Rochester too much for Carmichaels in 40-7 win
ROCHESTER – Dan Camp’s offense kept leaving after one play, so Rochester’s quarterback spent the second half on the sideline. Camp blamed his teammates, especially Reon Hunter, Derek Moye and Josh Atkins. They scored too fast.
Top-seeded Rochester had three one-play scoring drives in the first half of Friday night’s lopsided victory over Carmichaels, 40-7, in the first round of the WPIAL Class A football playoffs. The reigning champions looked ready to defend its WPIAL title, even if their longest drive lasted just seven plays.
“We didn’t put together our Rochester drives,” Camp said, laughing. “No 10-, 11-, 15-play drives. We kept putting it in the end zone.”
But no one will complain.
Taylor scored with a 72-yard kick return, Moye had a 75-yard reception and Atkins made a 44-yard catch before giving way to the second string offense.
“I love having these guys,” said Camp, who passed for 142 yards and also ran for a 40-yard touchdown. “Derek (Moye), Josh Atkins, Ryan Zarnich, Tony Whiteleather, … They’re amazing.”
Marc Cureton also reached the end zone on two short touchdown runs as Rochester scored on six of its seven first-half possessions. The only time the Rams failed to reach the end zone, they instead tried to kick a field goal.
So Camp and many other Rochester starters weren’t needed in the second half after leading by 40 points at halftime in a lopsided game that ended with the running clock of the mercy rule.
Rochester (10-0) has won 22 of its last 24 games, and hasn’t lost a WPIAL playoff game since the 2003 semifinals. The Rams will play California in next Friday’s quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
Junior running back Logan Phillips led Carmichaels with 63 yards on five carries, including a 70-yard touchdown run with 3:40 left in the fourth quarter. The Mighty Mikes totaled 142 yards of offense, but 81 of them came in the fourth quarter.
Carmichaels couldn’t overcome its first-half struggles that were intensified by poor punting. Phillips’ five first-half punts averaged just 19 yards, including an 8-yard punt after Carmichaels’ first possession. He was replaced as punter after halftime.
“I knew Rochester was a great team,” Carmichaels coach Mike Bosnic said. “They’re probably the best team I’ve seen since I started coaching.”
Hunter needed just 11 seconds to give Rochester the lead when the junior scooped up a bouncing opening kickoff and returned the football 72 yards for a touchdown. Hunter also kicked the extra point, giving Rochester a 7-0 lead with 11:49 left in the first quarter.
Camp marched the offense 40 yards in seven plays on Rochester next drive, ending with a 1-yard touchdown run by Cureton to take a 14-0 lead with 7 minutes left in the first. Rochester needed just one play to score on its next drive when Camp threw a 30-yard pass to Moye who stretched it into a 75-yard touchdown catch with 2:13 left in the first.
“We didn’t think it wasn’t going to be easy,” Camp said, “but I think once we put them down, we started kicking them. That’s when we put them away.”
Rochester scored on three of its four second-quarter possession beginning with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Camp to Atkins on the quarter’s first play. Camp’s 40-yard run came on the second play of the next drive. Cureton ended Rochester’s scoring with a 1-yard run with 1:10 left in the second quarter, giving Rochester a 40-0 lead just before halftime.
“I knew we had a high-powered offense,” Moye said, “but I didn’t think we were going to get 40 in the first half. … It’s just that the plays we called today. Whatever we called, we scored.”