This won't be something the Whitmore Lake High School football team will brag about, but it's notable nonetheless: The Perry Ramblers broke a 20-game losing streak Thursday night with a 29-8 win over the Trojans.

Whitmore Lake (0-2) took an 8-7 lead in the second quarter after a 60-yard touchdown run by Steven Briggs and a two-point conversion run by Levi Bank.

It seemed, at that point, the Ramblers may be headed for their 21st consecutive defeat, but the undersized Trojans wore down and couldn't hold the lead.

"We got a lot of guys playing both ways," Briggs said. "We came out, especially defensively, really fired up and ready to go, but we got tired."

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Neither team scored in the first quarter, but the Ramblers ran 21 plays in those first 12 minutes to just five for Whitmore Lake. Perry's Scott Ruzinsky broke the stalemate with a 10-yard touchdown catch from Dominic Olson. But when the Trojans answered and took the lead, Whitmore Lake coach Barry Pierson thought his team had an opportunity.

"When we went ahead 8-7, (Perry) was down," Pierson said, "They probably thought ‘here we go again.' But we couldn't hang in there."

With the Trojans holding the one-point lead in the second quarter, Whitmore Lake quarterback Dylan St. Charles was tackled in the end zone for a safety. Perry's Chris Benjamin later added a 1-yard touchdown run, and the Ramblers took a 16-8 lead into halftime.

The uphill battle didn't get any easier for Whitmore Lake in the second half, as the Perry offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, and the Trojans struggled to keep the Perry defense out of the backfield.

"We hit better (than last week)," Pierson said of his team's effort. "We blocked better, but it wasn't consistent. You make a few mistakes and it will cost you."

For Perry, however, the game was a long-awaited cause for celebration.

"Our kids decided enough was enough," Perry coach Steve Bentley said. "We had a streak that needed to end, so mission accomplished."

Bentley's team nearly got a victory last week, but came up short in a two-point loss to Romulus Summit Academy.

"We came out a little angry tonight," he said. "(The team) worked hard and they deserve it."

Though Whitmore Lake lost the game, the Trojans weren't without highlights. Senior defensive back Tim Avey made a leaping, one-handed interception in the second quarter before he later left the game with an ankle injury.

And, in the fourth quarter, freshman quarterback Sam Paniacci, who hasn't even started his first day of high school yet, connected with St. Charles on his first play under center for a 27-yard throw and catch.

The Trojans are looking to bounce back next week against Petersburg-Summerfield.

"We improved from last week, there's no doubt," said Briggs. "But we need to keep going in the right direction and improving."

-- By AnnArbor.com contributor Bison Collins Messink