Senior TE Conner Toomey caught 2 TD passes from junior QB Jack Fairman in the Cranes 28-25 victory over Walled Lake Central.
The Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Cranes defeated the Walled Lake Central Vikings 28-25 in a non-conference match up yesterday. The victory was Cranbrook’s first ever victory over a Lakes Valley Conference opponent.
The Cranes got off to a good start, putting together several drives for touchdowns and playing good defense.
Senior TE Connor Toomey caught 2 TD passes from QB Jack Fairman in the first quarter to give the Cranes a 14-0 lead.
The second quarter brought a rushing TD by sophomore QB Alex Short. After a punt by the Vikings, Cranbrook scored again on a rushing TD by junior Tariq Muhammad.
K Chase Paulus converted all 4 PAT’s to give the Cranes a 28-0 half time lead.
“We played a solid first half of football. The team was focused and executed well”, said Cranes Head Coach Scott Steward.
The second half belonged to Walled Lake Central.
The Vikings worked their way back in to the game, putting together a sustained drive. An 11-yard run brought the score to 28-6 with 2:04 left remaining at the end of the third quarter.
An onside kick recovery gave Walled Lake Central the ball back for another drive, ending in a 10-yard rushing TD. A second failed PAT left the score 28-12 early in the fourth quarter.
A second onside kick gave the Vikings the ball back again. They would capitalize with a 33-yard TD pass for a quick strike, bringing the score to 28-18 with 10:08 left to play.
This time Cranbrook would prevent an onside kick recovery and take possession. But their drive would stall in Viking territory, forcing the Cranes to punt.
Cranbrook’s defense would force Walled Lake Central to give the ball over on downs, giving the Cranes an opportunity to run out the clock.
But a fumble on the snap gave the Vikings a quick scoop and score, bringing the contest to 28-25 after a converted PAT with 2:36 left to play.
Cranbrook would finally end the contest with a drive that wound down the clock and preserved a victory.
“Walled Lake Central showed a lot of poise to climb back into the game,” said Coach Steward. “I give them credit for not giving up and showing toughness in the second half.”
Cranbrook moves on to host Detroit Loyola in a CHSL- AA Division match up next week, while Walled Lake Central will face South Lyon in a Lakes Valley divisional pairing for Week 6.