Sports
Falcons Miss a Homecoming Victory, Falling 21-13 to Troy Athens
Two late interceptions in the red zone prevent Falcons from a comeback win.
The Rochester Falcons defense got hit with some extra intensity in a 21-13 homecoming game loss to the Troy Athens Red Hawks.
The Red Hawks defense forced seven turnovers and was apparently unaffected by the drizzling rain and members of the homecoming court all dressed up for the occasion.
Flow of the game
Rochester took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a long touchdown pass by John Doroshewitz to T.J. Dean that pumped up the crowd.
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Athens struck in the second quarter with two touchdowns, one on the first play by Sam Haskell and one at the end by Lonnie Bolden, giving the Red Hawks a 14-7 lead at halftime.
The Falcons scored again on a touchdown pass by Jack Glancy to Kyle Wink after the ball was tipped by T.J. Dean into the end zone.
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After a missed extra point, the Falcons trailed 13-21 with half of the fourth quarter remaining. Two interceptions by Glancy on scoring drives prevented the Falcons from the a possible tie, and the Red Hawks hung on to their fourth win of the season.
"We had seven turnovers, and we're not going to win football games with that many turnovers," Rochester Coach Erik Vernon said.
Glancy replaced Doroshewitz at quarterback after he came out with an injury in the fourth quarter.
"Our defense played a lot better than we have been. The offense played well given our injury situation, but we needed to capitalize on our scoring chances and eliminate turnovers," Vernon said.
Homecoming festivities
Alumni from Rochester High School's class of 1956 were in attendance and announced at halftime.
Two Falcons players, Brandon Tyus and Matt Lipphardt, didn't make it to the locker room at halftime because they were in the homecoming court.
Tyus was crowned 2011 Homecoming King, a bittersweet addition to his final homecoming game as a Falcon.
What's next
"We've had a tough streak on the road recently, so hopefully we can get back on track next week," Vernon said.
Rochester (1-4) hosts a tough playoff-contending opponent in Clarkston next Friday at 7 p.m.
Troy Athens (4-1) hosts West Bloomfield Friday at 7:30 p.m.
