MC starts slow, then rolls over Roosevelt

Updated: May 9, 2012 9:43AM

It wasn’t the start Michigan City was hoping for or expected. But the Wolves ended it just as planned.

After a scoreless first quarter, Michigan City came to life and rolled to a 46-0 victory over Roosevelt in the Friday’s season opener at Ames Field.

“We were a little worried, but I trust my teammates and they trust me,” Wolves senior quarterback Joel Hirsch said. “It’s first-game jitters. They believe in me, and I believe in them.”

Michigan City finally broke through early in the second quarter when Hirsch hit receiver Donovan Wilson down the right sideline for a 42-yard touchdown pass. Wilson caught the ball with one hand, corralled it and sprinted into the end zone.

The Wolves added two more scores in the second quarter on Hirsch’s 20-yard TD run and Rashem Bell’s 45-yard score, giving Michigan City a 20-0 halftime lead.

“It was frustrating at the very beginning,” first-year Wolves coach Michael Karpinski said. “We had too many penalties, and that’s one thing we talked about at halftime. You can’t do that and expect to win games.

“Fortunately, we made some big plays. But Roosevelt came out and their kids played hard.”

Bell finished with 90 yards rushing on seven carries.

Michigan City scored one more time with its regulars when fullback Brian Taylor scored from a yard out with less than three minutes into the third quarter. Karpinski’s backups played the rest of the game.

Among those backups was freshman quarterback Ryan Washington, whose brother Rodney graduated after last year. Washington scored on a 15-yard run and later on a 9-yard scamper into the end zone.

Johnnie Frazier rushed for 29 yards and Jerry Ruiz ran for 25 to lead the Panthers. QB Deron Downton also threw for 52 yards.

“I was really proud of the kids,” Roosevelt coach Eric Yarbrough said. “We came out here with a bunch of sophomores who worked hard in the summer. We’re still learning as a football team.”

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