SPORTS WRITER
After a disappointing 17-7 loss to Lakeland on the road last week, the South Lyon football team was more than ready to get back to action. On Friday they opened the home portion of the 2007 season against Brighton.
The Lions (2-1 overall, 1-1 Kensington Valley Conference) took on the cross town rival at the Jungle, and came away with a hard-fought 6-0 victory over the Bulldogs.
Strong defense led the charge as the Lions shutout the Bulldogs for the first time since 1984, when they won Brighton 20-0.
"Our guys really stepped up to the challenge," said South Lyon head coach Mark Thomas. "This week in practice after the Lakeland game we really worked hard. The defense really took on the challenge."
Dan Vess scored the only touchdown of the game in the first quarter on a 19-yard run. The Vess touchdown came with 10:01 left in the quarter, and provided all the points South Lyon would need to secure a victory.
"After Vess scored you would have never thought that was going to be enough to get us a victory, but our defense did a heck of a job," said Thomas. "All night that had that bend-but-don't-break mentality, and it was not just one person out there making the plays. We had different players all the time stepping up."
The Lions opened the game with a strong stand on defense while forcing Brighton to punt after just three plays. South Lyon started the game with great field position, starting its opening drive at its own 45-yard line.
It took the Lions just two plays to score. Ian McGee opened the game with a 36-yard run and Vess finished off the two play drive with his 19-yard run. A missed extra point attempt kept the lead at 6-0.
The Lions running game returned to its early season form after a dismal performance last week against Lakeland. The Lions were able to pile up over 300 rushing yards against Brighton and over 100 yards on just the team's first two offensive possessions.
Ian McGee finished with a team-high 204 yards rushing and Vess added 108 yards on the ground.
"The main theme of the week during practice was to come out and play fast and have intensity. It really paid off tonight," said McGee. "The defense has the potential to be phenomenal and they showed signs of it tonight."
The Lions had a chance to push their lead to 12-0 after a 44-yard run by McGee landed the Lions at the Brighton 11-yard line, but a fumble on the next play ended the drive.
The closest Brighton would get to scoring came at the near the end of the first half. The Bulldogs took over possession on the South Lyon 33-yard line with four seconds remaining in the second quarter after a Lions punt.
Brighton went to the air with Bulldogs quarterback Devin Hochberg connecting with Thomas Rice. Rice was able to weave his way down to the South Lyon 5-yard line before being tackled as time ran out.
In the fourth quarter, Brighton threatened to tie the game again, but penalties and the South Lyon defense kept them off the scoreboard. Hochberg broke off a 79-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter for the Bulldogs, but the play was called back after a Brighton penalty for illegal motion.
Later in the quarter, Chris Bucalo, who finished the game with a team-high 69 yards rushing, broke free for a 20-yard gain. As he ran up the field, Jake
Sexton forced him to fumble giving possession back to the Lions with 4:31 left in the game.
