Rogers, over and out
Junior leads Highland over Brunswick in opener
Highland junior Jake Rogers had a huge game in the Hornets’ season-opening win over Brunswick. Photo by BRUCE BILLOW
For Jake Rogers, opening night of the 2017 high school football season could not have been more perfect. Rogers’ Highland teammates had few glitches, either, and the result was more than good enough.
Led by a superb all-around night by Rogers Aug. 25, the Hornets opened the year with a 28-14 non-league victory over Brunswick.
“I’m very proud of myself,” Rogers said. “I give all the credit to the line, Matt (Earnest) had good throws. On defense we had good calls that set me up for the plays.”
Rogers, who did nearly all his damage in the first half, caught seven passes for 163 yards, including one spectacular touchdown catch-and-run. The junior receiver/defensive back also had an interception, a 45-yard kick return and recovered an onside kick to kill Brunswick’s last hope.
No word on whether Rogers cooked the team dinner, but his night, save for one dropped pass – which he quickly pointed out – was flawless.
“He’s amazing,” Highland coach Mike Gibbons said. “He’s a playmaker. Every time he touches the ball he’s a threat to do something special with it. We tried to move him around, give him the ball as much as possible.”
Senior Brent Ponikvar ran for 103 yards on 14 carries, scoring a pair of touchdowns to lead Highland on the ground. Earnest completed 10-of-22 passes for 222 yards, all his completions coming in the first two quarters.
Rogers didn’t have a touch after halftime, but didn’t need one. The Hornets played a dominant first half, taking a 21-0 lead while piling up 257 total yards.
Highland scored on the second play of its second possession when Rogers turned a short wheel route into a scintillating 59-yard touchdown. Catching the ball on the left sideline, Rogers reversed field, sprinting to the opposite pylon, getting a nice downfield block from senior Jake Sir Louis along the way.
“I just made one cut and they were all coming, so I just headed the other way,” Rogers said. “If he didn’t have that block, I would probably have gotten tackled.”
The Hornets upped their lead to 14-0 on a 5-yard Max Beier run that featured some nice second effort. The run capped a 68-yard march highlighted by passes of 34 and 26 yards to Ryan Frederick and Rogers, respectively.
With 1:22 left in the half the Hornets got an 11-yard TD run up the gut from Ponikvar to push the lead to 21-0. The Hornets converted a short fourth-down play on the 60-yard drive, which featured a pair of Rogers receptions for 33 yards.
Earnest finished the half 10-of-18 for 222 yards. Rogers caught seven of those throws for 163 yards. Frederick had two grabs for 53 yards.
The Hornets’ defense stifled Brunswick in the first half, holding the Blue Devils to 44 total yards,
“We got a lot of starters returning,” senior linebacker Ethan Gerding said. “A lot of us played football (together) growing up. So we have pretty much a cohesive unit.”
After halftime, Brunswick got things going, but the Hornets mostly just bent. The Blue Devils scored on their first possession of the second half to get within 21-7 and moved deep into Highland territory on their second before stalling on downs. Gerding had a massive sack on third down.
Brunswick’s next possession was snuffed out by Rogers’ interception and 39-yard return. A play later Ponikvar scored from 19 yards out and the Hornets had some breathing room.
“That was huge,” Gibbons said. “Had it been a one-score game it would have been a lot tighter. But you know with their offense and those receivers and their quarterback, that you’re one play away from it being really tight again.”
Brunswick added a touchdown with 6:11 left to make it a two-possession game, but Rogers came up again on the on-side kick, squelching any thoughts Brunswick had of a comeback.
Led by a superb all-around night by Rogers Aug. 25, the Hornets opened the year with a 28-14 non-league victory over Brunswick.
“I’m very proud of myself,” Rogers said. “I give all the credit to the line, Matt (Earnest) had good throws. On defense we had good calls that set me up for the plays.”
Rogers, who did nearly all his damage in the first half, caught seven passes for 163 yards, including one spectacular touchdown catch-and-run. The junior receiver/defensive back also had an interception, a 45-yard kick return and recovered an onside kick to kill Brunswick’s last hope.
No word on whether Rogers cooked the team dinner, but his night, save for one dropped pass – which he quickly pointed out – was flawless.
“He’s amazing,” Highland coach Mike Gibbons said. “He’s a playmaker. Every time he touches the ball he’s a threat to do something special with it. We tried to move him around, give him the ball as much as possible.”
Senior Brent Ponikvar ran for 103 yards on 14 carries, scoring a pair of touchdowns to lead Highland on the ground. Earnest completed 10-of-22 passes for 222 yards, all his completions coming in the first two quarters.
Rogers didn’t have a touch after halftime, but didn’t need one. The Hornets played a dominant first half, taking a 21-0 lead while piling up 257 total yards.
Highland scored on the second play of its second possession when Rogers turned a short wheel route into a scintillating 59-yard touchdown. Catching the ball on the left sideline, Rogers reversed field, sprinting to the opposite pylon, getting a nice downfield block from senior Jake Sir Louis along the way.
“I just made one cut and they were all coming, so I just headed the other way,” Rogers said. “If he didn’t have that block, I would probably have gotten tackled.”
The Hornets upped their lead to 14-0 on a 5-yard Max Beier run that featured some nice second effort. The run capped a 68-yard march highlighted by passes of 34 and 26 yards to Ryan Frederick and Rogers, respectively.
With 1:22 left in the half the Hornets got an 11-yard TD run up the gut from Ponikvar to push the lead to 21-0. The Hornets converted a short fourth-down play on the 60-yard drive, which featured a pair of Rogers receptions for 33 yards.
Earnest finished the half 10-of-18 for 222 yards. Rogers caught seven of those throws for 163 yards. Frederick had two grabs for 53 yards.
The Hornets’ defense stifled Brunswick in the first half, holding the Blue Devils to 44 total yards,
“We got a lot of starters returning,” senior linebacker Ethan Gerding said. “A lot of us played football (together) growing up. So we have pretty much a cohesive unit.”
After halftime, Brunswick got things going, but the Hornets mostly just bent. The Blue Devils scored on their first possession of the second half to get within 21-7 and moved deep into Highland territory on their second before stalling on downs. Gerding had a massive sack on third down.
Brunswick’s next possession was snuffed out by Rogers’ interception and 39-yard return. A play later Ponikvar scored from 19 yards out and the Hornets had some breathing room.
“That was huge,” Gibbons said. “Had it been a one-score game it would have been a lot tighter. But you know with their offense and those receivers and their quarterback, that you’re one play away from it being really tight again.”
Brunswick added a touchdown with 6:11 left to make it a two-possession game, but Rogers came up again on the on-side kick, squelching any thoughts Brunswick had of a comeback.