Dragon Volleyball season ends: Dragon Football Moves on to the State Semi-Finals

Written Sunday November 14th, at 9:25 PM

The Dragon ladies can not seem to figure out how to beat Birmingham Marian, first it was girls basketball and now it is girls volleyball.

The Dragons fell to the Mustangs in three games in the regional finals Thursday Night at Oxford, the Dragons finished the year 42-16-5 this volleyball season. The ladies only lose two Seniors and return three fourths of their team for next season, great season ladies.

The Dragon Football team had to hang on this week and observe what happened to their starting quarterback Sean Charette. The Dragons had to overcome the adversity of losing Charette, and led by backup quarterback Cole Schaenzer, running back Marcus Stevenson, and a tough defense defeated the Utica Eisenhower Eagles 17-10 at Dragon Stadium on Friday night, capturing the team's third regional crown in 14 years.

The Dragons are happy to be moving on to the State Semifinals and also to have the confidence in backup quarterback Cole Schaenzer. Schaenzer played Wide Receiver this season but is the team's backup quarterback, it reminded us a few seasons ago in 2007 when starting quarterback Chris Lum went down with a shoulder injury, only to return before the playoffs, Ryan Broth moved from running back/wide receiver to play quarterback for the Dragons, then when Lum came back Broth moved from quarterback to running back for the playoffs. "We have confidence in Schaenzer" Dragon Coach Chris Bell said, about Schaenzer moving from Wide Receiver to Quarterback after the injury to Charette.

Charette left the Dragons regional final tilt to an ankle injury, his status is uncertain for their State semifinal match-up with Detroit Cass Tech on Saturday at 1 PM at Troy Athens. The Dragon starting quarterback said that he will play next week against Detroit Cass Tech but it is uncertain if he will play or not on Saturday. "We'll see with Sean. We'll get him treatment and see how the week of practice goes." Bell added on Charette's ankle injury.

The Dragons are not satisfied with this win over Utica Eisenhower, if they can knock off Detroit Cass Tech on Saturday then the Dragons would return to Ford Field for the second time in three years. The winner of this game will face either Rockford, who had to escape Howell (31-27) or Plymouth who has the two biggest upsets of the State Tournament when they went on the road and upset top ranked Plymouth Canton (17-7) at Canton in the district finals and then went to Novi and upset the seventh ranked team in the State and defending State Champions Novi-Detroit Catholic Central 9-7 in the regional finals last week.

The Oakland Activities Association Red Division Champion Dragons are now 11-1 on the season, and prepare to face one of their toughest foes in unbeaten (12-0), the Detroit Public School League Champions, and the second best team in the State in the regular season the Detroit Cass Technical, Technicians, better known as Detroit Cass Tech, the Dragons were the sixth best team in the State.

In the regular season Detroit Cass Tech beat a few teams that made the playoffs from the Detroit Public School League and their only non league game, (Ann Arbor Pioneer 44-42 in Week One, Detroit Southeastern 42-0 in Week Four, Detroit Martin Luther King 25-0 in Week Five, Detroit Mumford 34-6 in Week Six, Detroit Cody 41-14 in Week Eight, and won the Detroit Public School League Championship over Detroit Crockett Tech 41-7 in Week Nine.) Detroit Cass Tech already has playoff wins over Detroit Southeastern (35-0), Dearborn Fordson (32-13), and now Macomb Dakota (31-19) to the victims of the Technicians.

Detroit Cass Tech brings in one of the best offenses in the State, averaging 32.8 points per game in the playoffs, while only allowing 10.6 points per game in the post season. They also have one of the state's best quarterbacks in Keith Moore. Moore has thrown for seven touchdowns in the last two games for the Technicians, (five vs Dearborn Fordson and two vs Macomb Dakota)

Detroit Cass Tech also has some speed-esters in running back Christian Burks, and defensive back/wide receiver Royce Jenkins-Stone. Burks scored twice of 21 and 54 yards in their win over Macomb Dakota, his 54 yard touchdown it sealed the game for Detroit Cass Tech. Burke finished with 249 yards on 18 carries Jenkins-Stone picked off an interception along with his partner and crime Terry Richardson.

Detroit Cass Tech had two interceptions in their win over Macomb Dakota. Also the Technicians have another wide receiver in Coach Thomas Wilcher's son, Kishan Wilcher. Wilcher has played very well for the Technicians powerful offense, including catching an 82 yard touchdown pass against Macomb Dakota last week.

Detroit Cass Tech also has a good defense along with the Dragons, in the playoffs both Detroit Cass Tech and the Dragons have allowed only ten points a game, both teams love to pressure and create turnovers. Detroit Cass Tech forced five turnovers in their win last week over Macomb Dakota, one was taken back for a touchdown that changed the momentum of the game. Both offenses are averaging over 30 points per game in the playoffs (Detroit Cass Tech 32.6 points per game: Lake Orion 37.6 points per game)

Detroit Cass Tech Football Coach Thomas Wilcher said that his team was getting disrespected by the teams from the suburbs, giving them a very bad rap and playing in a very bad league. "Even though we have bad facilities we still have great players. More of our players go to Division One schools than anywhere. And the PSL still has the best two teams remaining in the playoffs." he said about the Detroit Public School League to reporters.

Wilcher also openly called both Detroit Cass Tech and Macomb Dakota the two best teams in Division One, even though people in Lake Orion and in Rockford would strongly disagree and think otherwise about those comments. "I thought these were the two best teams left in Division One" he added.

However Macomb Dakota Coach Mike Giannone thought otherwise about Wilcher's comments, "I'm not going to say that we were the two best teams because Lake Orion is awfully good, and it should be a great game next week" Giannone said to reporters.

To some these comments insults two of the four remaining teams in the State Playoffs in Division One, Lake Orion and also in Rockford. The Dragons and the Rams were in the State Finals in 2008, let's remember that. The other Detroit Public School team Wilcher mentioned was Detroit Crockett Tech, who is still alive in the Division Four playoffs, getting ready to play Williamston also at 1 PM on Saturday at Novi Detroit Catholic Central.

However the Oakland Activities Association does have another member of the league that is still alive in the State Playoffs beside the Dragons, that is Farmington Hills Harrison, the only team that beat the Dragons earlier in the season (28-6), The Hawks are in the Division Two playoffs, ranked number one in the state in Division Two, they get to play Grosse-Pointe South in the State Semifinals on Saturday at 1 PM at West Bloomfield.

This should be an interesting game on Saturday at Troy Athens at 1 PM, two green teams going at it (Both Orion and Detroit Cass Tech wear Green and White) with the chance of Ford Field on the line. The playoff surroundings do favor the Dragons, they played at Troy Athens earlier in the season, beating the Red Hawks 45-7. The Red Hawks do play in the same division and conference as the Dragons, the Oakland Activities Association and also this game is being played in Oakland County. This will Detroit Cass Tech's first game outside of Wayne County since week one when they beat Ann Arbor Pioneer in a wild one at Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilanti: Washtenaw County) in the Big Day Prep Showdown 44-42. GO GREEN.