Rochester, MI — The hard, driving rain did not distract the Highlanders from their undefeated season and playoff win. Their decisive 42-20 victory over Lapeer sets up Adams to face Oxford for week two of the playoffs. The Highlanders kick-off to start the game. Colin Timko kicks the ball out of bounds and the Lapeer Lightning start on offense at the 35-yard line. Lapeer runs for 12 with a tackle by Parker Picot. The next play results in the loss of a yard, following a tackle by Griffin Henke and Rocco Orsini. A penalty is called against the Lighting for a late hit / unnecessary roughness. With first and 26, Lapeer is stopped for no gain by Tait Picot. A penalty on Adams makes it second and 12. A two-yard gain is stopped by Tait Picot, then a screen pass for a long gain is stopped by Henke inside the Highlander 30-yard line. With first and ten, Henke and Orsini stop a three-yard run; Nick Paterra and Orsini stop another three-yard run; a penalty makes it third and nine; and Joey Shallow’s coverage results in an incomplete pass. Finally, Lapeer misses a field goal attempt. Rochester Adams 0 – Lapeer 0 Rochester Adams takes the field on offense with 8:05 left in the first quarter. From the 20-yard line, there is a short loss on first down; six yards for Christian Schomer; then four yards and a first down for Griffin Henke. After a penalty, it is first and 15 from the 25-yard line. A no-gain run and two incomplete passes force a Tait Picot punt that goes 70 yards to flip the field and pin the Lightning inside the 5-yard line. On defense, from the 3-yard line, a first-down pass is nearly picked off by Marco DiCresce, but he is ruled out of bounds. A run gain of seven is stopped by Paterra and Shallow; and a run gain of three is stopped by Orsini. With first and ten at the 13, Lapeer gets a yard on a reverse run, before a tackle by Paterra and Schomer. Alex DeGrieck gets a tackle at the line, causing a fumble that is recovered by Henke. The turnover gives the Highlanders first and goal from the Lightning 9-yard line with 3:24 in the first quarter. On first down, QB Parker PIcot runs to the right and finds a lane to the end zone with great blocks from DeGrieck and Brady Prieskorn. Touchdown Highlanders. Timko’s point after attempt is good, with Luke Stockoski on the snap and Paterra on the hold. Rochester Adams 7 – Lapeer 0 Timko’s kick results in a touchback and Lapeer begins at the 20. There is a seven-yard run, tackled by Hassan Murray; a two-yard run tackled by Paterra; and a four-yard run tackled by Paterra. With first and ten from the 33, Mohammed Murray’s tackle means no gain; Parker Picot covers an incomplete pass; and Prieskorn knocks down a pass at the line. The punt is downed at the 40. The Highlanders take over with first and ten at the 40 and 33 seconds in the quarter. There is a short loss, but on second down, Henke comes up with a big 20+ yard run, and is knocked out of bounds at the 32. Marco DiCresce finds a lane on the left side, created by Andrew Rolfs and big kick-out block by a pulling Orsini. DiCresce slips a tackle at the 30 and beats the defenders to the corner of the end zone for a Highlanders TD! Timko’s PAT is good. Rochester Adams 14 – Lapeer 0 With 11:39 left in the first half, Timko’s kick is returned out to the 41, with Will Krol on the tackle. A run gain of four is stopped by Parker Picot and DiCresce. After a no-call on a Lightning late hit, the Highlanders get flagged for lining up in the neutral zone. On second and two, a run gain is stopped by Henke and Tait Picot, but they get the first down. DiCresce and Schomer get a tackle for a loss of one; two incomplete passes are covered by Paterra; and a punt is fair-caught by Schomer at the 12. With first and ten from the 12, Parker Picot runs for three; Henke runs for four; Shallow runs for two; and Tait Picot punts it away. Lapeer resumes offense from the 39. There is a run with no gain stopped by DeGrieck; a run for five, tackled by DiCresce; a run for one, tackled by T Picot and H Murray; and a punt is downed at the 7-yard line. With 4:51 remaining in the half, the Highlanders take over. Parker Picot runs for two and Schomer runs for 10. With a fresh set of downs, Parker Picot gets seven and DiCresce gets another seven for a first down from the 32. A nine-yard run by Parker is followed by Henke up the middle, bouncing the run to the outside for a big gain of 20. With first and ten at Lapeer’s 39, Henke again takes the ball off tackle and bounces it outside. A great running lane is created at the line of scrimmage by Finn Tobiczyk and Andrew Rolfs, with pull blocks from DeGrieck and Orsini, with Stokan sealing the middle. Max Cibor gets a downfield block on the corner back, and Henke runs untouched, sprinting up the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown run. Timko’s extra point is good. Rochester Adams 21 – Lapeer 0 The Adams kickoff is returned to the 39, with the tackle by Tanner Buck and Braedy Limke. DeGrieck gets a QB sack for a five-yard loss to start the series. A one-yard run is stopped by DiCresce and a screen pass is complete for eight. A Hail Mary is knocked down by Schomer to end the first half. Still raining at the return from half-time, the game resumes and Adams receives the kick. Damarcus Rouse gets a nice 40-yard return, but a penalty brings it back to the starting position for the offense. Shallow explodes down the left side for a gain of 21. Parker Picot gains one, but you can’t stop him; you can only hope to contain him. Parker picks up 55 yards on his next two carries. With first and ten from the 27, the Highlanders recover their own fumble, then Parker goes 24 yards. With first and goal from the five, Henke gets four. Finally, Parker Picot pushes up the middle for the touchdown! Timko’s PAT is good. Rochester Adams 28 – Lapeer 0 Timko’s kick results in a touchback with 8:58 left in the third quarter. Lapeer gets two yards with a tackle by Tait Picot and 13 yards after being run out of bounds by Parker Picot. With first and ten from the 35, a fumbled snap is recovered back at the 19. A six-yard run is stopped by DiCresce and a 24-yard middle-screen pass is stopped by Shallow and Orsini. A first-down run for six is tackled by the Picots; a two-yard run is tackled by Tait Picot and DeGrieck; then the QB runs for 10 and is stopped by Buck and Orsini. From the 25, Hassan Murray and Buck stop a five-yard gain and DiCresce’s tackle results in the loss of a yard. The Lightning then complete a 21-yard TD reception. The PAT is no good. Rochester Adams 28 – Lapeer 6 In an exciting play, Peyton Montour fields the onside kick on one hop and returns the ball 23 yards. With first and ten from the 26, Henke runs for six; Henke runs for one, and a fumble is recovered by the Lightning. Lapeer resumes offense at the 14. DeGrieck’s big tackle results in no gain and another Lapeer late hit moves them back to second and 17. A run gain of 10 is knocked out of bounds by Parker Picot, followed by an incomplete pass and a punt that is downed at the Highlander 49. With 2:04 remaining in the third quarter, Adams starts at the 49-yard line. Shallow goes to the right side for a gain of eight and Parker Picot goes to the left side for a gain of five. With first and ten at the Lapeer 38, Adams is called offsides, bringing up first and 15. Henke gains nine and the third quarter ends. With second and six, the Highlanders strike! Parker Picot runs for 35 yards and a TD! The extra point by Timko is good. Rochester Adams 35 – Lapeer 6 With 11:52 left in the game, the kick goes out of bounds and Lapeer starts from their own 45. The Lightning complete a screen pass again, but DiCresce reads it from the start and gets a tackle for a loss of five. Henke sacks the QB on a pass attempt; a two-yard run is stopped by Mohammed Murray and DiCresce; and a punt is downed at the 35. Back on offense, Schomer gains five on the left side, but there’s a penalty on Adams. Paterra gets a big 13-yard gain. The hard rain continues as Adams lets the play clock wind down before snapping. There’s a miscue on the snap, but the ball is recovered by Paterra for a loss of 4. DiCresce gains four on third down, but Tait Picot punts it to the 35 with 6:38 to play. Lapeer passes for 38 yards and the tackle is made by DiCresce and Prieskorn. A roughing penalty on Adams makes it first and ten at the 15. Following a broken play, the QB scrambles and runs in for a touchdown. Lapeer makes the two-point conversion. Rochester Adams 35 – Lapeer 14 Lapeer completes an onside kick, but touches the ball before it goes 10 yards, giving the Highlanders the ball with first and ten at the Lightning 49-yard line. Paterra gains 28 yards with a run to the right. A nasty late hit by Lapeer moves the ball all the way to the 10-yard line. Paterra runs for a short gain and again for five up the middle. Paterra runs in a TD from the 5-yard line. Timko’s extra point is good. Rochester Adams 42 – Lapeer 14 From the 23, Lapeer’s offense is tackled by Stockoski, Hassan Murray and John Rittner for a gain of four to start the series. A holding call sets up second and 13. Cibor and Josh Vokal make a tackle stopping a short gain. Lapeer gets 11, then three with the tackle by Kawa and Buck. With first and ten, there is an incomplete pass and a penalty on Adams. Buck stops a 7-yard run; and DJ Greer makes a tackle to stop a completed pass. From the 10-yard line, there is a sweep left and Andre Creson and Vokal make the tackle. With second and five and 20 seconds left in the game, Lapeer completes a TD pass. The PAT is no good. Rochester Adams 42 – Lapeer 20 Paterra recovers an onside kick and the Highlanders line up in victory formation. Bring on Oxford! Final score: Rochester Adams 42 – Lapeer 20