Lakers triumph in double OT to reach D1 finals
It was an epic defensive stand to complete an instant classic. One for the history books, indeed.
Facing the MHSAA’s all-time most prolific passer near the goal line and needing one stop for a trip to Ford Field, West Bloomfield’s defense stood tall. The Lakers thwarted Belleville’s two-point conversion attempt in the second overtime of Saturday’s Division 1 state football semifinal to come away with a dramatic 35-34 road win and a ticket to next weekend’s state championship game.
West Bloomfield senior defensive end Niles King (Grand Valley State) broke into the backfield on the last play of the contest and pressured Belleville all-state quarterback Christian Dhue-Reid into an incompletion that fell short in the left-center of the end zone.
“I was there to make the play and meet the moment,” King said. “We have the best defense in the state and it was only right we closed this game out like we did.”
Lakers’ senior linebacker Jordan Hoskins (Missouri State), the squad’s defensive captain, called a stunt formation for the play called “mouse trap.”
“We knew we couldn’t give CDR any time in the pocket, we called mouse trap and came with the pressure,” said Hoskins of the final play. “Niles came in clean off the edge and the rest is history.”
Hoskins sheeted a game-high 14 tackles and an interception. Lakers’ senior safety Gavin Har
deman (Air Force) chipped in with 10 wrap-ups and helped keep Dhue-Reid at bay.
Dhue-Reid finished the game a pedestrian 14-of-22 for 192 yards and two touchdowns. A four-year starter, he ends his prep career the MHSAA leader in passing yardage and touchdown throws. Dhue-Reid, who has an offer to play in college at Alabama State, and his previously undefeated
Belleville club had beaten West Bloomfield in the regionals the past two years.
“We knew our road to the state finals would go through Belleville again, we’ve prepared for it all season long,” West Bloomfield head coach Ron Bellamy said.
“Those last games against Belleville in the playoffs, this entire season (dealing with the pandemic) could have broken us, but it made us stronger and tougher than ever.”
Darrell Johnson (Grand Valley State) caught the final touchdown of the DhueReid
era, a 10-yard strike in the right corner of the end zone in the second overtime’s second possession. Belleville head coach Jermain Crowell decided to go for two instead of kicking the extra point and heading into a third extra session.
West Bloomfield had climbed ahead 35-28 on a 10-yard scoring hook-up between Lakers senior quarterback Alex Short and Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky) to open the second overtime. Short caught a 35yard touchdown on a trick play at the beginning of the fourth quarter from sophomore
wide receiver Semaj Morgan to put West Bloomfield in front 14-13. For the game, Short was 8-of-14 for 122 yards and played clutch down the stretch.
University of Michigan-bound Lakers’ tailback Donovan Edwards was his usual out-of-theworld game-changing self on Saturday afternoon, rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns, including a 54-yarder to kick-off the scoring (right after a 95yard dash to the house was nullified on a holding penalty) and an 18-yarder in the final two and a half minutes
of regulation to tie things up, 21-21.
Belleville (10-1) missed a field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. The host Tigers struck first in the extra fame on a 2-yard touchdown run by senior fullback Kobe Langford. Edwards answered with a 6-yarder to force a second overtime.
West Bloomfield (10-1) will take on defending state champion Davison (11-0) next Saturday at Ford Field. The Lakers made their first state finals appearance in 2017.