Written, Saturday November 27th, at 7:45 PM
The Dream is here for one prideful community, who wanted to be a top of the State and now it has came. Who would have ever thought that this day would come? or that anyone would say the 2010 Division One, Michigan High School Athletic Association State Champion, Lake Orion Dragons. It happened on Saturday at Ford Field.
The reality and the dream that one football town got was a State Championship for the first time ever, when the final seconds went off the clock at Ford Field, 107 players, alumni, staff, and coaches celebrated. Those on the field stormed it as the Dragons beat the Plymouth Wildcats 21-13 for their first ever State Championship.
Dragon Coach Chris Bell, can now take the monkey off the back, the fact the Dragons are a good team not to ever win a State Championship. "There's the accomplishment, to remove the label of good enough but not there yet. It's a huge accomplishment. You better believe it" Bell said.
The biggest reason why the Dragons is celebrating is their star running back Marques Stevenson. Stevenson has carried the Dragons on the ground this season, going over 2,000 yards in the final 14 games of his high school career, he is not sure where he will be going to college, but he will likely play football for a Division One School. Stevenson had 186 yards on 27 carries in the game against Plymouth. Everybody will talk about the two touchdowns that Stevenson scored but the most important carry of the game came when he didn't have to score a touchdown, it was to keep the clock moving.
On a third down and 15 from the Dragon 26 yard line and with 3:15 left in the game Stevenson ran a 34 yard run on a trap play to the Plymouth 40 yard line and kill more precious clock. Stevenson thoughts on the play of the game and the play that gave the Dragons their first ever State Championship. "I just saw a little opening outside. I bounced it. It was a risk, but obviously it paid off, I was determined to get the first down." Stevenson said.
The Dragons then went on to kill the clock from there on with two plays, causing Plymouth to use their remaining timeouts.
Plymouth head coach Mike Sawachuk praised Stevenson but also thought his Wildcat defense had their chances to contain Stevenson but could not. "I think he's a heck of a back, We had him wrapped up and he wiggled away" Sawachuk added.
The Dragons defense played it's part, only allowing six points against a very good Plymouth offense, led by their star Michigan recruit Brendan Beyer, who is going to Ann Arbor to play defensive end. The Dragons held Beyer in check offensively, to only three catches for 46 yards.
The Dragons got on the board first on a five play, 46 yard drive when quarterback Cole Schaenzer scrambled for a 23 yard run, diving into the end-zone for a Dragon touchdown, Dragon kicker Kyle Searlie added the extra point and went up 7-0.
The Wildcats answered the Dragon touchdown with an eight play, 43 yard drive leading to a 43 yard field goal from Notre Dame recruit and Plymouth kicker Kyle Brindza, making the score 7-3 Orion in the first quarter.
The Dragons then took over the second quarter, predominantly thanks to Stevenson, Demetri Hudson, and Dan Ney. Running back Demetri Hudson then broke off a long drive taking it to the Wildcats three yard line, plus adding a personal foul penalty against Plymouth for nailing wide receiver/defensive back Zach Zott to the Ford field turf. That play took it to the one yard line. The next play Stevenson ran the ball to the end-zone for a one yard touchdown run along with a Searlie kick made it 14-3 Green and White.
Orion however wasn't done scoring, after forcing Plymouth to punt, the Dragons used a four play 83 yard drive, capped by Stevenson's 36 yard touchdown run. Schaenzer's only completion of the game came in the second quarter when he tossed a 40 yard pass to Ney to set up the Dragon score to the Plymouth 36 yard line, one play later Stevenson was in the end-zone sprinting by Wildcats defenders toward the goal line, that score along with a Searlie kick gave the Dragons a 21-3 lead. Late in the quarter Zach Zott intercepted Wildcats quarterback Sean Austin at midfield, closing out the half at 21-3 in favor of the Dragons.
The third quarter went to Plymouth, the Dragons couldn't get anything started and were forced to punt the ball to the Wildcats. Plymouth punt returner and defensive back Victor Hicks, took the ball and returned it 46 yards for a Wildcats touchdown, Brindza added the point after touchdown, and momentum was starting to shift from the Dragons to the Wildcats at 21-10.
Plymouth's defense came to life led by Beyer, forcing a three and out on the Dragons next drive but the Dragons shut down the Wildcats offense causing to turn the ball over twice on downs, however the Wildcats forced the Dragons first turnover in two weeks when Dante Fox recovered a Cole Schaenzer fumble at the Dragon 40 yard line, giving the Wildcats new hope as we head to the fourth quarter with the Wildcats driving.
Plymouth drove to the Dragon 11 yard line, however the defense did not break as they shut down Brendan Beyer throughout the game, the Wildcats did get some points however with another field goal from 28 yards Kyle Brindza making the score 21-13 Dragons with 9:54 left in the game on a nine play, 29 yard drive. The Wildcats final drive came when the Dragons forced a punt at the Plymouth 34 yard line to the Dragons 25 yard line, and that's when Stevenson, Ney, and Hudson took over.
Ney finished his senior career with one catch for 40 yards, and 11 carries for 51 yards, Hudson finished four carries and 56 yards. Schaenzer was one for four passing for 40 yards and was sacked twice, for Schaenzer he has had some experience playing quarterback but taking over for Sean Charette was not an easy task, "It was definitely a shock at first, but I played quarterback before, at the JV level." Schaenzer said.
For the Wildcats, quarterback Sean Austin was 17 for 28 with 138 yards, Jerel Jenkins finished with 12 carries for 27 yards. Receiving for Plymouth, Michigan recruit Brendan Beyer had three catches for 46 yards as mentioned, while leading the way for the Wildcats were Thomas Afetian who caught six passes for 36 yards and Michael Olevinak who caught five catches for 32 yards.
The Dragons finished the year, State Champions of Division One at 13-1, while Plymouth finishes 11-3 and the runner up of Division One.
Tonight is the night of the Dragon, dreams do come true, especially in one community who has been waiting for this day to come, and it finally has, you are finally the best team in the State of Michigan. GO GREEN.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Dragons Beat Detroit Cass Tech, heads to Ford Field to take on Plymouth. Also early preview on Plymouth
Written Saturday November 20th, at 9:30 PM
What a game, what a showdown, the Dragons are moving on. Only two newspapers, the Oakland Press and North Oakland Sports.com, picked the Dragons to win this game, and it didn't come easy
In the game's finest hour with the Dragons season was on the line, up by three points Detroit Cass Tech just completed a pass from quarterback Keith Moore to Terry Richardson on a fourth down and 13, to the Dragons 13 yard line and the red zone.
As the Technicians got to the Dragon five yard line with 35 seconds left, one play changed everything for two teams, one team saw it's dream move on while the other saw it's season come to an end.
Andrew Shafkalis, a junior, the son of Dragons Boys Basketball Coach Mike Shafkalis, and a transfer from Rochester who converted from linebacker to defensive line ran straight to Detroit Cass Tech quarterback Keith Moore, who was running a quarterback option play to his wide receiver Keenan Smith, separated Moore from the football, causing it to go backwards and then the may-lay started.
The may-lay started when Shafkalis caused the fumble, it rolled a few times to the 25 yard line, then the pile started to see who had the ball, it looked like Detroit Cass Tech had the football but senior strong safety Tyler Misiak got up with the football and sent the Dragon players, coaches, alumni, teachers, staff, and fans into a state of delirium, while the players from Detroit Cass Tech stood there in disbelief and in tears of a perfect season gone away, with 32.8 seconds left in the game.
The Dragons survived the Technicians 24-21 on Saturday at Troy Athens High School in the State Semifinals.
Shafkalis credited the adjustments that he was told by Dragon Coach Chris Bell, after the fumble to reporters, "Coach (Bell) made an adjustment and told me that if they try a counter play like that just go straight to the quarterback and that’s what I did. I made a run at him and was able to get it out of his hands before he pitched it, then my teammates did the rest." Shafkalis said after the game.
Dragon safety Tyler Misiak described what happened on the play after Shafkalis's fumble. "We studied film all week and a slot went in arc motion so I just went and I saw the ball go up in the air. A kid had it on their team but it flipped rolled, flip rolled again. A guy had it on their team again and I just ripped it out of his hands." Misiak said.
The Dragons opportunistic defense took the credit causing pressure all day to Detroit Cass Tech starting quarterback Keith Moore, Moore had threw for seven touchdowns in their last two games, didn't score a touchdown. All of the touchdown's from Detroit Cass Tech came from their star running back Christian Burks. Burks finished the game with 18 carries for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
The Dragons did not panic as they started off the game down 7-0 after committing two off side penalties, and a 15 yard touchdown from Burks in the process out of a nine play 61 yard drive. The Dragons first drive went for a fake field goal that failed. The Dragons on their second drive answered on a three play 64 yard drive, led by quarterback Cole Schaenzer, running back Marcus Stevenson and slot receiver Danny Ney. Stevenson scored the Dragons first touchdown from 44 yards out, tying the game at 7-7.
Detroit Cass Tech answered with a scoring drive of their own, resulting in a 46 yard touchdown run by Burks that gave the Technicians a 14-7 lead, however the Dragons answered yet again, quarterback Cole Schaenzer passed to Danny Ney for 25 yards then Schaenzer (who was replacing Sean Charette as we all know with his broken ankle) then threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to his wide receiver replacement Robert Aiello tying the game back up 14-14.
The Dragon opportunistic defense started to get some momentum and some confidence, stopping Detroit Cass Tech's offense, and forcing Detroit Cass Tech to punt with about a minute left in the half. The Dragons then ran the ball with Marcus Stevenson, and went down the field to the Detroit Cass Tech 13 yard line. The Dragons kicker Kyle Searlie then kicked a 31 yard field goal to close out the half and giving the Dragons a 17-14 lead to the half.
In the second half, the Dragons had a long 11 play, 80 yard drive leading to a two yard touchdown run by Marcus Stevenson, Stevenson's touchdown and kick by Kyle Searlie gave the Dragons a 24-14 lead in the third quarter. All the momentum was on the side of the Dragons, everything was going smoothly for the Dragons until the Dragons had a three and out, courtesy of the Detroit Cass Tech defense. The Dragons were forced to punt and Detroit Cass Tech took over at their own 40 yard line.
Detroit Cass Tech wasn't done yet scoring by any means necessary, the Technicians led by the running and athletic ability of quarterback Keith Moore and running back Christian Burks answered early in the fourth quarter with a 60 yard drive of their own with Burks scoring his third touchdown of the game from 15 yards making it 24-21 Dragons with 8:43 left in the game.
The Dragons then went down the field deep into Detroit Cass Tech territory and try to eat up the clock, however the Technician defense stood firm, causing the Dragons to turn the ball over on downs from the Detroit Cass Tech 23 yard line, with three minutes left in the game. Moore and Burks then carried Detroit Cass Tech to the 50 yard line with their own speed and quickness, then they completed the fourth down and 13 throw from the 36 yard line of the Dragons to the 13 yard line, then Moore ran for another 8 yards before the fumble that sealed it.
Dragon coach Chris Bell praised his team after the game and the hard fought victory they had to en-dour. "It came down to the last minute and that’s probably the way a game like this should end,I’m just really proud of our kids, they earned this." Bell said.
Schaenzer finished the game five for 12 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown, got praised from his teammates and his coach about his performance, also there was one key stat, the Dragons did not turn the ball over, that was huge because in Detroit Cass Tech's win over Macomb Dakota in the Regional Final, the Detroit Cass Tech defense caused five turnovers. "Cole played exactly how we thought he would, he was prepared and did a great job. He made some big throws to keep some drives alive and threw a key touchdown pass. Everyone knows we’ve got one of the area’s best quarterbacks in Sean Charette, but we weren’t worried when he went down because we know we’re very lucky to have a guy like Cole to keep this thing rolling." Bell said.
Running back Marcus Stevenson knew he had to carry the ball a lot for the Dragon ground attack but he had a lot of confidence in Cole Schaenzer's performance. "Honestly, I knew I was going to have to carry the rock a lot this week because Shawn was out, obviously, but we have all the confidence in Cole Schaenzer, for me, Coach Bell told me it's not my responsibility to win the game, it's a team effort and it really showed." Stevenson finished the game with 26 carries, 190 yards and two touchdowns.
This loss was so tough for Detroit Cass Tech, players were bummed out, some were crying, their student section, fans, and band were notoriously upset at the outcome. Detroit Cass Tech finished the season at 12-1, and was the best team in the Detroit Public School League.
Detroit Cass Tech coach Thomas Wilcher said that his defensive adjustments came to late during the game, and if they made them earlier then things would have been different. "We just didn't make the adjustments earlier enough, We didn't control the line of scrimmage the way I thought we could. Our defense woke up too late. They did a good job and we came up short. Today they were the better team. Today they showed why they have a chance to go back" Wilcher said.
Detroit Cass Tech does have several athletes being recruited by Division One schools but today it was the Dragons day to shine and Ford Field will be decked in half of Dragon green. Stevenson added about the athletes of Detroit Cass Tech and having to go up against them, hearing about it all week. "All we've been hearing all week is how many athletes they have, but we have athletes, too, and we move well in space just like they did and it showed. The team that is more physical and fundamental is going to prevail and it showed today" Stevenson said.
The Dragons are now 12-1 on the season, and head to Ford Field for the second time in three years will take on the Plymouth Wildcats (11-2) on Saturday at 1 PM. The game will be live on Fox Sports Detroit, if you can't make it out to Ford Field. The only common opponent that both teams saw this season was Howell, the Highlanders beat the Wildcats 18-10 in week two while the Dragons scrimmaged the Highlanders in the pre-season.
Plymouth plays in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association, they are in it's South Division along with Plymouth Canton, Westland John Glenn, Wayne Memorial, Livonia Franklin, and Livonia Stevenson. The Wildcats finished second in the division behind Plymouth Canton has been riding high lately in the playoffs.
The Wildcats are what you call a team of destiny so far in the playoffs so far. This is Plymouth's first trip to the State finals, and the first in their six year program of Wildcat football.
After dispatching Saline 27-7 in the first round and their first ever time moving past this round, the Wildcats then shocked the entire state by upsetting unbeaten and arch rival Plymouth Canton 17-7 on the road (The Chiefs beat the Wildcats earlier in the regular season 36-0) but were they done upsetting people on the road? nope.
Plymouth then went into Novi to take on the Shamrocks of Novi Detroit Catholic Central. Plymouth and Catholic Central was a defensive slug-fest, however Plymouth relied on their strong field goal kicker Kyle Brindza, he kicked three field goals, all the Wildcats points they scored, including a 28 yard field goal with 39.9 seconds left in the game. The Wildcats went on and shocked defending state champion Novi Detroit Catholic Central 9-7 to capture the regional crown but were they done yet pulling off the upset? not even close.
Plymouth then went to Lansing Everett to complete what was their third major upset of the playoffs, when they ousted the Rockford Rams 20-17. The winning touchdown came from a nine play 83 yard drive with 4.5 seconds left in the game, when Brendan Beyer caught a 26 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shaun Austin from the left corner of the end-zone being double covered in the process.
The Wildcats held a 13-10 lead with 90 seconds left in the game, but the Rams answered back by scoring a 46 yard touchdown to take their first lead of the game 17-13 with 1:19 remaining. However Plymouth living up to their name "The Cardiac Cats" did not give up, or were intimated by the Rams, they used their strength to their advantage which is throwing the ball, to defeat the Rams.
The Wildcats come into this game, averaging 18.2 points per game in the playoffs, while their main strength is their defense, their defense is only allowing 9.5 points per game in the playoffs. The Dragons come into this game, averaging 34.2 points per game in the playoffs, while only allowing 13 points per game in the playoffs.
The main match-up that fans needs to be looking for is the Dragons high power offense vs the Wildcats tough nosed defense, who contained Plymouth Canton, Rockford, and Novi Detroit Catholic Central to 31 points total.
Plymouth is led by their six foot four star wide receiver/defensive end (# 7) Brendan Beyer, as mentioned in the Rockford game, Beyer is going to play defensive end under Rich Rodriguez at Michigan next season. Beyer caught the winning 26 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shaun Austin against Rockford, On the winning touchdown Beyer was double covered by two Rams defenders to the back corner of the end-zone, then he caught it with 4.5 seconds left in the game. He added two sacks against Rockford as a defensive end. Back to the offense, Plymouth's other score against the Rams came from Beyer when he caught a 12 yard touchdown pass from Austin on the Wildcats first series of the game. Beyer had five catches for 105 yards and two huge Wildcat touchdowns in their win over the Rams.
The Wildcats do have a very good field goal kicker, with a good leg in Kyle Brindza (# 27). Brindza has committed to kick at Notre Dame and for head coach Brian Kelly. He has kicked five field goals in the last two games for the Wildcats, whether it's from 20 yards or 50 yards, he is a very good, well rounded, and accurate kicker. Playing indoors means there will be no wind stopping his kicks.
Plymouth does have a good quarterback in Shaun Austin (# 8), he is another reason why the Wildcats are here. Austin was 22 for 37 for 237 yards and two passing touchdowns against Rockford. On the game winning 83 yard drive Austin was six for nine passing passing for all of those 83 yards. He has been playing very well recently, especially going up against three of the toughest defenses in the State in Plymouth Canton, Novi Detroit Catholic Central, and Rockford.
Plymouth does have some nice weapons though in seniors Jake Morris (caught a 15 yard reception, had five catches for 58 yards) and Michael Olevink (had a huge 14 yard reception), both of them caught huge passes to keep the drive alive for the Wildcats against the Rams, Plymouth will pose a huge threat to the Dragons pass defense, however same for the Wildcats who would have to worry about the balance the Dragons have of run and pass.
Saturday should be an interesting game between two teams that weren't suppose to be here, early in the playoffs no one was talking about these two teams in the finals, well here we are, it should be interesting, oh and just a reminder the Dragons will wear white at Ford Field, and it's a white out. GO GREEN.
What a game, what a showdown, the Dragons are moving on. Only two newspapers, the Oakland Press and North Oakland Sports.com, picked the Dragons to win this game, and it didn't come easy
In the game's finest hour with the Dragons season was on the line, up by three points Detroit Cass Tech just completed a pass from quarterback Keith Moore to Terry Richardson on a fourth down and 13, to the Dragons 13 yard line and the red zone.
As the Technicians got to the Dragon five yard line with 35 seconds left, one play changed everything for two teams, one team saw it's dream move on while the other saw it's season come to an end.
Andrew Shafkalis, a junior, the son of Dragons Boys Basketball Coach Mike Shafkalis, and a transfer from Rochester who converted from linebacker to defensive line ran straight to Detroit Cass Tech quarterback Keith Moore, who was running a quarterback option play to his wide receiver Keenan Smith, separated Moore from the football, causing it to go backwards and then the may-lay started.
The may-lay started when Shafkalis caused the fumble, it rolled a few times to the 25 yard line, then the pile started to see who had the ball, it looked like Detroit Cass Tech had the football but senior strong safety Tyler Misiak got up with the football and sent the Dragon players, coaches, alumni, teachers, staff, and fans into a state of delirium, while the players from Detroit Cass Tech stood there in disbelief and in tears of a perfect season gone away, with 32.8 seconds left in the game.
The Dragons survived the Technicians 24-21 on Saturday at Troy Athens High School in the State Semifinals.
Shafkalis credited the adjustments that he was told by Dragon Coach Chris Bell, after the fumble to reporters, "Coach (Bell) made an adjustment and told me that if they try a counter play like that just go straight to the quarterback and that’s what I did. I made a run at him and was able to get it out of his hands before he pitched it, then my teammates did the rest." Shafkalis said after the game.
Dragon safety Tyler Misiak described what happened on the play after Shafkalis's fumble. "We studied film all week and a slot went in arc motion so I just went and I saw the ball go up in the air. A kid had it on their team but it flipped rolled, flip rolled again. A guy had it on their team again and I just ripped it out of his hands." Misiak said.
The Dragons opportunistic defense took the credit causing pressure all day to Detroit Cass Tech starting quarterback Keith Moore, Moore had threw for seven touchdowns in their last two games, didn't score a touchdown. All of the touchdown's from Detroit Cass Tech came from their star running back Christian Burks. Burks finished the game with 18 carries for 142 yards and three touchdowns.
The Dragons did not panic as they started off the game down 7-0 after committing two off side penalties, and a 15 yard touchdown from Burks in the process out of a nine play 61 yard drive. The Dragons first drive went for a fake field goal that failed. The Dragons on their second drive answered on a three play 64 yard drive, led by quarterback Cole Schaenzer, running back Marcus Stevenson and slot receiver Danny Ney. Stevenson scored the Dragons first touchdown from 44 yards out, tying the game at 7-7.
Detroit Cass Tech answered with a scoring drive of their own, resulting in a 46 yard touchdown run by Burks that gave the Technicians a 14-7 lead, however the Dragons answered yet again, quarterback Cole Schaenzer passed to Danny Ney for 25 yards then Schaenzer (who was replacing Sean Charette as we all know with his broken ankle) then threw a 16 yard touchdown pass to his wide receiver replacement Robert Aiello tying the game back up 14-14.
The Dragon opportunistic defense started to get some momentum and some confidence, stopping Detroit Cass Tech's offense, and forcing Detroit Cass Tech to punt with about a minute left in the half. The Dragons then ran the ball with Marcus Stevenson, and went down the field to the Detroit Cass Tech 13 yard line. The Dragons kicker Kyle Searlie then kicked a 31 yard field goal to close out the half and giving the Dragons a 17-14 lead to the half.
In the second half, the Dragons had a long 11 play, 80 yard drive leading to a two yard touchdown run by Marcus Stevenson, Stevenson's touchdown and kick by Kyle Searlie gave the Dragons a 24-14 lead in the third quarter. All the momentum was on the side of the Dragons, everything was going smoothly for the Dragons until the Dragons had a three and out, courtesy of the Detroit Cass Tech defense. The Dragons were forced to punt and Detroit Cass Tech took over at their own 40 yard line.
Detroit Cass Tech wasn't done yet scoring by any means necessary, the Technicians led by the running and athletic ability of quarterback Keith Moore and running back Christian Burks answered early in the fourth quarter with a 60 yard drive of their own with Burks scoring his third touchdown of the game from 15 yards making it 24-21 Dragons with 8:43 left in the game.
The Dragons then went down the field deep into Detroit Cass Tech territory and try to eat up the clock, however the Technician defense stood firm, causing the Dragons to turn the ball over on downs from the Detroit Cass Tech 23 yard line, with three minutes left in the game. Moore and Burks then carried Detroit Cass Tech to the 50 yard line with their own speed and quickness, then they completed the fourth down and 13 throw from the 36 yard line of the Dragons to the 13 yard line, then Moore ran for another 8 yards before the fumble that sealed it.
Dragon coach Chris Bell praised his team after the game and the hard fought victory they had to en-dour. "It came down to the last minute and that’s probably the way a game like this should end,I’m just really proud of our kids, they earned this." Bell said.
Schaenzer finished the game five for 12 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown, got praised from his teammates and his coach about his performance, also there was one key stat, the Dragons did not turn the ball over, that was huge because in Detroit Cass Tech's win over Macomb Dakota in the Regional Final, the Detroit Cass Tech defense caused five turnovers. "Cole played exactly how we thought he would, he was prepared and did a great job. He made some big throws to keep some drives alive and threw a key touchdown pass. Everyone knows we’ve got one of the area’s best quarterbacks in Sean Charette, but we weren’t worried when he went down because we know we’re very lucky to have a guy like Cole to keep this thing rolling." Bell said.
Running back Marcus Stevenson knew he had to carry the ball a lot for the Dragon ground attack but he had a lot of confidence in Cole Schaenzer's performance. "Honestly, I knew I was going to have to carry the rock a lot this week because Shawn was out, obviously, but we have all the confidence in Cole Schaenzer, for me, Coach Bell told me it's not my responsibility to win the game, it's a team effort and it really showed." Stevenson finished the game with 26 carries, 190 yards and two touchdowns.
This loss was so tough for Detroit Cass Tech, players were bummed out, some were crying, their student section, fans, and band were notoriously upset at the outcome. Detroit Cass Tech finished the season at 12-1, and was the best team in the Detroit Public School League.
Detroit Cass Tech coach Thomas Wilcher said that his defensive adjustments came to late during the game, and if they made them earlier then things would have been different. "We just didn't make the adjustments earlier enough, We didn't control the line of scrimmage the way I thought we could. Our defense woke up too late. They did a good job and we came up short. Today they were the better team. Today they showed why they have a chance to go back" Wilcher said.
Detroit Cass Tech does have several athletes being recruited by Division One schools but today it was the Dragons day to shine and Ford Field will be decked in half of Dragon green. Stevenson added about the athletes of Detroit Cass Tech and having to go up against them, hearing about it all week. "All we've been hearing all week is how many athletes they have, but we have athletes, too, and we move well in space just like they did and it showed. The team that is more physical and fundamental is going to prevail and it showed today" Stevenson said.
The Dragons are now 12-1 on the season, and head to Ford Field for the second time in three years will take on the Plymouth Wildcats (11-2) on Saturday at 1 PM. The game will be live on Fox Sports Detroit, if you can't make it out to Ford Field. The only common opponent that both teams saw this season was Howell, the Highlanders beat the Wildcats 18-10 in week two while the Dragons scrimmaged the Highlanders in the pre-season.
Plymouth plays in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association, they are in it's South Division along with Plymouth Canton, Westland John Glenn, Wayne Memorial, Livonia Franklin, and Livonia Stevenson. The Wildcats finished second in the division behind Plymouth Canton has been riding high lately in the playoffs.
The Wildcats are what you call a team of destiny so far in the playoffs so far. This is Plymouth's first trip to the State finals, and the first in their six year program of Wildcat football.
After dispatching Saline 27-7 in the first round and their first ever time moving past this round, the Wildcats then shocked the entire state by upsetting unbeaten and arch rival Plymouth Canton 17-7 on the road (The Chiefs beat the Wildcats earlier in the regular season 36-0) but were they done upsetting people on the road? nope.
Plymouth then went into Novi to take on the Shamrocks of Novi Detroit Catholic Central. Plymouth and Catholic Central was a defensive slug-fest, however Plymouth relied on their strong field goal kicker Kyle Brindza, he kicked three field goals, all the Wildcats points they scored, including a 28 yard field goal with 39.9 seconds left in the game. The Wildcats went on and shocked defending state champion Novi Detroit Catholic Central 9-7 to capture the regional crown but were they done yet pulling off the upset? not even close.
Plymouth then went to Lansing Everett to complete what was their third major upset of the playoffs, when they ousted the Rockford Rams 20-17. The winning touchdown came from a nine play 83 yard drive with 4.5 seconds left in the game, when Brendan Beyer caught a 26 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shaun Austin from the left corner of the end-zone being double covered in the process.
The Wildcats held a 13-10 lead with 90 seconds left in the game, but the Rams answered back by scoring a 46 yard touchdown to take their first lead of the game 17-13 with 1:19 remaining. However Plymouth living up to their name "The Cardiac Cats" did not give up, or were intimated by the Rams, they used their strength to their advantage which is throwing the ball, to defeat the Rams.
The Wildcats come into this game, averaging 18.2 points per game in the playoffs, while their main strength is their defense, their defense is only allowing 9.5 points per game in the playoffs. The Dragons come into this game, averaging 34.2 points per game in the playoffs, while only allowing 13 points per game in the playoffs.
The main match-up that fans needs to be looking for is the Dragons high power offense vs the Wildcats tough nosed defense, who contained Plymouth Canton, Rockford, and Novi Detroit Catholic Central to 31 points total.
Plymouth is led by their six foot four star wide receiver/defensive end (# 7) Brendan Beyer, as mentioned in the Rockford game, Beyer is going to play defensive end under Rich Rodriguez at Michigan next season. Beyer caught the winning 26 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shaun Austin against Rockford, On the winning touchdown Beyer was double covered by two Rams defenders to the back corner of the end-zone, then he caught it with 4.5 seconds left in the game. He added two sacks against Rockford as a defensive end. Back to the offense, Plymouth's other score against the Rams came from Beyer when he caught a 12 yard touchdown pass from Austin on the Wildcats first series of the game. Beyer had five catches for 105 yards and two huge Wildcat touchdowns in their win over the Rams.
The Wildcats do have a very good field goal kicker, with a good leg in Kyle Brindza (# 27). Brindza has committed to kick at Notre Dame and for head coach Brian Kelly. He has kicked five field goals in the last two games for the Wildcats, whether it's from 20 yards or 50 yards, he is a very good, well rounded, and accurate kicker. Playing indoors means there will be no wind stopping his kicks.
Plymouth does have a good quarterback in Shaun Austin (# 8), he is another reason why the Wildcats are here. Austin was 22 for 37 for 237 yards and two passing touchdowns against Rockford. On the game winning 83 yard drive Austin was six for nine passing passing for all of those 83 yards. He has been playing very well recently, especially going up against three of the toughest defenses in the State in Plymouth Canton, Novi Detroit Catholic Central, and Rockford.
Plymouth does have some nice weapons though in seniors Jake Morris (caught a 15 yard reception, had five catches for 58 yards) and Michael Olevink (had a huge 14 yard reception), both of them caught huge passes to keep the drive alive for the Wildcats against the Rams, Plymouth will pose a huge threat to the Dragons pass defense, however same for the Wildcats who would have to worry about the balance the Dragons have of run and pass.
Saturday should be an interesting game between two teams that weren't suppose to be here, early in the playoffs no one was talking about these two teams in the finals, well here we are, it should be interesting, oh and just a reminder the Dragons will wear white at Ford Field, and it's a white out. GO GREEN.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Dragon Volleyball on a Roll, and first regional final since 1988
Written, Wedensday November 10th, at 12:55 PM
Wow, what a roll the Dragon Volleyball team has been on these days.
The days of girls basketball season is upon us and the Dragon ladies are having their best volleyball season in years.
Last week the Dragons captured their first volleyball district championship in 15 years, when they swept Rochester 3-0 with a 25-14, 25-17, 25-15 win. They also had a tough five game stretch with Rochester Adams, needing the final game to move to the finals, and in the pre district they knocked off Romeo in three gamess.
On Tuesday the Dragons entered the regional semifinals at Oxford. They took on the Yellow Jackets of Auburn Hills Avondale in the first regional semifinal matchup of the day at Oxford. Avondale won their district at Waterford Kettering, in the process in the championship game the Yellow Jackets knocked the Captians out of the tournament in the process winning at their own gym.
Avondale was no match for the Dragons in the first two games, as the Dragons outscored them 50-20 in a span of two games. Game three changed everything however, the Yellow Jackets started to believe again, they held off a furious Dragon rally and upset the Dragons 25-23. However Game four was dominated by the Dragons, the Dragons restored order in the process, attacking them early and often during the game. They finished off the Yellow Jackets 25-15 and advanced to their first regional final in 22 years.
Orion now stands at 41-15-5 overall, and now will play defending state champion Birmingham Marian (65-5-5) on Thursday night at Oxford at 7 PM. Almost every volleyball expert has the Mustangs as the favorite in this matchup but the Mustangs have had some injury concerns heading into the postseason. This is one of Orion's most taltened team's, this will be a good one. Could this be the Dragons's chance to really do something special and pull off what would be the biggest upset in the state of Michigan?, we'll find out.
What a roll, but will the roll run out on Thursday Night at Oxford, hope not. GO GREEN.
Wow, what a roll the Dragon Volleyball team has been on these days.
The days of girls basketball season is upon us and the Dragon ladies are having their best volleyball season in years.
Last week the Dragons captured their first volleyball district championship in 15 years, when they swept Rochester 3-0 with a 25-14, 25-17, 25-15 win. They also had a tough five game stretch with Rochester Adams, needing the final game to move to the finals, and in the pre district they knocked off Romeo in three gamess.
On Tuesday the Dragons entered the regional semifinals at Oxford. They took on the Yellow Jackets of Auburn Hills Avondale in the first regional semifinal matchup of the day at Oxford. Avondale won their district at Waterford Kettering, in the process in the championship game the Yellow Jackets knocked the Captians out of the tournament in the process winning at their own gym.
Avondale was no match for the Dragons in the first two games, as the Dragons outscored them 50-20 in a span of two games. Game three changed everything however, the Yellow Jackets started to believe again, they held off a furious Dragon rally and upset the Dragons 25-23. However Game four was dominated by the Dragons, the Dragons restored order in the process, attacking them early and often during the game. They finished off the Yellow Jackets 25-15 and advanced to their first regional final in 22 years.
Orion now stands at 41-15-5 overall, and now will play defending state champion Birmingham Marian (65-5-5) on Thursday night at Oxford at 7 PM. Almost every volleyball expert has the Mustangs as the favorite in this matchup but the Mustangs have had some injury concerns heading into the postseason. This is one of Orion's most taltened team's, this will be a good one. Could this be the Dragons's chance to really do something special and pull off what would be the biggest upset in the state of Michigan?, we'll find out.
What a roll, but will the roll run out on Thursday Night at Oxford, hope not. GO GREEN.
Dragons Beat Grand Blanc, win sixth District Crown in 11 years
Written Wedensday, November 10th at 12:30 PM
The Lake Orion Dragons came into Friday's home district championship game with Grand Blanc determinded to put yet another banner to the walls of Lake Orion High School.
This week they did just that. The Dragons went on and hammered the Bobcats 54-14 to win their sixth district championship in 11 years. Orion is now 10-1, and moves on to the Regional Finals, where they will host Utica Eisenhower (also 10-1) on Friday Night at 7 PM.
The Eagles got their revenge on Romeo at Swinehart Field on Friday, after suffering their only loss of the season at the hands of the Bulldogs, the Eagles and Bulldogs had to settle things in overtime. In the overtime session, the Eagles scored first and took a 36-29 lead in the process, as Romeo tried to answer, they were picked off by the Eagles defense, and the players stormed the field in happiness of beating the Bulldogs, it was the Eagles first district championship since 2003.
Eisenhower has had some nice wins coming into the Friday night showdown, they went on the road and knocked off Macomb Dakota 10-9 in the process. Friday should be a good one, as the Eagles brings one of the hottest quarterbacks in the state in sophomore quarterback Joe Zerafa, who threw for three touchdowns last week in their win over Romeo.
However the Dragons have a quarterback of their own in Sean Charette, Charette is 6-2 as a starter in the playoffs, one of those wins was over Eisenhower in 2008, when the Dragons needed a late touchdown from running back Branden Oakes to beat the Eagles 7-0 at Orion.
This game will be very interesting on Friday night at Orion, as two traditional teams go at it with the winner either meeting Macomb Dakota (9-2) or Detroit Cass Tech (11-0) in the State Semifinals for Division One. (Both Macomb Dakota and Detroit Cass Tech will play their Regional Final on Saturday at 1 PM in Detroit.) GO GREEN.
The Lake Orion Dragons came into Friday's home district championship game with Grand Blanc determinded to put yet another banner to the walls of Lake Orion High School.
This week they did just that. The Dragons went on and hammered the Bobcats 54-14 to win their sixth district championship in 11 years. Orion is now 10-1, and moves on to the Regional Finals, where they will host Utica Eisenhower (also 10-1) on Friday Night at 7 PM.
The Eagles got their revenge on Romeo at Swinehart Field on Friday, after suffering their only loss of the season at the hands of the Bulldogs, the Eagles and Bulldogs had to settle things in overtime. In the overtime session, the Eagles scored first and took a 36-29 lead in the process, as Romeo tried to answer, they were picked off by the Eagles defense, and the players stormed the field in happiness of beating the Bulldogs, it was the Eagles first district championship since 2003.
Eisenhower has had some nice wins coming into the Friday night showdown, they went on the road and knocked off Macomb Dakota 10-9 in the process. Friday should be a good one, as the Eagles brings one of the hottest quarterbacks in the state in sophomore quarterback Joe Zerafa, who threw for three touchdowns last week in their win over Romeo.
However the Dragons have a quarterback of their own in Sean Charette, Charette is 6-2 as a starter in the playoffs, one of those wins was over Eisenhower in 2008, when the Dragons needed a late touchdown from running back Branden Oakes to beat the Eagles 7-0 at Orion.
This game will be very interesting on Friday night at Orion, as two traditional teams go at it with the winner either meeting Macomb Dakota (9-2) or Detroit Cass Tech (11-0) in the State Semifinals for Division One. (Both Macomb Dakota and Detroit Cass Tech will play their Regional Final on Saturday at 1 PM in Detroit.) GO GREEN.
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