Clawson Football Falls to Marine City

The Clawson High School football team was dealt its first loss of the 2012 season Friday night as the Trojans were defeated by visiting Marine City, 45-21.

Clawson (3-1, 2-0 Macomb Bronze) struggled to stop the Marine City running game in the first half, allowing the Mariners to build a 31-7 lead going into the break. The Trojans' only first half points came on a 9-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Ty Sparks to junior Marquian Johnson in the second quarter.

Marine City (3-1, 2-0 Macomb Gold) kept the pressure on to open the second half, expanding its lead to 45-7 and triggering the running clock.

The game reached its final 45-21 margin after Sparks threw two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one each to Blake Blue and Steven Klein. Olivia Paquette was a perfect 3-for-3 on extra points for Clawson in the loss.

Clawson is now 0-5 lifetime against Marine City, with the Trojans losing each time they've played the Mariners since moving to the Macomb Area Conference in 2008.

Despite the result, Clawson head coach Jim Sparks said he saw some positives from his team.

"The kids played hard and they expected to win, which is good," Sparks said. "A lot of teams I think when they see Marine City they don't expect to win. We can build on the fact they're competitive and they care."

Sparks said he remains confident in his team headed into next week's showdown with undefeated MAC Bronze Division foe Clintondale.

"I know (Clintondale's) good, I know it's their homecoming and I know there's a lot on the line," Sparks said. "We're going to watch a lot of film, put together what we hope's a good game plan and go."

The Clawson-Clintondale matchup is scheduled for 7 p.m. next Friday at Clintondale. The winner will have sole possession of first place in the MAC Bronze.