TRAVERSE CITY -- Most football teams run the ball to key their offense.
Others operate in reverse.
Traverse City St. Francis had a new twist against Harbor Springs on Friday night at Thirlby Field.
The Gladiators used their defense and special teams to shorten the field for their offense in a 55-0 Lake Michigan Conference victory over the outmanned Rams.
"Our defense has been clicking this year; it's our strong point," said senior defensive end Matthew Benson, who had a sack and a fumble recovery for the Glads (6-1, 5-0 LMC). "We're just doing our job. The coaches talked all week about, 'Just do your job.' The ends contained and the linebackers filled. It was a team effort."
"We've been leaning on our defense all year," St. Francis coach Greg Vaughan said. "The coaching staff over there has them playing at a high level."
In addition to setting up the offense for short scoring drives, the defense directly accounted for the first score of the game.
Junior safety Matt Zakrzewski intercepted Harbor Springs quarterback Pete Wendland on the Rams' second possession and raced down the right sideline. Zakrzewski was hit near the goal line and the ball popped out, right into the arms of senior defensive tackle Joel Lints for a touchdown. Corey Williams kicked the first of five extra points for a 7-0 lead.
"I get lucky a lot," Lints said of his second defensive score of the season.
The next two touchdowns by the Glads came on one-play drives, a 17-yard run by Joe Kerridge and a 30-yard jaunt by Ryan Farley. Kerridge's score was set up by a fumble recovery by Paul Britten while Farley's TD came after a big John Zakrzewski punt return.
St. Francis added three more touchdowns in the second quarter to lead 40-0 at the half. Ben Schell scored on runs of 24 and 5 yards the first two times he carried the ball and Kerridge added a 10-yard scamper on the Gladiators' 31st offensive play from scrimmage.
All three second-quarter scores came after turnovers -- the first on an interception by Farley and the second two on fumble recoveries by Benson and Jack Gallagher.
"Turnovers, that's what did it," Harbor Springs coach Jud Silveus said. "You can't do that, especially against a team like that. They're too good."
"I'm a big believer -- this goes either way with turnovers -- that it comes from being aggressive," Vaughan said. "When we turn the ball over, I give credit to the other team for being aggressive. Tonight our kids were coming off the ball on defense and getting after them."
Also hurting the Rams (2-5, 1-4) were numbers. Harbor Springs dressed just 17 players because of injuries and lost another early in the first quarter to a concussion.
"Harbor Springs is a better ball club," Vaughan said. "Their defense played very, very well. They caused us some problems.
"Luckily we have more guys than they do and we wore them down a little bit."
St. Francis started the second half with a special teams score as junior Max Bullough, who committed to play at Michigan State earlier in the week, returned a kickoff 76 yards for a score. Bullough also caught the two-point conversion pass from Farley after a mishandled snap on the kick try.
The Gladiators added a TD in the final quarter as Schell found a seam up the middle en route to a 37-yard scoring scamper. That run also put Schell over the 100-yard mark as he finished with 126 yards on 15 carries.
John Zakrzewski added 57 yards on eight carries while Kerridge added 53 on seven tries.
In addition to keeping its undefeated league season intact, the win by St. Francis means the Gladiators will be in the postseason for the 19th straight season.
"We're getting ready for the playoffs," Joel Lints said. "But we have two big games left. Grayling and Elk Rapids will be tough opponents."
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