West Bloomfield football rebounds with 36-32 win over Rochester Adams

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Former West Bloomfield coach and now University of Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy brought some much-needed confidence to the West Bloomfield squad Sept. 22 as they faced Rochester Adams.

Not just because Bellamy was being honored as the 11th coach to be inducted into the West Bloomfield Coaches Hall of Fame, but also due to the fact that the Lakers last beat Adams in 2020 with Bellamy as head coach.

A former wide receiver at the University of Michigan and for five different NFL franchises, Bellamy led West Bloomfield to a Division 1 State Championship Jan. 23, 2021, but his impact to the school ranges far beyond the field.

“Ron (Bellamy) has done so much for the community and so much for the school,” West Bloomfield Athletic Director Eric Pierce said. “We all know of Ron’s on-the-field successes, and that’s a testament to how good of a coach he is, but the stuff he did in our school for the 11 years he was here off the field speaks even greater volume to the type of person that he is. He has such a big imprint on this school and the culture of this school.”

Following a crushing last-minute 17-13 loss to Lake Orion a week prior, West Bloomfield handled business Sept. 22 as they defeated Adams 36-32 at West Bloomfield High School.

“Their (Lake Orion’s) good players made some good plays, and the advantage for us on Friday was that our good players started making plays,” West Bloomfield coach Zach Hilbers said. “We call it ‘winning time’ at the end of the game, and our guys stepped up and got the job done.”

The Lakers took a 30-21 lead at the half and would tack on another score behind an 18-yard touchdown run by junior Kamren Flowers to take a 36-21 lead. Flowers ran for two touchdowns in the win.

Adams would cut the lead late in the fourth quarter as sophomore quarterback Ryland Watters connected with senior tight end Brady Prieskorn for the late score, but the West Bloomfield defense stood tall to earn the win.

While the first half had the making of an offensive shootout, the second half showcased the strength of the defensive units from both sides.

Adams opened the scoring early in the first quarter off a West Bloomfield fumble as junior Paxton Battershell punched in a 5-yard touchdown run. Add on a wide open pass from Watters to senior wideout Drew Heppner for a 66-yard touchdown to give Adams a 14-7 lead, and Hilbers said the in-game adjustments were clear for the second half.

“If you just take away two self-inflicted mistakes right off the jump — and they’re good, so they might have scored anyway — but we gave it to them,” Hilbers said. “I think just eliminating those mistakes made it a little bit easier for us.”

West Bloomfield senior quarterback Reqez Nance was lethal all night, throwing for three first-half touchdown passes to three different receivers.

Nance found junior wideout Elisha Durham for a 12-yard touchdown to open the scoring for West Bloomfield, and then connected for a pair of 22-yard touchdown throws to senior standout Brandon Davis-Swain and senior Nigel Dunton.

It was the rebound game Nance needed after last week’s loss, and he looked as sharp as can be.

“He’s got so much game experience and just knows what everyone is supposed to be doing on every single play,” Hilbers said. “It shows. He knows where the ball is supposed to go.”

Watters also tallied a 25-yard touchdown pass to junior Lachlan Tillotson in the loss.