Ubly suffers disappointing loss

The Bearcats suffered a tough 41-13 loss to TCSF in today's finals. Here are some pictures from from the game. We'llhave much more in this week's "Thanks for the memories..." section in our paper on Wednesday. It will include some stories that have appeared on the blog this past week as well as a few new features, a story on the game and coach Sweeney's thoughts on the season and the game.

D-structive

Bearcat’s defense has found a way to make opponents pay
BY CHRIS OGRYSKI
EDITOR

While the offense has gotten a lot of credit for Ubly’s success this season, the defense has played a key role as well.
The Bearcats have allowed just 130 points heading into the Division 7 state finals against Traverse City St. Francis or an average of 10 ppg. In 12 of 13 games this season, Ubly has held opponents to two touchdowns or less.
The 10 ppg average is the lowest average points allowed by an Ubly team since 1987, when the Bearcats allowed 83 points in nine games for a 9.2 ppg average.
While it seems like this year’s numbers would be hard to improve on, the Bearcats numbers have gotten even slightly better. In four post-season games, Ubly has only allowed 36 points or an average of nine ppg. “We’ve progressed defensively,” Ubly head coach Bill Sweeney said.
“We never knew if we were getting better (during the regular season),” he admitted. “Now we get in the playoffs and we see that we’ve improved defensively.”“The defense has been real good all year,” senior defensive back Brandon Sorenson said. “We’ve just progressed and gotten better and better each (and every) game.”
He added, “(We haven’t done anything different in the playoffs), I think we just rise to the occasion when called upon. This is the playoffs, it is win or go home…so you just have to buckle down and play physical football.”
Last week, the Bearcats held Reading to eight points in the D7 semis. The Rangers had scored 527 points heading into that contest or an average of 44 ppg.
Pretty impressive. Which begs the question, how has Ubly been able to hold opponents so many of their opponents in check this season?
One reason is the preparation. “There is a lot time put into it,” defensive coach Jim Becker said.
“You can coach one of two ways; you can put the time into it or not put the time into it. I think it is reflective that we (as a staff) do put the time into it,” he added.
That prep not only includes getting a game plan ready for the week, but also getting materials to the players for them to study.
“You should see the packet we get from coach Becker,” senior defensive back Jordan Kaufman explained. “It has plays they run and if they run one play six times, he’ll have it marked that they ran the play six times.”
“We definitely have what we need preparation wise.”
Junior linebacker Dalton O’Connor added, “Normally coach gives each defensive player a tape and sometimes we get together at lunch, eat pizza and watch it. Sometimes we even go to (Eric) LaBuhn’s house and watched it the night before and just reading on what they are going to do against us on certain plays.”
That preparation has paid off in a big way for Ubly, who has held every opponent they have faced this season heading into the finals to below their season scoring average (see sidebar).
“We focus on the little things,” Becker explained. “We focus on running the play and everyone doing their assignment.”
He added, “We run the 5-2 defense (every year). We’ve done the same thing for the last 10 years and it has been effective.”
One thing that has changed over the years is the addition of several assistants to the coaching staff including Craig Jacobson in 2003. Jacobson helps out on defense and is the “eye in the sky,” during games, lending his expertise from the booth.
Kaufman believes that Jacobson has made a big impact while working with the defensive secondary. “Our pass defense is fairly good. Coach ‘Jenkins’ (Jacobson) is always preparing us for passes and how to cover it,” he said. “He knows every type of pass coverage you’ll ever dream of.”
As for Kaufman, with the numbers he has put up offensively, it would be easy to overlook the contributions he has made on defense. That would be a mistake.
“He’s a phenomenal defensive guy,” Sweeney said. “We like to leave him in the middle of the field, because he can kind of run things down.”
He added, “His closing speed is unreal. I never seen it on a football field the way he closes defensively.”“There are other times when we need a shut down defender and (senior) Mitch (Cleary) is already occupied with somebody (so we use him that way).”
As for Cleary, despite being just 5’9”, he has been a huge part of the secondary as a shut down back since his sophomore year. “(He’s got) technique, athletic ability and experience. He’s been our lock-down corner guy for three years,” Sweeney said.
Cleary believes that good technique is one of the reasons he has been so successful over the years against bigger, taller receivers. “I just play up tight and physical; you can bump them up until is thrown, so I play physical and just slow them down a bit,” he said.
That method has been successful so far this season, as Cleary leads the team in interceptions. “Jumping routes and reading my keys (has been the key to all my interceptions),” he explained.
He was also quick to credit the D-line for their role in the secondary’s achievements. “You have to give credit to the line, they are the guys that force all the bad passes (by getting the pressure n the quarterback),” Cleary said.
While Cleary and Kaufman get a lot of attention for their defensive ability, they couldn’t shut down the pass game without Sorenson, who has emerged as a tough defender this season. “Brandon is just a kid that worked his tail off,” Sweeney said.
“Last year, he got a little bit of playing time and this year, he hit a little growing spurt and has been a great addition to this team,” he added.But Sorenson’s growth was more than just physical, as he has emerged as a leader of the team. “I named him a captain at the beginning of the year because his leadership is phenomenal. He’s a guy that just gets lost in the shuffle, but he’s made play after play for us defensively,” Sweeney said.
Two players that won’t get lost in the shuffle are the tandem of sophomore Eric Booms and O’Connor, who have emerged as two of area’s best linebackers. O’Connor thinks after a year of playing together, this duo has really learned how to work effectively together. “We played together (him & Booms) for most of last year, so we know what each other are going to do and we know how to play together,” he said.
That chemistry on the field is the result of good communication at practice. “During practice Eric and I will talk about things like if the guard does a certain thing than the play is going a certain way. We tell each other so we can both pick up on that (went it counts in the game),” O’Connor explained.
While O’Connor and Booms have racked big numbers this season, they finished 1-2 in total tackles on the team for the regular season, they know without the D-line that wouldn’t be possible.
“The D-line does a great job forcing double teams so we don’t get blocked and we are able to make the tackle,” O’Connor explained. “But without the D-line, I don’t think we would have as many tackles as we have.”
That D-line includes LaBuhn, John Walker, Bryant Messing, Tyler Peplinski and Brandon Lemke (who rotate at their spot) and Steven Weber. “I think the defense, all starts with the line. We have five guys on the line who are always hustling and always busting it,” LaBuhn said.
Despite some issues on the line early in the season, the team has been to overcome them as Messing has emerged as the nose tackle. “We knew we had the core there. We knew we had the secondary, linebackers and defensive ends, but had to figure out what we were going to do with our TNTs (tackle, nose tackle, tackle),” Sweeney said. “We’ve always got good play out of our nose tackle, but we always had a tough time finding guys to do what we wanted to do,” he added. “Bryant Messing really stepped up and he started playing the nose for us in Week 8 (and things improved greatly).”One of the keys to Messing’s success, as well as the entire team’s, has been the physicality. And Ubly definitely has players who like to hit people.
“Our job (LaBuhn’s and mine) is to set the tone defensively,” Kaufman said.
“Against Reading, the first play, Eric just bent the kid in half and the third play I hit that kid and that just set the tone that we were there to hit,” he added. “I think from that point on it was game over.”
While many teams would sit their quarterback defensively or try and hide them on the field, Kaufman wants to get right there in the middle of the action. “It’s fun being out there, running around and hitting people for no reason…it’s a good feeling,” he said.
“When you’re the size like me, getting out and popping guys is fun,” LaBuhn added.
“When we punt, my thing is to…get down there and drill the kid. You know he’s going to be watching the ball and he’s not going to see who is coming at him,” Kaufman explained. “Usually there is not much protection from the other guy back there…so when you don’t see the fair catch, you are just going (to try and light him up).”
In the end, that desire to hit, play physical football and put in the time to win, comes back to the example set by the coaches. “I think Bill and Becker deserve a lot of credit for what they have built here,” Jacobson said. “It takes a lot of work behind the scenes (to accomplish this).”
LaBuhn added, “They put in the time, they put in the effort and they always gives so much to us…it’s time to give something back to them (like a state title).”

Playoff beards and broken collarbones

BY CHRIS OGRYSKI
EDITOR
After their 42-6 win over Harbor Beach in Week 4, Eric LaBuhn and Dalton O’Connor made a pact; they weren’t going to shave until the team lost. Now nearly 10 weeks later and this dynamic duo brings new meaning to the term “shaggy.”
While talking to LaBuhn about this story, Jordan Kaufman added that he was also secretly part of the agreement.
“Just so you know, I haven’t shaven either,” a clean-faced Kaufman joked.
That type of kidding is a regular part of the team dynamic, especially between Kaufman and LaBuhn.
“Every time the ball comes my way (on defense) I start chomping at the bit…,” LaBuhn said as he began to answer a question about why he likes playing defense.
“Especially in practice junior year,” Kaufman interjected.
The play Kaufman refers to is the one in which he broke his collarbone following a tackle from LaBuhn. The injury kept him out of action for the first four weeks of the 2007 season.
In all seriousness, Kaufman knows what transpired that day on the field was an accident, but it doesn’t stop him from busting LaBuhn’s chops over it. “I tease Eric that he broke my collarbone, but really he was just playing his spot,” Kaufman said. “That is the nice thing about this team; no one really gets down on one another (even when they break your collarbone).”

Remembering David

BY CHRIS OGRYSKI

EDITOR

Thursday, Sept. 25 is a day that the Ubly players and coaches will never forget. It was the day they found out that their teammate David Osentoski, who was battling cancer, had taken a significant turn for the worse.
The team had talked about doing something to honor their teammate throughout the season, but this accelerated the time table. “We found out (before the Homecoming Game against Vassar) he only had a few days left and we wanted to get him down for a game,” said Eric LaBuhn.
“It was pretty tough on the kids,” Ubly coach Bill Sweeney added. “We decided to get something together to honor him and make it like a senior night for him.”
Osentoski, who teammates remembered for his sense of humor and for the Michigan hat he loved to wear, had played football in the Ubly program in junior high and on the junior varsity team. He had been slated to play in his sophomore year, when his season was suddenly ended sooner than expected. “He worked out with us and made it through conditioning,” Sweeney recalled. “The first day of pads, he got his foot stepped on and it was just bad.”
“Eventually (after a battery of tests), we found out it was cancer.”
Sweeney explained that Osentoski ended up losing his foot, but was going to be fit with a prosthetic so he could play as a junior. Unfortunately, his health got worse and that opportunity was taken away from him.
Despite the hardships he faced, Osentoski never let his disease get him down. “He was always positive and never had a negative attitude,” Brandon Sorenson said. “He was always upbeat and happy when he was walking down the halls.”
So when things took a turn for the worse, the team wanted to do something special for someone who meant so much to them. It was a flurry of activity as they tried to get things together in just one day, including getting David’s names put on their helmets.
“We wanted him to see that (his name on their helmets), we wanted the night to be about him,” Sweeney explained.
“It is huge for us to be able to show respect to him like that (wearing his name on their helmets),” LaBuhn said. “It is a great feeling (to be able to honor him like that).”
He added, “He has meant a lot to everyone. We are always thinking of him; he is always in the back of our minds, pushing us to play harder.”
Prior to the start of the Vassar game, Osentoski came out in a golf cart with the team and was introduced to the crowd. A special message from the players was read over the loud speakers by the PA announcer, which told David “he was the best teammate they ever had” and that the team loved him.
The emotions of the pre-game ceremony and seeing their teammate at what turned out be his final game, took their toll on the team early as they fumbled on their first two possessions. “It was a pretty emotional night, it was a tough night,” Sweeney said. “The kids’ heads weren’t into it, because it was tough.”At halftime, after the Homecoming Queen was crowned, all the candidates took a picture with Osentoski and before the team returned to the field to start the half, they did their pre-half huddle around his golf cart.
“We tried to make him a complete part of that game. It was a bitter sweet night because he was so happy, but you also knew it was probably going to be the last time he was on the sideline,” Sweeney said.Throughout the game, Sweeney put aside the task of beating the Vulcans and went over to talk with Osentoski and his family; letting the game take care of itself. “There are some things that are way more important than football. That kid was a great kid,” he said.
In the end, the Bearcats extended a 13 point advantage to come away with a 56-28 victory. “We came into the game and knew he was going to be there, so we came out and we really wanted to win it for him; it meant a lot (to be able to do that for him),” LaBuhn said.
“It was a great night for David,” Sweeney added. “His family said it meant the world to him.”
Osentoski passed away just before Ubly played Deckerville, which was the game that decided the Greater Thumb East championship. The Bearcats played for a title on Friday night and said goodbye to their teammate for the final time on Saturday.
Despite the circumstances, Ubly played one of their best games of the season as they knocked off the Eagles 36-6. “The kids really stepped it up against Deckerville not only because it was for a league championship, but because it was for David,” Sweeney said, who noted how said it was that Osentoski lost out on so many memories like that because of his disease.
LaBuhn added, “Afterwards you could tell that people weren’t as up as they usually were, because the next day you have to go to a funeral for one of your best friends.”
The entire team went as a group to the funeral the next game. “I think the family really appreciated it, but I think the kids really appreciated it, too,” Sweeney explained.
Since then the team has worn wristbands that honor their teammate and to let everyone know how much he meant to them. “It lets us know he will always be with us; he’s that 12th man on the field,” Alex Peruski said.
Ubly has dedicated their season to Osentoski and the players could think of no better way to honor their teammate then to win a state championship. “It would mean everything in the world (to be able to win a state title for him), because he was a great kid,” Dalton O’Connor said.
Sorenson added, “It is storybook tale I guess, the team that has a fallen teammate and they do everything they can to win a state championship for him.”
Sweeney hopes David’s story is one that will be told for years to come. “This is probably the ultimate, going to the state finals, where everyone is going to hear his name,” he explained. “Everybody is going to know who he is because we made it to the finals.”
“That’s something that his family and our kids can be proud of.”Sweeney added, “It’s an honor (to be able to share his story with everyone)…(because) he was the nicest kid and was liked by everybody. ”

Over 600 reasons to love the Bearcats

BY CHRIS OGRYSKI
EDITOR

Heading into Saturday’s Division 7 state final match-up with Traverse City St. Francis, Ubly has racked up 616 points in 13 games and nearly 5,500 yards of total offense. The 616 points put the Bearcats eighth all-time on the MHSAA’s list for points scored in a single season, with one game to go.
The question most people are asking is, “How is that possible for a team with such a thin playbook?”
“I get a kick out of it,” Ubly coach Bill Sweeney said after beating Reading 47-8 in the semifinals. “I used to hear a lot about running a fourth play from all the prognosticators. But 600 points on three plays isn’t bad for a year.”
Defensive coach Jim Becker added, “We don’t put in plays just to thicken our playbook. Bill believes in the Wing-T or the Full-T and we are going to run the Full-T.”
“We have a couple of wrinkles, but when it boils down to it, we are going to run the middle trap, we are going to run off tackle and we are going to run the quarterback.”
Scoring 600 points in a season is tough enough (it has only been done 10 times in MHSAA history); doing so with a base offense that consists of just a handful of plays, seems to defy logic.
But the numbers speak for themselves. Quarterback Jordan Kaufman has 1,596 rushing yards and 22 scores to go along with his 757 yards passing and 16 passes heading into the finals. When you add in Kaufman’s 81 yard TD return on a kickoff return in the semis, he has 39 total scores.
Kaufman believes the key to his success, as well as that of running backs Justin Cleary (1,113 yards rushing and 12 scores), Alex Peruski (819 yards and 13 TDs) and Mitch Cleary (over 670 yards rushing with 14 scores to go along with over 200 receiving yards and six TD catches), has been the play of the line.
“If you see it from my perspective, you come around that end and there are holes you can drive a truck through,” he explained. “(With blocking like that) you know you are going to score points.”
“As the fullback, I just read my blocks and the linemen pretty much do it all,” Justin Cleary contributed. “You can’t run anywhere without a great line (like this).”
Kaufman added, “Our line creates holes, we have good backs who will exploit defenses and with (Eric) LaBuhn and our guards pulling, the holes are there.”
A 6’5” and 315 pound tackle, LaBuhn anchors Ubly’s O-line, which includes Steven Gilbert who seems to be Kaufman’s personal pulling guard on many of his big gains this year. “(On those plays, I’m thinking) the first person I see, I’m going to hit them,” Gilbert said.
He added, “It feels good knowing you made that hole so they can run wherever they need to go.” LaBuhn credits Sweeney’s blocking schemes as the reason the line is able to dominate like they have all year. “The way coach has his offense set up, it is dummy proof. He just makes it so easy, just protect the inside seam and go,” he said.
“If anything I’ve learned in coaching is you have to keep it simple. If it gets too complicated, it will confuse them, and they’re just not going to perform,” Sweeney said.
Becker agreed. “If you can teach a kid to do something one or two ways and do it well, you can be successful,” he said.
He added that even when the coaches threw in some wrinkles, it never fundamentally changed what the team was doing (not even the blocking). “We ran some spread, but we don’t block the typical spread way, we block it like the Wing-T, so it is nothing new for our kids. We don’t make lots of (unnecessary) changes,” he said.
He went on to explain that while there is the perception that this team has a much different offense (a more wide open playbook) than in 2007, it is really the same basic offense run out of different formations. “What people see as big changes and as something different, when you really look at what we are doing, we are really doing the same thing,” Becker explained.
Sweeney added, “We’ve done our base stuff out of the T and it’s been extremely successful. We’ve made little tweaks to get Jordan loose.”“The real success is Bill has created a lot of wrinkles within his offense based on how he knows the offense in and out and as to how (he knows) the other teams will defend it,” said assistant coach Craig Jacobson.
“When you keep it simple, teams have to defend it a few different ways and based on how they are defending it, we can adjust. Bill has those wrinkles within the system,” Jacobson said.
Kaufman has his own theories about reality vs. perception in terms of the team’s offense. “I don’t think we made any changes at all (from last year),” he explained.
“We just really bore down after that Harbor Beach game. Most of the guys that didn’t play basketball were in the weight room every day in the winter and we started heavy football July 4,” he added. “We had over half of the team and the entire starting line there.”
Peruski said, “We all went up there during the summer and worked for hours; weightlifting and running plays out of the offense for 2-3 hours a day.”
Sweeney was impressed with the desire shown by this team in the off season. “That’s all you can do in athletics, is to ask the kids to get the most out of themselves and we have several that have done that,” he said.
“They start seeing the results of the weights, then they start buying into,” he added. “Then you get a special group like this, where everyone buys into.”
That includes the line, who Kaufman thinks are deceptively small. “Our center Brandon Lemke is 160 pounds, but benches with LaBuhn at 300 pounds. So they may be small, but they are strong and quick,” he said.
And when it comes to quickness, there is no one shiftier that Peruski (known to teammates as AP), who has emerged as a credible threat on offense, despite his size (he is listed at 5’7” and 145 pounds, but is closer to 135).
LaBuhn said, “It’s not like he (AP) is a weak kid (even though he is small). I have Advance PE with him and his lifts have gone up 50 pounds in the last year and he hasn’t gained a pound.”
Peruski was the fourth back on the depth chart early in the season, but an injury to Adam Glaza opened the door for him to move up in the rotation. “He never complained (when he wasn’t playing); (but eventually) he got his shot to start and he never relinquished it,” said Sweeney. “AP has been hot ever since then.”
Sweeney explained, “He runs behind those big kids, then gets in the open field and that’s where he’s good. He’s just a great open field runner.”“I wouldn’t want to tackle him in the open field,” Kaufman added. “I guarantee I would have to pick my jockstrap up after (trying to stop) him. He’s one shifty kid.”
Team speed is one major difference between this year’s team and great teams from the past like 2003 squad. “It’s been a magical year, we’ve blocked really well and we have the speed to take it to the house,” Sweeney said. “We just have natural ability and speed this year… it just opens the whole thing up.”
That has given the team the opportunity to turn a lot of 3rd and long plays into first downs. “If it was third-and-nine (in past years), we were looking to get the ball to mid-field to punt,” Sweeney explained. “Now, if it’s third-and-nine, you bank on Jordan making a play. That’s what Jordan adds offensively.”
“He gives you a guy that can take it to the house at any time and can make a play when you need it most,” he added. “His work in the off-season has really helped him reach his maximum potential.”
That off-season work has also allowed the Bearcats to physically dominate opponents and wear them down as the game progresses. “If you look at our points, we don’t score a lot in the first quarter. It’s usually in the second quarter, into the third quarter, where the physicality starts wearing on people,” Sweeney said.
“Those five yard gains, those six yard gains start becoming 15. This year, with the ability and talent we have, they start becoming touchdowns,” he said.

Ubly story update

This is the second time I'm trying to post this, so this one will be briefer.
We are working on a season wrap-up/tribute section for Ubly that will come out on Dec. 3rd. It will include lots of coverage from the game, as well as many feature stories relating to the team and their season. As we work on those this week and thet get completed, we will begin posting them here, including one or two here starting tomorrow in the morning.
Overall, we are looking at 5-6 features, in addition to our coverage of the game.
Speaking of that, we are going to post pictures on the blog at halftime of the game, so if you aren't heading out to Ford Field, come here and check it out!
Until then, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Thumb Sports Writers Association launches blog

The TSA has coincided today's announcement of the All-Thumb Volleyball team with the launch of their blog at thumbsportswriters.blogspot.com.
Not only does it have the 2008 VB team and a few photos, but ALL of the historic teams that have been chosen. It is a great site and very informative.
It took a lot of hardwork to get it up and designed, probably 8-10 hours total, so I hope you all like it. Thanks to TSA President Paul Adams for helping with the lists of the historic teams and photos.
Please check it out and feel free to leave and feedback you have on either blog.

Some facts about Traverse City St. Francis

* TCSF advanced to the finals with a 28-7 win over Ravenna. In that game, the Gladiators outrushed their opponent 242-83 on comparable totes (42-41). In the passing game, TCSF had a 120-87 edge in terms of yards, giving the Gladiators the overall edge in all-purpose yardage 362-170.
* The key to the game was TCSF’s ability to put themselves in short yardage situations, as they averaged 7.1 yards per play on offense, compared to 3.1 for Ravenna.
* In the pass game, they averaged 13.3 yards per attempt and 17.1 yards per completion. The Gladiators passed the ball on just nine of their 51 offensive plays or just 18 percent of the time. However, half of their TDs came through the air as St. Francis scored on a 34 yard TD strike from QB Corey Williams to Taylor Hennrick (65 yards receiving) in the first and in the third, Williams hooked up with Matthew Benson (32 yards) on a seven yard TD pass.
* On the ground, Joe Kerridge rushed for 89 yards on 11 carries (8.1 ypc) and Ryan Farley 85 yards on 16 totes, while Ben Swan (35 yards) and Jack Gallagher (eight yards) added rushing scores. As for this team’s power running attack, St. Francis likes to utilize the T and the I, as their main formations.
* Defensively, the Gladiators allowed 117 yards and a score to Ravenna’s Jamohn Martin, but did sack the opposing quarterback six times. Standouts on this side of the ball included junior linebacker Max Bullough (6-3, 220, verbally committed to Michigan State) with 13 tackles, including three for loses for a combined -16 yards, to go along with 1.5 sacks, which netted a loss of 12 yards. Defensive back Matt Zakrezwski added 12 tackles (five solo), while Hennrick added an interception and Gallagher recovered a fumble. * St. Francis is a perennial playoff powerhouse, winning state titles in 1999 (13-1), 2003 (14-0) and 2005 (13-1) over the last 10 years. They have also finished as runner-up in 2007. Overall the team has made the playoffs 19 straight years. The team has seven returnees from last year’s state runner-up.
* So far this season, the Gladiators have scored 552 points (42.5 ppg average) and allowed 165 points (12.7 ppg allowed on average). Comparatively, Ubly has scored 616 points (47.4 ppg) and allowed 130 points (10 ppg).
* Their lone loss of the season was a 17-14 setback to Saginaw Nouvel in Week 2. Nouvel lost 35-34 to Montague in the Division 6 semifinals, ending their bid for a third straight state title.
* TCSF has shown they can be vulnerable to the spread in the post-season. After holding Whittemore-Prescott to just eight points against that formation, Merrill scored 48 on the Gladiators by “spreading” the ball around. The 48 points allowed was a season high for St, Francis and the first time they allowed that many points since a 56-13 loss in 2000, which was the team’s playoff opener.
The Glads also faced two teams that run the spread in the regular season, Elk Rapids and Grayling. TCSF surrendered a combined 47 points in those games, beating E.R. 27-19 and Grayling 43-28.
In four games against “spread teams,” St. Francis has allowed 103 points or an average of 26 ppg.

Ubly ticket update

I talked to Ubly AD Dan Delamarter and he wanted me to pass on this info about ticket sales. A limited number of tickets will be available over the next two days for purchase.
On Tuesday, tickets will be on sale for residents of the Ubly school district from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 and their is a limit of 10 tickets.
On Wednesday, tickets sales will be opened up for everyone, again from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
There will also be sign-up for fan buses starting Tuesday. The cost is $2 and must be paid right away. Also to sign up for the bus, you must also purchase a ticket.
Delmarter said that those who want to ride the bus, but are not Ubly residents will be allowed to purchase tickets Tuesday. That is the only exception to the rule.
He also wanted to point out that the rules for what you are allowed to bring into games at most high schools is different from the rules at Ford Field.
Here are those restrictions:

The items not permitted into Ford Field are in accordance with NFL Best Practices and are strictly enforced during Detroit Lions home football games and stadium events. Guests should return these items to their vehicles or place them in the trash receptacles, prior to gate entry. Prohibited items may also be confiscated by Ford Field staff. Ford Field is not responsible for any items left at the gates or in the trash receptacles. Under no circumstances will the items be checked at the gates. Ford Field reserves the right to expand or modify the items prohibited at any time.

Prohibited and Restricted Items:

- Aerosol cans (hair spray, mace, pepper spray, etc.

- Animals (except assistive animals for people with disabilities)

- Backpacks, luggage, grocery, duffle bags, large bags, large purses or large camera cases: 8 1/2” x 14” x 10” is maximum size for entry

- Balloons (air or helium)

- Balls (beach balls, footballs, baseballs, etc.)

- Banners

- Beverages or liquids (cans, bottles or boxes)

- Camcorders and tripods

- Cameras (professional) or cameras with lenses over five inches long and/or 50mm and above

- Cans & bottles

- Confetti or glitter

- Coolers of any kind, including small soft pack coolers

- Decals or stickers

- Fireworks

- Food

- Illegal substances

- Laser pointers

- Markers (permanent) and/or paint

- Noisemaking devices (bells, horns, kazoos, whistles, etc.)

- Objects that can be used as missiles or projectiles (sticks, bats, clubs, frisbees, etc.)

- Strollers and infant/car seats or carriers

- Umbrellas

- Weapons

No weapons are allowed in the Stadium. Possession of a firearm or any other weapon is strictly forbidden. Possession of such a weapon will result in immediate confiscation, ejection and possible arrest.


The following items will be permitted after inspection:

- Binoculars and binocular cases

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For your convenience and added security, Ford Field uses a scanning turnstile method of ticket validation.Ford Field provides guests with optimum security by incorporating the NFL's first-rate security program, 'Best Practices' into our overall security plan. Security measures include: close-circuit TV cameras, screening, pat-down and bag inspection processes, and a host of other methods and systems.

Here are a couple of stories on the Bearcats

The third time is the charm
BY CHRIS OGRYSKI
EDITOR

HOWELL – Heading into last Saturday’s showdown with Reading, Ubly was 0-2 in semifinal appearances, losing 20-14 to Traverse City St. Francis in 2003 and 42-21 to Grass Lake in 2006.
The Bearcats, not wanting to come up short a third straight time, physically dominated the Rangers and wore out the opposition en route to a 47-8 victory.
“We felt we could be physical with them,” Ubly coach Bill Sweeney said.
“They have some exceptional athletes, but we figured if we tackled, blocked and were physical with them, we could wear them down,” he added. “I think that is what happened.”
The Bearcats got the ball on the opening kickoff, but for the second time in two weeks, they stalled on their initial possession and were forced to punt. “Offensively, we didn’t start out too good,” Sweeney admitted about his team’s first drive.
While the offense struggled early, the defense tried to pick them up. Just over two minutes into Reading’s drive, Brandon Sorenson picked off a pass from Ranger’s QB Joe Hubbard. Despite throwing for nearly 1,000 yards and 14 TDs during the season, Hubbard was just 2-for-13 passing against Ubly.
A lot of the credit for that success has to go to the D-line, which not only got good penetration, but also opened holes for other players to get in and pressure Hubbard. “Today was definitely our best defensive game (of the season). Everyone was all over the place,” defensive tackle Eric LaBuhn said. “There was not one weak link; everybody was making plays.”
Steven Weber added, “It is about the line and how they penetrate. That just makes space for me and the other backs to get in there, get after that quarterback and get him on the run.”
Sweeney thought the team’s success was due to execution of a strong game plan. “We played great defense and (defensive) coach (Jim) Becker put together a great plan against them. I thought the play of our defensive line would be the difference in the game and it was,” he explained.
As for the line’s effort, Sweeney singled out LaBuhn for his strong play on that side of the ball. “That is the best I’ve seen Eric play all year. He was all over the field, hustling,” he said.
He added, “Eric’s just a great football player. When you get 300 pounds moving like that, it is tough to stop.”
“Coach just came out saying we need to pop them; we need to set the physicality right away,” LaBuhn said. “That’s what coach wanted me to do and I did it for him. It all played out from there.”
The defensive effort on that first Reading possession not only gave the Bearcats momentum, it also gave them a short field to work with, which they took advantage of. Only 1:48 into their drive, Ubly scored on a 41 yard touchdown strike from quarterback Jordan Kaufman (3-for-7 passing for 68 yards and two scores) to Weber (two catches for 61 yards). It was only his second TD catch of the season.
“Coach has been getting on me to pick it up. Last week (against Royal Oak Shrine) I really thought I picked it up in the second half and it carried right over,” Weber said.
As for the catch, Weber said, “We never really passed (throughout the season) that much unless we absolutely needed it. We need it to today, I came through (for the team) and it felt great.”
He added, “It was amazing (to score for my team in this game); the best feeling in the world.”
Sweeney said the team’s decision to throw early and more often, was due to a hole they saw in the defense. “Offensively, we saw how they brought nine or ten guys and thought we could complete passes,” he explained. “We’re just patient with that kind of stuff.”
“In games like this, we want to hit it big with the pass and we had a couple (in this one),” Sweeney added.
Ubly added the extra point to take a 7-0 lead with 6:09 left in the first and got the ball back less than a minute later when the Rangers were once again forced to punt with 5:17 left in the quarter. The Bearcats turned the ball over later in that drive, when they failed to convert a fourth and one on the 46, but redeemed themselves on their next possession, when they scored on the first play of the second quarter on a 35 yard TD run from Justin Cleary (106 yards rushing on 16 carries) to take a 13-0 edge (the extra point was no good).
Overall, Ubly rushed for 356 yards on 58 carries and had 424 yards of total offense on the day.
The Bearcats would extend the lead to 19-0 later in the quarter, when Alex Peruski reached pay dirt following a six yard score (the two-point attempt failed) with 6:09 left in the half.
Peruski led the Ubly offense with 123 yards on 16 carries and two scores, while Kaufman added 105 rushing yards and Mitch Cleary 16 yards on five totes.
“Yeah I scored a couple of touchdowns, but you can’t score if the blocking isn’t there…and we can’t score if we don’t have the ball,” Peruski said, crediting his teammates for their efforts.
He added, “It was another great game for the defense. You can score (some points) when you have the ball so much.”
The key to Peruski’s success on Saturday was his ability to use his speed and make quick moves in order to elude the defenders. “When you are 135 pounds (like me) you can’t power over people, but if they can’t catch you they can’t tackle you, so you just have to be shifty,” he explained.
Ubly had hoped to tack on one final score before the end of the half, but for one of the first times this season, they stalled in the red zone and turned the ball over on downs. “We didn’t execute it that well (the fourth down play),” Sweeney said of a failed screen pass. “We did a real good job (moving the ball), we just didn’t execute the last play.”
He added, “We have to get better at that kind of stuff, but that is going to happen against a 12-0 opponent; they were tough.”
What looked like a first half anomaly suddenly looked like a more serious problem, as the Bearcats struggled to score in the red zone on their first possession of the second half, as well. Reading took the ball to start the half, but the Rangers were forced to punt less than two minutes into the third quarter. Ubly drove the ball down the field, but failed to convert a fourth down attempt and turned the ball over at the three.
While Sweeney was disappointed with the inability to punch one in near the end of the half, he was less bothered by the lack of score to start the second half. “We wanted to get up by 27 at the half; we wanted to get up over three scores,” he explained. “We were disappointed that we didn’t.”
He added, “We came back down and still didn’t, but eventually we wore them out and made plays.”
“The second one, we kind of wanted to play that close to the vest, because up 19-0, even if we don’t score, they still have to go over 90 yards, so that one I wasn’t really concerned with.”
Ubly eventually broke through in the red zone as they scored on their next possession on a two yard run from Mitch Cleary with 1:01 left in the third to take a 26-0 lead following a successful extra point.
From there, the offense found another gear, outscoring Reading 21-8 over the final 13 minutes.
With 9.6 seconds left in the third, John Walker recovered a fumble on the 10 yard line and the Bearcats turned that into six when Kaufman hooked up with Eric Booms on a seven yard strike with 11:14 left in the fourth. Following the extra point, Ubly held a commanding 33-0 advantage. The Rangers finally broke through when they recovered a Kaufman fumble with 9:24 left in the game. Reading’s Trevor Ryan got his team on the board with a 48 yard run, while Trevor Morris added the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 25.
After the fumble and the Ranger score, Sweeney challenged Kaufman, who responded in a big way, running the kickoff back 81 yards for the score. “We have a really good football team and they just rise to the occasion,” he said.
“Jordan, he fumbled and I told him, ‘Someone needs to make a play,’ and he goes and returns the kickoff for 81 yards,” Sweeney added.
“He can just do it all.”
Ubly got their final points of the game, when Peruski scored on an 18 yard scamper with just over seven minutes left in the fourth. The extra point gave the Bearcats a 47-8 edge.
After the final seconds ticked off the clock, the players and coaches finally realized what they had accomplished…they had made it to Ford Field.
“It will probably hit me later (what we’ve done),” Sweeney said. “Right now I’m just relieved we won.”
LaBuhn added, “This is what we wanted to do and we came out and did it. All of those hours in the weight room have finally paid off.”
Peruski was nearly speechless when asked about what had transpired. “It is a dream; I’m in shock and I can’t stop smiling. And to do it with a bunch of my friends, you can’t ask for anything better than that,” he said.
As for their upcoming showdown with Traverse City St. Francis, a state runner-up in 2007 and the team that eliminated Ubly in the semifinals in 2003, Sweeney knows it will be a difficult task. “They will be the best team we play all year. They’re going to be tough,” he explained.
“We just have to show up and play Ubly football and if that is good enough…”

Ubly Notebook
BY CHRIS OGRYSKI
EDITOR

Traverse City St. Francis has had the Thumb’s number in recent years, winning their last three match-ups against Greater Thumb Conference opponents. The Gladiators beat Harbor Beach 42-0 in 2007 in the semis en route to a finish as state runner-up in Division 7. In 2005, they beat USA 28-14 for the state title and in 2003, they ended Ubly’s season with a 20-14 win in the semifinals.
TCSF’s only loss to a GTC school came in 1998, when they lost to the Patriots 16-8 in the finals.
*****
It has been 36 years in the making.
With a win in the finals on Saturday, Ubly could make school history as only the fourth undefeated team in the last 50 years. In 1972, the Bearcats finished a perfect 9-0 with 367 points scored (41 ppg average), while allowing just 54 (six ppg allowed on average).
Ubly also had perfect seasons in 1965 (8-0) and 1966 (9-0). In 1967, the Bearcats were 6-1-2, making the team 23-1-2 in that three year stretch.
Currently, Ubly is 22-4 over their last 26 games, which dates back to the end of the post-season run for the Bearcats in 2006.
*****
Ubly has outscored opponents in the post-season by a margin of 190-36 or by an average score of 48-9. Of those four opponents the Bearcats have faced in the post-season, the last three have been undefeated heading into their matchup with Ubly.
As for St. Francis, they have scored 191 points (48 ppg on average) in four playoff games, but allowed 75 defensively (19 ppg on average), including 48 to Merrill in a 70-48 win in the district finals.
*****
With 47 points against Reading, Ubly becomes the top scoring offense in a single season in Thumb history with 616 points. The previous high was set in 2004, by the state champion USA Patriots, who accomplished their feat in a perfect 14-0 season.
The Bearcats have also moved up in the MHSAA record book for points in a season, as they are now eighth all-time with a chance to move up into the top five with a solid effort on Saturday.
Ubly coach Bill Sweeney finds this situation laughable, because he has been criticized throughout the season for only mainly running three plays. “I get a kick out of it,” he said.
“I used to hear a lot about running a fourth play from all the prognosticators. But 600 points on three points isn’t bad for a year,” he joked.
Sweeney added, “We run a system, we run a program and it is nice to have that affirmed. The kids buy into that and obviously when you score 600 points it shows that.”
While Sweeney was impressed with what the offense has accomplished, he doesn’t want people to forget what the defense has done this season either.
“We’ve been a great offensive team all year and our defense has progressed,” he said.
He added, “We started out as a good defensive team and we’re becoming a great defensive team, so I’m really more excited about that. The defense (against Reading) was just unbelievable.”
*****
It was a difficult week of practice for Ubly as they were hampered by a heavy snow fall early in the week. Last Monday, the Bearcats were forced to practice at Cass City and on Tuesday, local business owner Shawn Wright cleared off a portion of the practice field so they could continue to work on what they needed to.
While it made things difficult, the players weren’t going to let it affect their preparation for the game. “We just had to take what we had and made the best of it. They cleaned off that little spot and that was all we needed,” Eric LaBuhn said.
*****
In looking at the Ubly offense, the Bearcats have rushed for 4,703 yards as a team. Jordan Kaufman has led the ground game with 1,596 yards and 22 scores, while Justin Cleary added 1,113 yards and 12 TDs and Alex Peruski 819 yards and 13 TDs.
Kaufman has also passed for 757 yards and 16 scores this season bringing his total yards to 2,353 and when you add in his kick return TD, he has 39 scores.
As for Peruski, he has emerged as the second or third option in the run game, after starting the season as the fourth back. Peruski realizes there are games where he will get more carries and times when he will get less.
That doesn’t faze him, as his only concern is winning. “I have no problem not getting the ball. If we are winning, I don’t care if I get the ball zero times, but if I need to take the ball, I’ll run the ball,” he said.
*****
Did you know that offensively, Ubly’s most successful quarter is the second? They have scored 252 of their 616 points in that quarter or 41 percent of their offense.
As for their worst quarter, it is the third, where they’ve been held to 73 points or 12 percent of their offense.
As for opponents, they have had their most success against the Bearcats in the third, where Ubly has allowed 59 of the 130 points they have surrendered all season (45 percent). In the second quarter, opponents have been held to 12 total points or less than a point per game.
That means in the second quarter, the Bearcats have outscored opponents by 240 points (252-12) this season.
*****

We're jammed packed with Ubly audio

Finally got these up! Here are the links to comments from several players and the coach. Listen and I'm sure you'll agree with why I called this team a group of great young men in an earlier post.
Alex Peruski:
http://www.box.net/shared/gmdd6dnm47
Bill Sweeney:
http://www.box.net/shared/mmo8h1f2xb
Eric LaBuhn:
http://www.box.net/shared/r45ugqu72i
Steven Weber:
http://www.box.net/shared/3oyrzcioni

Looking at Traverse City St. Francis

Ubly (13-0) vs. Traverse City St. Francis (12-1) at Ford Field
* TCSF advanced to the finals with a 28-7 win over Ravenna. In that game, the Gladiators outrushed their opponent 242-83 on comparable totes (42-41). In the passing game, TCSF had a 120-87 edge in terms of yards, giving the Gladiators the overall edge in all-purpose yardage 362-170.
* The key to the game was TCSF’s ability to put themselves in short yardage situations, as they averaged 7.1 yards per play on offense, compared to 3.1 for Ravenna.
* In the pass game, they averaged 13.3 yards per attempt and 17.1 yards per completion. The Gladiators passed the ball on just nine of their 51 offensive plays or just 18 percent of the time. However, half of their TDs came through the air as St. Francis scored on a 34 yard TD strike from QB Corey Williams to Taylor Hennrick (65 yards receiving) in the first and in the third, Williams hooked up with Matthew Benson (32 yards) on a seven yard TD pass.
* On the ground, Joe Kerridge rushed for 89 yards on 11 carries (8.1 ypc) and Ryan Farley 85 yards on 16 totes, while Ben Swan (35 yards) and Jack Gallagher (eight yards) added rushing scores. As for this team’s power running attack, St. Francis likes to utilize the T and the I, as their main formations.
* Defensively, the Gladiators allowed 117 yards and a score to Ravenna’s Jamohn Martin, but did sack the opposing quarterback six times. Standouts on this side of the ball included junior linebacker Max Bullough (6-3, 220, verbally committed to Michigan State) with 13 tackles, including three for loses for a combined -16 yards, to go along with 1.5 sacks, which netted a loss of 12 yards. Defensive back Matt Zakrezwski added 12 tackles (five solo), while Hennrick added an interception and Gallagher recovered a fumble. * St. Francis is a perennial playoff powerhouse, winning state titles in 1999 (13-1), 2003 (14-0) and 2005 (13-1) over the last 10 years. They have also finished as runner-up in 2007. Overall the team has made the playoffs 19 straight years. The team has seven returnees from last year’s state runner-up.
* So far this season, the Gladiators have scored 552 points (42.5 ppg average) and allowed 165 points (12.7 ppg allowed on average). Comparatively, Ubly has scored 616 points (47.4 ppg) and allowed 130 points (10 ppg).
* Their lone loss of the season was a 17-14 setback to Saginaw Nouvel in Week 2. Nouvel lost 35-34 to Montague in the Division 6 semifinals, ending their bid for a third straight state title.
* TCSF has shown they can be vulnerable to the spread in the post-season. After holding Whittemore-Prescott to just eight points against that formation, Merrill scored 48 on the Gladiators by “spreading” the ball around. The 48 points allowed was a season high for St, Francis and the first time they allowed that many points since a 56-13 loss in 2000, which was the team’s playoff opener.
The Glads also faced two teams that run the spread in the regular season, Elk Rapids and Grayling. TCSF surrendered a combined 47 points in those games, beating E.R. 27-19 and Grayling 43-28.
In four games against “spread teams,” St. Francis has allowed 103 points or an average of 26 ppg.

Now that was a butt kicking!!!!

This is Chris at my mother's house in Sterling Heights. I'm getting totally reemed out and b**ched out by everyone in the house..however, here's my quick thoughts on Ubly, who has ascended to the spot as the eighth best offensive team in the history of the MHSAA with their 47-8, whichg gave them 616 for the season. The way this offense has been scoring, they theroretically could finish in the top 6, maybe even in the top 3 or 4. That's how good they are...just think if they would have played full games.

As for the game, Ubly stalled on their first offensive possession, but their defense answered in a big way. Eric LaBuhn was a beast today, Sweney called it his best defensive game of the season. I'll take it a step further and say, maybe his career.

As a sports guy, you may ask how do you judge that. I saw the aggression he played with and the penetration he got. Ubly had excellent outside containment today and LaBuhn was in on a boatload of tackles, something we notice when he starts showing up in a lot of frames.

Offensively, Kaufman was slowed in the run game, but threw for a couple of TD strikes, while returning a kickoff over 80 yards to ice the game.

Steven Weber stepped up as both a receiver (getting his second TD catch of the season) and as a defender, as coach Sweneey has challenged him to step up in recent weeks. Alex Peruski, the 135 pound back, was stellar with a pair of scores and the quote of the night. In a nutshell, he said he'd be happy to get no carries a game if it meant the team was going to win. That sums the type of men (not kids, not players, but men), that make up this team.

We'll hvae tons of stuff up this week, as we prepare for the finals. We have a "Look Back..." section on Wed., Dec. 3 which will take you through a look at the entire season, from the opener against USA to the final against TCSF. We'll have some unique fetaures, great photos, stats, and everythign you could hope for.

We'll have audio up from interviews late tonight/early tomorrow, when everyone goes to sleep. Until then, enjoy the photos.