Rochester

Seeking redemption

By Christian Davis
C & G Staff Writer

Rochester Adams football clinches playoff berth

ROCHESTER — Rochester Adams senior quarterback Andrew Waszak said he and his teammates remember the hurt they felt walking off the field last season in the Division 2 semifinal against eventual state champion Detroit Martin Luther King.

Adams lost 14-7 in a game the quarterback said he felt they should have won.

“A week later, all the juniors … we were in the weight room every day. We worked our butts off. We’ve been driven,” Waszak said after Adams beat Birmingham Seaholm 49-3 Oct. 3 at home. “We don’t talk about it; it was a bitter loss. … The kids that were there, they know how it felt, and we don’t want that feeling again.”

In order to erase that memory, Adams first had to qualify for the playoffs this year, which they did with the win against Seaholm.

Coach Tony Patritto said he hasn’t spoken of the semifinal loss since their first game, but knows it’s a driving force for everyone in the program.

“The bitterness of that loss is still with us, but we’re very, very proud of making the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year,” the coach said, as the Highlanders were 6-0 overall.

“That’s always one of our primary goals going in, and we’ve learned to not take this for granted. This is pretty special, and I’m pretty proud to be associated with these kids and be in the playoffs again.”

Patritto was also proud of the way his defense played against Seaholm. The Highlanders led 35-0 in the first quarter before allowing a field goal in the second. For the season, Adams is giving up 17.3 points a contest.

“Our defensive coaches, I think, are the best around,” Patritto said.

“A lot of people have been criticizing our defense because we’ve given up some points this year. Bottom line is, we’re winning games, and you don’t win games if you don’t play good defense.

“So tonight was validation that they’re really good, and the kids have a passion about playing defense.”

That passion is also evident on the other side of the ball, where the offense is averaging 49.2 points per game.

Waszak said he hasn’t been sacked yet, but the offense can become crisper.

If it does, and the defense can come through like it did against the Maples, then the captain also believes the Highlanders can finally erase that bad memory.

“That’s what we all want,” he said. “Who doesn’t want a state championship?

“All the seniors in there know that this is our last chance to get one, so we’re going to work our butts off.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062.