DETROIT — It was all you’d expect when a pair of defending state champions square off against each other.
It was serious business when Dearborn Divine Child, last fall’s state Division 4 champ, and Jackson Lumen Christi, the reigning Division 6 ruler, clashed at the Catholic High School League Prep Bowl LIV on Oct. 24 at Ford Field.
Divine Child built a 21-0 lead late in the second quarter but saw it reduced to 28-21 with a minute, 54 seconds to play in the game and Lumen Christi on its own 14.
Titans senior quarterback Benny Gaston completed a pair of passes to move the line of scrimmage to the 35. From there he heaved a 40-yard aerial intended for wide receiver Brodric Martines, but in the midst of a desperate scramble, it wound up a Falcons’ possession.
Divine Child spent nearly five minutes of the opening kickoff on a 72-yard drive for a 7-0 lead, a 5-yard pass from junior quarterback Drew Sheridan to wide receiver Rayshawn Thomas.
Sheridan passed for 67 yards of an 85-yard drive to increase the Falcons’ advantage to 14-0. A minute later, it was 21-0 when Adam Garcia returned an interception.
Lumen Christi got on the scoreboard just before the first half ended and midway through the third quarter to reduce the difference to 21-14.
Both teams scored in the fourth quarter to set the stage for the dramatic conclusion.
“You can’t get off to a slow start like we did,” Lumen Christi coach Herb Brogan said. “We made too many mistakes in the first half, and then throughout the second half we had chances to make plays and we didn't. We had three or four dropped passes in good situations.”
Brogan, in his 46th year coaching, all at Lumen Christi, needs five more wins to give him 444, one more than Farmington Hills Harrison's John Herrington’s record, as the winningest coach in state history.
Sheridan completed nine of 11 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown.
“It was an awesome game,” he said. “We just gonna keep being us. We got five more weeks of just being us. People step up when it matters. That's why we got the team we got right now.”
“I think our ability to run the football was critical,” coach Chris Laney said, “especially against a team like Lumen Christi. You know that they’re going to control the ball and time of possession. We’re just very proud of our offensive line and our running backs and their ability to get first downs and control the ball.”
Laney pointed out “Number zero,” Julian Johnson who ran 18 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns. “He’s one of the best players in the league in our opinion.”
About the upcoming and a repeat state championship? “It’s a cliche to say, but one game at a time. You can't look ahead.”
State playoffs: Division 4: Divine Child will play Lansing Sexton (6-3) at home at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Division 6: Lumen Christi will play Brooklyn Columbia Central (6-3) at home at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
Here’s where other CHSL teams are playing their state district games:
Division 1: Novi Detroit Catholic Central (8-1) vs. (4-5) at home at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
Division 2: Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (7-2) vs. Roseville (4-5) Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. at Lawrence Tech in Southfield.
Division 2: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (6-3) vs. Birmingham Groves (5-4) at home at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
Division 3: Warren De La Salle Collegiate (5-4) at Trenton (5-4) Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.
Division 4: Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day (6-3) at Madison Heights Lamphere (5-4) Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.
Division 5: Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (5-4) at Romulus Summit Academy North (6-3) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
Division 8: Marine City Cardinal Mooney (6-3) at Royal Oak Shrine Catholic (8-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
Division 8: Allen Park Cabrini (5-4) at Clarkston Everest Collegiate (8-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
