Salem plays unbeaten Howell tough before Highlanders pull away late
Led by Jordan Perko (4), Salem’s defense held Howell’s Justin Jones to a minimal gain Friday night.
Mid-way through the third quarter of Friday night’s Salem homecoming game against undefeated Howell, Rock Swiss Army Knife Aiden Moore slashed and juked his way through the Highlanders’ defense for a 16-yard touchdown run, bringing his team to within 20-13 and revving up the hungry-for-a-big-win crowd.
Howell answered with a four-minute scoring drive — and eventually wore down the Salem defense down the stretch with a pounding rushing attack — to ultimately finish off a 34-13 triumph in its second consecutive game at the P-CEP varsity stadium.
Despite the three-touchdown setback and its modest 1-2 record, Salem has a lot to feel good about these days.
Erase two miscues — a high snap on a punt that resulted in a Howell touchdown and a first-half fumble that led to another Highlander score — and the Rocks would have had their fast and massive opponent on the ropes in the final moments.
(To check out video highlights from Friday’s game, click here.)
Adeptly guided by junior quarterback Luke Creighton — the son of Eastern Michigan University head football coach Chris Creighton — Salem’s offense displayed game-long signs of promise, spreading the ball out to numerous weapons behind an offensive line that held its own against a Howell defensive front four that would outsize many DIII collegiate D-lines.
Junior QB showed poise
Creighton, who was cool as an early-fall breeze most of the night, completed half of his 22 passes for 114 yards — a total that could have been doubled if a couple of long, well-thrown 50/50 balls had been secured by his receivers.
Moore solidified his status as one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the KLAA West, rushing 19 times for 88 yards and two TDs, while swarming to the ball from his linebacker position on defense.
Senior Rocco Spica was also a difference-maker for Salem, catching four Creighton spirals for 55 yards and contributing multiple big plays on defense.
Although not as large as Howell’s offensive line and playmakers, the Rocks’ defense played with grit, making two gutsy fourth-and-short stops, one on a Howell two-point try.
The Highlanders’ old-school, full-house, Tight-T offense — think of Canton during hits recent heyday — was powered by senior 6-foot-3, 200-pound running back Justin Jones, who rushed for 129 yards and four touchdowns on 22 carries.
High snap leads to disaster
Howell opened the scoring with 2:34 left in the first quarter when Brody Stack pounced on a loose football after a punt snap sailed over the head of Salem punter Moore, who regained possession near the 5-yard line before getting separated from the ball by Howell’s Jesse Klasko.
The Highlanders extend their lead to 13-0 on Jones’ first TD of the night, a 5-yarder, with 4:35 remaining in the first half.
Undeterred, Salem answered with a masterful end-of-the-half drive, which was capped by Moore’s 1-yard dash to the visitors’ side pylon. The extra point was blocked, but Salem trailed by just one scored, 13-6. The drive was kept alive by a clutch fourth-down pass from Creighton to Nye Turner.
Following an entertaining halftime show — which included performances by Salem’s Rockettes and the Rocks’ cheerleading squad, and the crowning of the 2024 Homecoming queens and king — Howell regained its two-TD advantage on its first possession of the second when, after recovering a fumble in the Red Zone, Jones plunged into the end zone from a yard out to make it 20-6.
Never say quit
Gritty Salem answered again with a sustained drive that was capped by Moore’s slick run to paydirt.
After Jones’ third TD with 2:45 on the third-quarter clock made it 27-13, Salem responded with an impressive drive that stalled at the Howell 31 when a fourth-and-13 pass was knocked down at the line of scrimmage by one of the Highlanders’ 6-foot-plus defenders.
Jones’ 4-yard TD run with 5:46 to play capped the scoring.
Among Salem’s defensive standouts were Moore, Spica, Jordan Perko, Max Kehoe and Landon Garrett.
Salem hosts Hartland on Friday at 7 p.m.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
