Rohrborn, Romeo defense stifles Macomb Dakota for signature conference win

The intensity in Romeo's practice during the week reached a point where things got chippy between members of the offense.

The Bulldogs were acutely aware of what was at stake Friday, Oct. 3, when undefeated Macomb Dakota, ranked No. 8 in Division 1, rolled into town. Romeo (4-2) and Dakota (5-1) were both coming into the matchup unbeaten in conference play, with first place and a share of the MAC Red title on the line.

"The intensity was crazy," senior quarterback Sammy Nepa said. "... We got a little bit chippy on offense. We were getting a little bit (mad) at each other when we weren't executing because we know how big of a deal it is."

The Bulldogs' practice intensity carried over to the opening moments of Friday's showdown with the Cougars. Romeo built an early lead and never relented on its way to a 39-20 win over Dakota.

Romeo now stands alone in first place in the MAC Red after its first win over Dakota since 2021.

"This is huge," Nepa said. "I've never beaten Dakota in my life. This is big time, man."

Romeo jumped ahead in the first three minutes on a Troy Smith 16-yard receiving touchdown from Nepa, which was set up by an interception from Ryan Rohrborn on the opening possession. Rohrborn took one step toward the line and then dropped into coverage toward the flat.

Dakota quarterback Nikkos Davis didn't see Rohrborn drop and tried to fit a pass into the sideline, but the Romeo senior was right there for the interception. Rohrborn ran through Davis on his return, going out of his way to meet the Dakota quarterback in open space.

"My responsibility was the guy in the slot and I was right there and made the play," Rohrborn said. "I caught the ball and kept running.

"I saw that quarterback run towards me and I wanted to send a message, so I just ran right into him and left him in the turf."

The Romeo defense continued to stifle Dakota, while special teams controlled field position to set the Bulldogs' offense up with short fields. Romeo held Dakota scoreless in the first half while building a 20-0 lead, adding a Tayshawn Proctor rushing touchdown and two field goals from Joseph Celaj.

Proctor's first of two rushing touchdowns was set up by a forced fumble caused by defensive end Ryan Lavely, who landed a perfect punch on a ball during a Dakota punt return that caused a fumble.

"It was huge with the crowd here and the energy," Romeo coach Curt Rienas said. "We were feeding off (the crowd) and we couldn't let them get anything going."

Romeo's foot remained on the accelerator out of the break. Junior Parker Cohoon ripped a 54-yard run, setting up Smith's second touchdown to go up by 27 points. Dakota finally got on the board with a 99-yard kickoff return from Elijah Goins, but the hole was too much for the Cougars.

Romeo's defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, and shut down the Cougars' offense. Rohrborn and seniors Dominic Hawes and Josh Lochbiler pulled down the momentum-swinging interceptions. All three have emerged on Romeo's defense after waiting for the opportunity.

"None of those kids were starters last year," Rienas said. "So for them to step up in a pretty big time way in a big game, they did an awesome job."

"We did our jobs," Lochbiler, who had a pick-six called back because of a penalty, said. "We stayed back, we did our assignments and we had good communication. It was just a great game."

The intensity during the week led to increased focus on the field for 48 minutes Friday, as Romeo turned in a signature win over a ranked conference rival.

"With the MAC red pretty much on the line this week, everyone was amped up," Rohrborn said. "When we came through that tunnel tonight, it was like nothing else that I've ever felt. ...

"It feels amazing. This is for sure the biggest win of my career and probably the biggest one of everyone on this team."

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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Rohrborn, Romeo defense stifles Macomb Dakota for signature win