By John Raffel
Tony Poljan nearly led Lansing Catholic to a Division 5 state championship over Grand Rapids West Catholic, and even though the Cougars fell short in a 24-20 loss at Ford Field, the good news for Cougars fans is that Poljan will be back next season.
Poljan ran for 60 yards on 15 carries and completed 24 of 34 passing attempts for 269 yards. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for one.
“We wouldn’t be here about him,” coach Jim Ahern said of his all-stater. “He had a great game and had a great season. He’s a tremendous athlete that’s worked really hard to get to where he’s at. He didn’t play quarterback until last year. He played well today, I thought. When we had to get yards, he got yards for us. We’re proud of him. He’s worked for everything he’s got. It wasn’t given to him.”
The two fourth-down passes on the drive that briefly gave Lansing Catholic the lead demonstrated the impressive poise of Poljan. “Coach was calling solid plays, and I was just running them,” Poljan said. “I saw Palmer open and threw it there.”
Regarding the pass to Zac Baker, Poljan commented that “Zac has been my leading receiver all year long.” He noted that he would usually look in Baker’s direction.
Poljan also praised West Catholic quarterback Travis Russell. “He’s a really good quarterback, and I give lot of credit to his offensive linemen who really play spectacular,” he said.
Poljan, Russell, and Jake Smith of Ithaca were the Division 5-6 quarterbacks for the Associated Press all-state team.
“I’m sad we lost, and I’m double sad we lost for our seniors,” Poljan said. “We’re a family.”
The 6’7″, 230-pound Poljan returns for his senior season next year. This year, he led a team that outscored its opponents 533-142 and had a 2,426-1,492 advantage in rushing yards, despite carrying the ball 14 fewer times than its opponents. The Cougars had 2,490 passing yards.