ALLEN PARK, Mich — The defense stepped up early and the offense carried Macomb Lutheran North to a 39-22 victory over Allen Park Cabrini on Friday.
Early in the first quarter, the Mustang defense gave the offense early momentum. Joseph Karle forced a fumble, which was recovered by Mitchell Visbara, and Austin Monroe picked up a loose fumble to put the offense in good field position in the first quarter.
The Lutheran North players wait for the opening kick-off. (Photo by Ray J. Skowronek)The offense capitalized behind the legs of junior Charles Kruse who scored on a 7-yard quarterback keeper for a 7-0 lead.
Kruse was active in the second touchdown when he found junior receiver Daric Craig for an eight-yard score and an early 14-0 Mustang lead. Kruse and Craig have connected 30 times this year for 439 yards and two touchdowns.
Lutheran North (4-4) was looking for their first shutout of the season, but Cabrini would not oblige as The Monarchs (1-7) looked to sophomore quarterback Matt Bzura to get the offense going.
The 5-foot-10 signal caller dropped back and hit senior receiver Patrick Onusko for an 86-yard touchdown. Onusko did most of the work as he broke away from defenders and scampered towards the end zone to cut into the lead, 14-7.
After Lutheran North starting running back Jack Pyle scored from two yards out to make it 20-7, the Monarchs were back at it on offense.
Steven Sowa ran a great route and got some separation from his defender as Bzura found him for a 29-yard touchdown to pull within a score, 20-14. Bzura finished the game 8-for-19 with 159 yards through the air and two touchdowns.
With the Mustangs leading, Visbara etched his name in the score sheet with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to make it 26-14 after a failed two-point conversion.
The senior had one of the best individual games this season. He carried the ball for 183 yards and a touchdown on six carries. He also added 21 return yards to total his yardage to 203 on the game. Visbara has 959 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns for Lutheran North.
Lutheran North struck again as Craig recorded his second touchdown of the game, this time a nine-yard carry for a 32-14 lead in the third quarter. Craig is second to Visbara with 728 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns.
When Cabrini was scoring, the ball normally was in the hands of Sowa. The senior, who already scored earlier in the game, added another in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Sowa made a few Mustang defenders miss and took a 78-yard run to the house. The Monarchs only trailed by 10 points, 32-22.
With just a few minutes left in the game, Kruse added his second rushing touchdown on a seven-yard carry for the Mustangs. The score and extra point gave Lutheran North a 39-22 lead. Kruse was 4-for-9 for 78 yards and a touchdown. He also had one interception. He also logged eight carries for 22 yards and two touchdowns.
In the final stages, the Mustang defense was too much for the Monarchs to handle. Visbara led the defense with made eight tackles.
The Mustangs look to earn the team’s fifth win next week in their quest for Lutheran North’s first playoff appearance since 2010 when they face Richmond.
