Ann Arbor Pioneer football thumps Chelsea, 45-9
AnnArbor.com - 10/17/2009
The Ann Arbor Pioneer football team had not beaten Chelsea since the teams started playing in 2003.

By the time the Pioneers were done ruining the Bulldogs' homecoming game on Friday night, they'd dominated the perennial state power like no other Southeastern Conference team has for the past 15 seasons.

"If you asked me prior to the game if this was going to happen, I'd tell you no 100 times," Pioneer coach Jeremy Gold said after his team's 45-9 win at Al Niehaus Field.

But it happened, thanks to Pioneer controlling the game in the trenches and getting big plays from its bevy of talented skill position players.
 
 
 
Sophomore running back Drake Johnson rushed for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Terrell Moran added 63 yards and two more scores. Wideout Ricardo Miller caught four passes for 124 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown from Miles Sorice. And receiver Brandis Yarrington added four receptions and scored on a 62-yard run.

Placekicker Jeremy Ross added a 40-yard field goal and was perfect on six point-after kicks. 


"We have a lot of athletes across the board on offense and they really came out and played their butts off," Gold said. "This is the first time we've seen this all year long that we come out and play to our potential as an offense in the first half."

It all added up to the Bulldogs' most lopsided regular season loss since 1994, when they lost 41-0 to Saline.

"We've never beaten Chelsea, so this is the biggest game of our season so far and we came out fired up," said Yarrington. "This is big, very big confidence-wise."

Pioneer took control early, turning a pair of Chelsea first-half fumbles into points and a 28-9 halftime lead.

"I thought (Pioneer) dominated all phases of the game," said Chelsea coach Brad Bush. "Certainly in the first half the two turnovers were big, and once the field got tilted, I thought that they dominated play."
 

'Chelsea varsity football coach Brad Bush well I think Pioneer dominated the game in all phases'

 
 
Chelsea tailback Nick Hill, who scored on a hook-and-lateral play in the second quarter, was knocked out of the game just before halftime with a shoulder injury. He gained 118 yards on 12 carries.
 
With the Bulldogs forced to play catch-up, the Pioneer defensive front took over. Chelsea quarterback Brian Paulsen rarely had time to look for a down-field receiver. He was sacked five times and was constantly under pressure while completing just 3 of 16 passes.

Sorise finished 9-of-16 passing for 162 yards and junior tailback Jeron Clayton rushed for 72 yards on a team-high 11 carries. 
 
"Our kids just came out and responded to the challenge. I think they played well in all phases of the game," Gold said. "We picked up the level of intensity as a coaching staff and the kids really responded."
 

'Pioneer varsity football coach Jeremy Gold I never would have thought we would have beat Chelsea like that'