FOOTBALL: Saline Improves to 3-0 with Victory Over Pioneer

Saline football coach Kyle Short likes to divide his season into thirds. After Saline's 49-13 victory over Pioneer, Saline improved to 3-0.

You can't do much better than that.

"I'm really proud of what we do. We break our season down in thirds. So to finish the first third at 3-0 is our goal and we did that," Short said. "We start out our next third 0-0 and we’ll start out with our friends over at Dexter."

Perhaps most impressive is the way the Hornets have answered the bell after graduating a brilliant class.

"Our motto is 'our time.' This 27 class is special. They were a huge part of what we did last year. This group of seniors has been in the shadows of the 26 class," Short said. "We'd hear it on the outside that 'Saline was down.' I think we have a bit of a 'chip on our shoulder mentality,'" Short said. "It's really cool to see all these guys, whether it's Cruz (Hanson), or Brady Baldwin or Carson Cherry or our O-Line or whether it's Ethan Proctor, or Gabe Iadipaolo or Griffin Backus, a stud underclassman."

And those are some of the names.

Thursday, Iadipaolo caught three TD passes from Case Campbell. RB Cherry added two more TDs to his totals. Baldwin scored on a pick six and caugh a pass from Campbell for another.

Saline scored on its first possession. Campbell connected for three early passes and including a big gain on a great catch by Hanson.

A rusing TD as called back but Cherry did it again, following Louis Esposito, who pancaked his guy, into the endzone. The point-run was good and Saline led 8-0.

Saline needed just two plays to score on its next possession. On the first, Campbell found Cruz Hason beyond coverage and the play went for 64 yards before he was brought down. 

On the next play, Campbell found Iadipaolo for a TD. Saline led 14-0 after the two-point play did not work.

Pioneer took two penalties after the play. Saline kicked off from the Pioneer 30. The attempted onside kick by Kevin Huber was a good one and it was recovered by Patrick Williams at the 16. 

A couple of plays later Cherry ran in for his second TD and a 20-0 lead.

Pioneer replied by scoring its first points again Saline in four seasons. Saline went for an interception on a flat pass and missed, so wben Elijah Marshall made the catch on a flat pass, he was gone. The 78-yard TD and kick made it 20-7.

Thing seemed to be going a little sideways for Saline after they punted. The first quarter ended with Saline leading, 20-7.

Brady Baldwin righted the ship on the first play of the second quarter. He sniffed out a hook-and-ladder play, tipped it away from the receiver and then snagged the ball before turning on the jets and running into the end zone. Saline led 28-7 after Cherry's two-point run.

Saline turned another interception into points. Grant Stripp picked off a long pass and ran it back 40 yards into Pioneer territory. 

A couple of plays later, Campbell found Baldwin in the end zone. Saline led 36-7 after a two-point run by Cherry.

Pioneer had some success moving the ball on the next possession but Bryce Barbarino had a sack on fourth down, pushing to the ball back to midfield. Cherry ran it to the Pioneer 30. A passing play to Griffin Backus went into the end zone bit it was called back. 

But Iadipaolo caught a pass from Campbell, fought off tacklers and carried a couple over the line. Saline led 42-7.

Before the end of the half, Campbell threw to Iadipaolo for another touchdown. Iadipaolo found a rowdy group of young Hornet fans to celebrate the score.

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