Special to The Michigan Catholic
Senior quarterback Jacob Lipetzky talks with his coach regarding the game against Lutheran North. (Photo by Ricky Lindsay)On Friday night, Gabriel Richard made a statement with its 41-14 victory over Macomb Lutheran North that not only can they hang with teams, they can set the pace too.
Senior quarterback Jacob Lipetzky led the Pioneers (5-0) with a three touchdown performance. He finished 7-for-13 with 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air, and added 110 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Even though the senior got rushed in the pocket throughout the entire night, Lipetzky found ways to make plays with his legs or his arm.
Lipetzky's first touchdown pass went to Nick Nelson to get Gabriel Richard on the board in the first quarter. Nelson had three receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown. If that was not enough, the senior also carried the ball 10 times for 53 yards and two touchdowns, which came in the second quarter and third quarter.
The senior’s second touchdown went to sophomore Eric Wigginton on a 13-yard pass in the fourth quarter. To cap things off, Nevin Hughes, a freshman, broke out for a 42-yard touchdown run to put the nail in the coffin as Gabriel Richard defeated Lutheran North by 27 points.
While Gabriel Richard’s offense was clicking, the Mustangs (2-3) struggled to find its stride offensively.
Junior quarterback Charles Kruse finished 7-for-17 for just 88 yards, and the three-sport athlete was only able to scramble six times for 13 yards. He finished the night with with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Nelson and Tom Stackpoole intercepted Kruse during the Pioneers victory. Stackpoole added 63 total yards on the night.
When Kruse was on, however, he tossed a touchdown to Michael Barno late in the third quarter to cut into the Pioneers’ lead, 28-14. At that point, Lutheran North still had a chance to comeback. But, the last two drives of the game for the Mustangs resulted in an interception and a lost fumble. Those two turnovers resulted in touchdowns for Gabriel Richard.
The Pioneers also had their share of turnovers, but Lutheran North could not capitalize off their mistakes. The first turnover was a lost fumble in the first quarter and the second was an interception early in the second quarter by Gabriel Richard.
Gabriel Richard totaled 18 first downs, compared to Lutheran North's 10. The Mustangs went 0-for-6 in third down situations and 0-for-1 in fourth down situations. On the other side of the ball, the Pioneers finished 9-for-13 on third down and 3-for-3 on fourth down.
Another factor that helped the Pioneers get the win was total yards. Gabriel Richard totaled 438 yards during the game, while Lutheran North only picked up 156. The Pioneers controlled the ball for 34-out-of-48 minutes on Friday night.
While, Gabriel Richard lost its top running back in Josh Blaszczak very early in the first quarter, Lutheran North received a key player back from injury.
Mitchell Visbara returned to action after he sat out last week with a sprained ankle, and he didn’t miss a beat.
Visbara had 117 all-purpose yards, thanks to a huge 73 yard kick-off return. The senior was active on defense, totaling 14 tackles - six solo - with one pass batted down. After missing last week, Visbara now has 481 all-purpose on the season with three touchdowns.
Defeating the Mustangs was a start of a tough road ahead for Gabriel Richard. After they face undefeated Cranbrook-Kingswood next week, they will take on Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, who is also undefeated.
Lutheran North, on the other hand, will face Dearborn Divine Child next Friday at home before rounding out the rest of its schedule with Madison Heights Bishop Foley and Allen Park Cabrini.
