There wasn’t a lack of offense at the Laingsburg Wolfpack vs. the Sand Creek Aggies up in Laingsburg, Michigan. Defense was for the most part non-existent in this game as the two teams combined for 105 points and 912 yards of offense. This game even went into overtime where Laingsburg finally pulled it out 56-49.
The scoring started early in the 1st when the Wolfpack’s quarterback Jake Zielinski connected with his receiver Shaun McKinney for a 50-yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good. Zielinski hit McKinney for another touchdown pass, this one for 27-yards, giving the Wolfpack a 14-0 lead. Sand Creek did answer back when their quarterback Kolton Alcock hit his running back Elliot Rains for a 29-yard touchdown pass. At the end of the first the score was at 14-7.
Early on into the 2nd quarter, Alcock scored from 2-yards out on a running play. The kick failed and Sand Creek was down by 1. The Wolfpack answered back with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Zielinski to McKinney. On the last play of the 1st half, Zielinski ran in for a touchdown from 37-yards out. At halftime Laingsburg was up 28-13.
Sand Creek scored first in the 3rd when Alcock scored another 2-yard touchdown run. On the next drive, Charlie Robertson picked off a Zielinski pass and returned it 44-yards for a touchdown. The Aggies went for two and got it. The Wolfpack answered back with an 8-yard touchdown run from Christian Dell. Robertson scored a 3-yard touchdown run before the quarter ended. The score after three was 35-35.
Lainsburg scored first in the 4th with a 33-yard touchdown run from Zach Rosenberry. Sand Creek came with a 38-yard touchdown scamper from Alcock. Rains then scored a 4-yard touchdown run that put them up 7. On the ensuing kickoff, Sand Creek recovered the ball, but a fumble deep in Wolfpack territory gave them a chance. Zielinski answered with a 79-yard touchdown pass to Zach Walter to tie the game up.
In overtime Zielinski scored on a 10-yard run and Sand Creek couldn’t answer back, giving Laingsburg the 56-49 victory.
Alcock lead the passing game for Sand Creek with 4 for 10 on passes for 63 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Rains led the way in rushing with 21 carries for 239 yards and a touchdown. Alcock added 19 rushes for 116 yards and 3 touchdowns. The leading receiver for the Aggies was Rains with 2 catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Laingsburg’s quarter Zielinski was 8-17 for 293 yards with 4 touchdown passes and an interception. The leading rusher for the Wolfpack was Zielinski who had 17 rushes for 128 yards with 2 touchdowns. Dell had 9 carries for 71 yards with a touchdown. The leading receiver was McKinney who had 4 catches for 199 yards. Walker added 3 catches for 80 yards.
There isn’t much I have to say about the Sand Creek offense. When you put up 49 points you would expect to win the game. They did gain 407 yards, 344 of it on the ground, so it is good to see that the running game is working. I would like to see them work on the passing game a little bit more to get some more balance and if they ever get into a shoot-out like this again, we know that we can go to the option if need be. If you run the ball like the Aggies did though, there is nothing wrong with that either.
The biggest concern is going to be the defense. I knew it would be an issue since their defensive backfield is not only young, but also not very tall. They are going to need the defensive line and the linebackers to create pressure to not allow easy passes to be completed. Laingsburg did have a tall receiver, so that is going to be an issue if it isn’t fixed. The other thing that happened was their passing game opened up the running game for them and that created big problems for the Aggies. They are going to need to figure this out if they want to be successful.
Sand Creek will host the 0-1 Dundee Vikings. Dundee lost their opener at the Grass Lake Warriors by a score of 19-7.
Laingsburg will travel to the 0-1 Fowler Eagles. Fowler lost at the Mendon Hornets by a score of 27-7.
