Bears Crush Melvindale to Start 2011 Football Season

kicked off the 2011 football season at home Friday night with a crushing 42-13 defeat of Downriver League foe Melvindale.

The Bears (1-0) opened the scoring early in the first quarter as senior running back busted through line and took off for a 34-yard touchdown. 

A few big penalties called against Wyandotte, however, allowed the Cardinals to temporarily grab momentum. The team scored a touchdown midway through the first quarter, then scored another early in the second quarter, going up 13-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, however, senior Tyler Dunn hit pay dirt with an 80-yard return to tie the game at 13-13. Special teams were a huge factor Friday night as several big returns, a fake punt and a recovered onside kick aided the Bears in putting up the 42 points they scored.

After a second-quarter stop by the Bears defense, sophomore kicker Jacob Simpson nailed one through the uprights to give his team a 16-13 lead going into the half. 

Wyandotte came out of the locker room fired up in the second half and the Cardinals could no longer keep up.

As the third quarter began, Melvindale was overmatched by Wyandotte’s solid run game and punishing defense.

Early in the third quarter, junior Kyle Campbell recovered a Melvindale fumble at the Bears' 25-yard line, leading to a touchdown run by sophomore Kyle Matejko. A little more than two minutes later, a fake punt by junior Devan Stewart set up a 23-yard Dunn touchdown run, giving the Bears a 29-13 advantage. 

Dunn and junior David Davis added rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to close out Wyandotte’s 42-13 win.

Following the game, Dunn gave the credit to his blockers for his solid performance Friday night.

“Our linemen did everything they were supposed to do,” Dunn said. “I just do my job and they do their job.” 

Coach Ron Adams said he was impressed with his team’s victory over Melvindale, a team that many have predicted would be a contender for the Downriver League title. Despite the big win, Adams said his team must continue working hard to be successful against league opponents this year.

“I like what we were able to get accomplished tonight,” Adams said. “There’s a bunch of good teams we still have to face. We’re going back to the drawing board on Monday and we’re going to work hard and prepare to get ourselves ready for Taylor Kennedy.” 

Game Leaders

Dunn had three touchdowns, rushed for 53 yards and caught a pass for 12 yards. Junior Aaron Robinson led the bears in rushing with 68 yards, most coming late in the game as the Bears successfully protected their big lead and kept the ball away from Melvindale. 

A Look Ahead

to take on the Eagles at 7 p.m. Kennedy, which is led by second-year coach Brian Obrycki, was crushed Friday night at Gibraltar Carlson, 49-0.

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