TAKING THE HIT … Swanton quarterback Dennis Robinson is tackled in the first half Friday night at Swanton High School.
PHOTOS BY RENEA KESSLER / THE VILAGE REPORTER
EYES DOWN FIELD … Javi Hornyak-Ramsey runs the football in the first half for Swanton.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
SWANTON (September 5, 2025) – A cavalcade of errors from snaps from center rolling across the ground to fumbles, interceptions, and penalties of all kinds dogged both the Ottawa Hills Green Bears and Swanton Bulldogs as the former slogged to a 12-0 victory Friday night.
Whether due to nerves or eagerness, the home team Bulldogs started by giving up 10 yards to the Green Bears offense through offsides penalties on the first two plays after kickoff.
A pair of runs by Ottawa Hills senior running back Ian Densmore – who would put in heavy work throughout the night – earned another seven yards before a low snap to sophomore quarterback Cole Coy, who threw toward a pair of receivers only to have the pass intercepted by Swanton senior Connor Mitchey to take over on the Bulldogs’ 45-yard line.
Swanton was unable to gain any momentum, with no gain on a pair of plays then a five-yard gain by junior quarterback Dennis Robinson, who held onto the ball after the snap didn’t get into the air and rolled to him. An incomplete pass attempt on fourth and 5 turned the ball over on downs at midfield.
A trio of Densmore runs earned 16 total yards for Ottawa Hills, but a lateral pass attempt was fumbled and recovered by freshman Bulldog Lucas Fay at the Swanton 23-yard line.
On the following drive, Robinson threw a pair of his own lateral passes to senior Javi Hornyak-Ramsey for a total of 32 yards, but only one resulted in a first down as the second came after another rolled snap and a penalty for blocking in the back that set them back 20 yards – both on the same play.
A pass that resulted in the loss of a yard was followed by yet another low snap, which Robinson held onto to churn out a first down.
The following play saw another low snap and another flag – this time for holding – for another loss of 20. Swanton was unable to recover and kicked it away.
In their next drive, Ottawa Hills caught their own pair of penalties for a false start and holding, while the Bulldogs were caught offsides.
The Green Bears were unable to earn a first down, eventually turning the ball over on downs at the Swanton 44-yard line.
Swanton continued to struggle through the end of the first quarter with snaps rolling across the ground and also picked up a flag for blocking in the back but were able to push all the way to the Ottawa Hills 21 with a 27-yard pass to junior Marquise Zalecki.
A tough three downs were followed by a pass through the hands of Zalecki in the end zone to turn it over on downs at the 18.
The Green Bears found major traction with a pair of Densmore runs including one for 59 yards, but picked up a holding penalty, lost yards on a fake hand off, and eventually had a pass knocked down for a turnover on downs at the Swanton 17-yard line.
The Bulldogs struggled on their next drive with a pair of losses and a short run to bring up fourth and 18 and special teams, downing their own punt on their own 41.
Ottawa Hills faced a similar challenge, with a high snap and then a snap directly into the quarterback’s legs, going three-and-out and punting it to away.
Despite the solid defensive play, Swanton immediately ground to a halt with a pass intended for Zalecki picked off by freshman Green Bear Grant Roemer at the Swanton 49-yard line.
An Ottawa Hills pass to Roemer on the next play put them just five yards from the end zone. Two tough runs to push ever closer were followed by a successful touchdown run by Densmore. A failed extra point attempt put the score at 6-0.
With only 21 seconds left in the half, the Bulldogs were unable to generate any momentum, ending the second quarter short of midfield.
Receiving again to start the second half, they managed a hard fought first down before struggling on the next three downs, with miscommunication leading to Robinson throwing into an empty space where he expected a receiver to turn it over on downs in Ottawa Hills territory.
The Green Bears pushed over the course of two downs courtesy of runs by Densmore and Roemer, with a pass to sophomore Nickel Fineske bringing them to the Swanton 24-yard line.
They then ran into trouble, losing yardage on a run then fumbling and recovering followed by a false start penalty and an incomplete pass before a pass intended for Roemer was intercepted by Bulldog junior Seth Carman in what ended up being a double-edged sword as they were pinned against their own goal at the 2.
It took Swanton three tries to gain breathing room, eventually getting to the 13 for a first down.
The Bulldogs were only able to gain another seven yards through the end of the third quarter before kicking it away on fourth and three.
Ottawa Hills initially caught a penalty for blocking in the back on the return before the officials put the ball on the Swanton 44, where the fair catch had been called. Even the announcer was stymied, saying “Who knows!” to the crowd rather than trying to explain the play.
The Green Bears went three-and-out including another snap rolling on the ground and a false start penalty before a punt that rolled out of bounds at the Swanton 9-yard line.
The Bulldogs didn’t fare any better, gaining just one yard before a punt that was dropped by the receiver but recovered by a teammate, eight yards shy of midfield.
Despite a high snap on their first play, the Bulldogs marched all the way to the Ottawa Hills six-yard line via six consecutive runs by Densmore.
After a loss and gain that left them with seven yards left to go, Fineske carried it in for another touchdown. A two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, putting them up 12-0 with just under three and a half minutes left in the game.
Swanton was able to make it across midfield as they gained a first down before everything fell apart.
Robinson was forced to throw it away under pressure, and four consecutive plays earned penalties – two for holding, one for delay of game, and one on the initial punt attempt for a false start, pushing them back 40 yards to bring up fourth and 50, burning up their remaining time outs and leaving just under two minutes in the game.
UP NEXT: September 12 – Liberty Center (3-0) at Swanton (0-3)
OHHS 0 6 0 0 6 – 12
SHS 0 0 0 0 – 0
OH – Densmore 1-yd run (kick failed)
OH – Fineske 8-yd run (conversion failed)