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6.0 years ago by George Pohly, Macomb Daily

Richmond scores twice in fourth, defeats BWAC football rival Armada

 

Richmond running back Noah Montanari is tackled by Armada’s Kenneth Simmons during the first half of a BWAC game.
Richmond running back Noah Montanari is tackled by Armada’s Kenneth Simmons during the first half of a BWAC game. GEORGE POHLY -- THE MACOMB DAILY
Vincent Cioletti of Armada runs for a first down as Richmond senior Colton McKiernan prepares to make the tackle during the first quarter of a BWAC game.

Vincent Cioletti of Armada runs for a first down as Richmond senior Colton McKiernan prepares to make the tackle during the first quarter of a BWAC game.

This one was anything but a breeze for the Blue Devils.

Bret Hamel and Eric Barr ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown apiece as Richmond posted a seventh straight football victory over rival Armada, 17-7 on the Tigers’ field in both teams’ Blue Water Area Conference opener Thursday night.

The Tigers, who lost to Richmond 57-7 last year, led 7-3 at halftime and carried the four-point edge into the fourth quarter before Hamel broke loose for a 40-yard touchdown run with 7:16 left – the first touchdown allowed this season by Armada.

“Our defense was doing a superior job; we were stopping them every single time,” Hamel, a senior, said. “We just had to get our offense going. We riled up our offensive linemen and told them what they had to do, and they got it done.”

“It was a good job by the linemen (on the TD run).”

The victory made Richmond 2-0 for the season. Armada, a 16-0 winner over Clawson in Week 1, fell to 1-1 overall.

“I wasn’t surprised at all (by the margin),” Richmond coach John Kocher said after his 50th career victory was in the books. “I’ve watched film, and they’ve steadily improved for two years. 

“They’re for real. They’re physical. It was a physical football game.”

Barr, a junior, ran nine yards for his touchdown with 3:48 left, a few plays after Armada turned the ball over on downs at the Richmond 35. Josh Barton added the extra point, his second of the game to go with a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Richmond didn’t “wear down” the Tigers, Kocher said.

“I think our intensity picked up and our execution picked up and we were able to sustain some drives,” he said.

Vincent Cioletti ran a sweep 44 yards for the Tigers’ touchdown with 4:28 left in the first quarter, and Logan Newlands added the extra point.

“They played hard,” Armada coach Todd Stump said of his players. “They dealt with some adversity better than in the past. We proved to a lot of people that these kids can play. They are talented, and they’re not a team to take lightly.

“It’s a tough one to lose.”

Armada’s defense went nearly 7 ½ quarters before giving up its first touchdown of the season.

“They played really hard,” Stump said. “In general, our kids play really, really hard. They’ve been disciplined. They’ve changed the mentality.”

Sacks on consecutive plays pushed Armada into fourth-and-long after Hamel’s TD, and the Tigers were unable to convert on fourth down as Richmond took over at the 35.

Cioletti’s 42-yard punt return to the Richmond 48 in the third quarter gave Armada a scoring chance, but the Tigers weren’t able to capitalize.

On the Blue Devils’ next possession, a fourth-down option pass by a running back went through the hands of the intended receiver and Armada took over at the Tigers’ 23, but the home team wound up punting the ball away.

Both teams are on the road next week, Armada at Yale and Richmond at Croswell-Lexington.

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