MELVINDALE FOOTBALL SHUTS OUT DEARBORN HEIGHTS ANNAPOLIS

A Week 4 matchup in the Western Wayne Athletic Conference on Friday, Oct. 9 featured Melvindale at Dearborn Heights Annapolis. It marked the second-to-last league contest for both teams in 20. After losing by 37 points in last year's meeting, the visiting Cardinals exacted their revenge by pitching a 19-0 shutout against the Cougars. For Melvindale, (2-2, 2-2 WWAC) it also marked the team’s second consecutive victory after snapping the program’s 15-game losing streak the week before against Romulus. The Cards got on the board late in the first quarter on a Jason Gabbard rushing touchdown from a few yards out. After a missed PAT, the visitors led Annapolis (0-4, 0-4 WWAC) 6-0 and carried that score into halftime. Melvindale slowly began to wear down the Cougars in the second half. The Cards tallied two more rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, both courtesy of Isaiah Luna. The first of his scores came midway through the third from three yards out, a scoring drive aided by a 30-yard completion on fourth down in Annapolis territory. The other came in the waning seconds of the quarter, a 32-yard run to the end zone. The Cards failed to connect on a two-point try after Luna's second touchdown and led 19-0, which ultimately held up as the final score. Albeit not the prettiest victory, Melvindale coach Derek Anderson was certainly pleased with the gritty performance. "Unfortunately we've been a second half team so far this season," Anderson said. "We still need to put together four quarters where we hopefully get everything figured out. We have a lot of older guys on this team, some of whom are playing outside of their game and we need to keep them inside themselves." Anderson was especially proud of the effort on the defensive side of the ball. He also spoke highly of both Gabbard and Luna, who are part of a senior-laden bunch. "We've really lacked senior leadership the last couple of years," Anderson said. "The guys this year have really stepped up their game and are leading not just on the field but in the classroom, getting the younger players ready for the future. For as long as I've been here, we strive to be a part of the community, becoming all-around good men and they really embrace that." On the other side, it was a frustrating evening for Annapolis coaches and players. Cougars coach AJ Linares attributed their struggles on Friday to a lack of cohesiveness. "We are significantly better than we have shown here," Linares said. "I don't know what has happened with our chemistry but that is what I feel is the big deal right now. It's not a matter of skill, nor even a matter of effort, they are just not flowing together. "I don't know what it is right now," he said. "I don't know if it is everything that is going on in the world that these kids are seeing and hearing. You got a lot of outside influences that just nag at these kids and they don't really know how to handle it. The unfortunate reality is when that happens, it shows on the field." Those challenges aside, Linares was pleased with another solid defensive showing. Annapolis defensively has yielded 20 points or fewer in three of its four games played. Offensively, there are a lot of new faces for the Cougars this season but Linares is slowly but surely seeing improvement from sophomore quarterback Hassan Rivers and his dual-threat capabilities. The hosts had three different drives stall out in Melvindale territory on Friday night, including two in the red zone. Both teams are scheduled to play their league finale on Friday, Oct. 16. Melvindale will host Redford Union (3-1, 3-1 WWAC) while Annapolis will make the quick trip to Dearborn Heights Robichaud (1-3, 1-3 WWAC).

MELVINDALE FOOTBALL SHUTS OUT DEARBORN HEIGHTS ANNAPOLIS

ALEX MULLER

News Herald | 10/15/2020

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Muller