and WOLL gaining momentum, the Cranes turned to senior RB Tristan Knoer for the steady hand. On 10 straight carries, Knoer rushed for 52 yards, running down the clock in the 4th period. Knoer would punch in a TD run from the 4 yard line to solidify the Crane victory at 36-21.
“We were able to have leadership from our senior players in the end,” said D’Angelo. “It was important for us to learn how to close out a game. Lakes never loses their fighting spirit, they are always well- prepared.”
Junior QB Trevor McConnell would finish with 21 completions on 36 attempts for 284 yards. Sophomore WR Kobi Russell would haul in 8 passes for 170 yards. The Cranes would rush for 111 yards behind senior RB Tristan Knoer and junior RB Aaron Wiggins.
Defensively, junior DL Chris Smith would lead the charge with 6 solo tackles and 4 assists, with a sack and a fumble recovery for good measure. Senior DL Ian Kovach had 2 tackles for a loss, while senior LB Pat Foley and freshman CB Jack Fairman added to the defensive effort.
WOLL now stand at 2-2 for the season. The Lakers begin their CHSL Intersectional II schedule against Marine City Cardinal Mooney (1-3) next week.
The Crane victory moves the team to 3-1 on the year. Cranbrook begins their CHSL Intersectional I divisional schedule in Week 5 against Macomb Lutheran North (2-2).