Rams’ magic ride endures, Chandler Park falls 25-20
MADISON HEIGHTS » The celebration began with 16 seconds showing on the game clock Friday night at Lamphere High School.
Senior Jake Malak’s interception of Chandler Park’s Demonte Thompson secured a 25-20 win for the Rams in a Division 4 district semifinal playoff game on their home field. Lamphere’s perfect season (8- 0) was extended another week.
“Lamphere fans love a winner and this is a great community,” Lamphere head coach Art Maisano said. “It’s great to see people out here. I just wish everyone could be out here, the kids in the school. It would be a riot.”
The game included six lead changes, as the two teams traded scores throughout the night. A 1-yard touchdown run by junior Drew Webster gave Lamphere the 25-20 lead with 9:17 remaining in the game.
The Rams’ defense did the rest. They denied the Eagles on a fourth- down play with less than five
The Rams will advance to the district final, where they’ll face Detroit Country Day (5-2).
minutes to play. And then had to come up big one last time, as Chandler Park took possession of the ball with 2:09 left on the clock — on its own 34-yard line.
Lamphere surrendered a pair of first downs before making the play of the night, Malak’s interception and 60-yard return.
The Rams chose to receive the opening kickoff and proceeded to move the ball down the field, capping a long drive off with a 4-yard touchdown run by junior Nico Hernandez. They kept the ball on the ground the entire drive and ate up more than six minutes of game time.
Chandler Park answered back with a 65-yard touchdown, off a screen pass from Thompson to T. J. Brown, early in the second quarter. A 2-point conversion run by Thompson gave the Eagles an 8-7 lead.
A 33-yard field goal by Malak gave Lamphere a 10-8 lead with just 19 seconds remaining in the first half. But Chandler Park scored on the next play from scrimmage, an 80-yard screen pass from Thompson to Leon Daniel, to take a 14-10 lead into the half.
The Rams got back to business on their first possession of the second half, as Hernandez once again got into the end zone, this time from a yard out, to help his team regain the lead, 18-14.
“I knew I was going to get in the end zone,” Hernandez said. “I was determined. I wasn’t letting anyone stop me. At this point, I know no one can stop me.”
The Eagles had trouble stopping the Rams all night long. Hernandez, Webster, JaVarie Johnson, Kayden Whitman and Seth Ernest formed a potent running unit for Maisano all night long.
“That’s what we do (run),” the coach said. “We try to be balanced. We run inside, we run outside. We stretch the field with some passing. But we matched up well in the run and that’s what we tried to do.”
The 8- 0 start is the best for a Lamphere team since 1984, when the Rams also started 8-0 before dropping their last two games of the season. The 1976 team began the season 9-0.
The Rams will advance to the district final, where they’ll face Detroit Country Day (5-2). The Yellowjackets were ranked No. 4 in the state in the final Associated Press poll. They reached the state championship game in 2019.
“Next week it’s like the ‘Miracle on Ice,’” Maisano said. “Detroit Country Day is a perennial contender. They’ve been picked by some to win the state championship. But it’s all about playing football and seeing what happens. That’s why you play the game, because anyone can win. And we play to win.”