OGEMAW HEIGHTS - Oct. 9, 2009 - If Ogemaw Heights was feeling a little overlooked, the Falcons probably won't have that problem from here on out.

Ogemaw took most of the suspense out of Friday's North East Michigan Conference championship game by scoring almost at will throughout the first half, defeating Pinconning 50-14 in the final NEMC contest of the season. Both squads came into Friday's game with 3-0 league records.

"We talked all week about how much we'd been hearing about Pinconning," said Ogemaw coach Andrew Pratley. "The kids were fired up because we haven't gotten a lot of recognition so far and I think some people have looked past us.

"We heard a lot about Pinny's 'Thunder and Lightning' (backfield of Lucas Foco and Tyler Espitia). They're good, but I think we proved tonight we're the best in the NEMC."

Ogemaw led 23-14 after a wild first quarter, but looked far more impressive in building its lead than did the Spartans. Other than Espitia's 60-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the first quarter, the Spartans had no luck offensively. Espitia scored the Spartans' other touchdown on a 90-yard kickoff return after the Falcons' opening score.

Meanwhile, Ogemaw did almost whatever it wanted offensively. Quarterback John Hughes scored on a 30-yard run on the Falcons' first play from scrimmage, and after Espitia answered with his kick return, it took Ogemaw six plays and three minutes to move 61 yards for their second score, this one on a 7-yard Hughes run.

Pinny went three-and-out, and Charlie Murdock broke off a 49-yard scoring run for a 23-6 Falcon lead.

The Falcons had 150 yards of offense in the first quarter on just 11 plays.

"They just manhandled us up front," said Pinconning coach Chip Kleinhans. "The (rainy and muddy) conditions hurt us.... That was going to favor the bigger, stronger team, which they are.

"It was all we could to just to stalemate a block."

"I'm never surprised about what these kids do," Pratley said of his offense's 50-point performance. "We've really improved on the offensive line. We go as they go."

The Falcon offense slowed a bit in the second quarter but still built its lead to 31-14 on a 5-yard Hughes run after a Pinny fumble.

The Ogemaw defense gave Pinny no quarter until the running clock kicked in after the Falcons built a 36-point lead in the fourth quarter. Other than Espitia's first-quarter scoring run, the Spartans were held to minus-10 yards of offense until their final drive of the game against the Falcon reserves.

Pinny had its chance to get back in the game early in the third quarter, forcing the Falcons to punt from their own 25 on their first possession. Punter Jarritt Orlando bobbled the snap, but even that didn't go Pinconning's way: Orlando recovered to sprint for a 23-yard gain and a first down that kept the drive alive.

Hughes finished off the 10-play drive with a 29-yard run and a 1-yard touchdown plunge for his fourth touchdown of the night.

It only got worse from there for the Spartans, who fumbled the ensuing kick return. Hughes hit Kyle Bellor for a 35-yard gain to the Pinny 1-yard line, and Hughes finished off the lightning-quick drive with another touchdown to make it 43-14.

Andrew Vollmer broke into the scoring column on the second play of the fourth quarter, recovering Alex Jennings' blocked punt in the end zone.

"I was surprised (at giving up 50)," Kleinhans said. "But they spread you out, then send their big kids right out you.

"They're not a finesse team. They pretty much just punched us in the mouth. Now we need to focus not just on getting into the playoffs, but winning out. We don't want to just sneak in."

Espitia finished with 80 yards on 10 carries. Casey Pashak completed 3-of-7 passes for 63 yards, with Sam Bourcier catching two passes and David Paulik hauling in a 42-yard catch late in the game.

Hughes led the Falcon rushing attack with 90 yards on 13 carries and completed both his passes for 60 yards. Murdock added 79 yards on 12 carries. The Falcons finished with 293 yards of offense, a deceiving number thanks to the splendid field position set up by their defense.

Pinny (5-2, 3-1 NEMC) tries to clinch a playoff berth on Oct. 16 with a home game against Goodrich (5-2).

The Falcons (6-1, 4-0), after wrapping up both the league title and a playoff spot with the victory, look to improve their playoff seeding over the final two weeks, starting with their final regular-season home game Friday against Gaylord (1-6).

"We've reached some of our goals," Pratley said. "But we need to continue to improve. We still have a long way to go."