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Multidimensional

ISHPEMING – Head coach Jeff Olson wanted his Ishpeming High School football team to show some diversification on offense against visiting Westwood Friday night.

The Hematites still gained 206 yards with its vaunted ground game, but Olson went to the air more than usual and the move worked to the tune of 205 yards in a 46-6 Mid-Peninsula Conference victory.

“We have a couple of big games down the road and I wanted to work on different aspects of our game,” he said after recording his 175th career win vs. 79 losses. “Westwood was also putting everyone (defensively) on the line.

“We have a good passing game, and at some point, we have to work on it.”

Senior quarterback Ozzy Corp completed 8 of 11 passes for the 205 yards, including touchdown aerials of eight yards to senior tight end Luke Kuliu and 59 to senior tight end Thomas Finegan.

“We knew a couple of their starting defensive backs were (injured),” Corp said. “The linemen blocked well and gave me time to pass.”

Corp hurt a hamstring last week against Calumet, but he said it didn’t hamper him much against the Patriots (2-2 overall, 0-1 M-PC).

“I felt it a little. It was hard to fully stride out. But that wasn’t why we passed more,” he said.

Corp showed his running ability on the game’s first play from scrimmage, galloping 58 yards to set up a 2-yard TD run by senior wide receiver-back Nick Comment just 24 seconds into the contest.

“A big play like (Corp’s run) was huge,” Olson said. “It led to some good things.”

Said Westwood head coach Scott Syrjala, in his first year at the Patriots’ helm after many years as an assistant to Olson: “We knew the play was going there and I thought we were ready for it. But they reached out and got our outside linebacker with a block.”

Ishpeming junior running back Isaac Olson – the coach’s son – then scored the first of his two rushing TDs on the night with a 55-yard jaunt.

“It was a cross trap and I thought (the Patriots) had it covered,” the younger Olson said. “I was supposed to cut in, but didn’t see the hole so I went outside.

“The cornerback came up, but I broke his tackle.”

Corp scored on a 4-yard run, then hit Kuliu with a TD toss for a 30-0 lead set up by a 43-yard aerial to Kuliu.

Senior Nicholas Briones gave the Westwood fans some hope with a 36-yard TD pass from senior QB Darren Wing with 1:54 left in the half.

“He’s a great tight end. He works hard,” Syrjala said of Briones.

Ishpeming (4-0, 3-0) made it 38-8 at the half, however, when Olson scored on an 8-yard cross-trap scoring run.

“I just ran around a guy trying to stop me,” he said. “I lowered my shoulder to get into the end zone.”

The state Division 7 No. 1-ranked Hematites closed out the scoring – and set in motion a running clock – when Corp hit Finegan with the 59-yard scoring strike at the 9:02 mark of the third quarter.

“We weren’t lining up properly (in some pass coverages),” Syrjala said. “I thought we made some adjustments, but their double slot (formation) surprised us a little.

“We knew Ishpeming was good. We’re just not there as a program yet.”

Ishpeming wound up with 411 total yards to the Patriots’ 148.

Three times, the Hematites’ defense got the ball on downs. Junior defensive tackle Ashok Ravindran also recorded a sack.

“I liked the way we played defense,” Coach Olson said. “We stopped their running game, for the most part. That was huge.”

Craig Remsburg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 251. His email address is cremsburg@miningjournal.net.

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