Pioneers win Division Four State Crown

Pioneers win Division Four State Crown

by | Nov 27, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Pioneers win Division Four State Crown.

Written Saturday November 25th at 5:00 PM

“To be the man you have to beat the man” That is the quote from Hall of Fame and former WWE superstar and current AEW star Ric Flair.

For the Pioneers and Coach Ron Oden, they had to beat the finalists from last season’s Division Four State Champions in the last two weeks.

In the postseason they have played some really tough competition in Croswell-Lexington, Marysville, and Carleton Airport and not to mention the two teams that played in the Division Four State title game last season in Goodrich and Grand Rapids South Christian.

Mission accomplished.

Harper Woods had to survive a goal line stand stopping Grand Rapids South Christian at the three yard line to hang on and win 33-27 over the Sailors on Saturday afternoon at Ford Field.

The Sailors were the defending Division Four State Champions and they had no easy road either playing the likes of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern, Big Rapids, and Portland to get to this game.

The Pioneers started off red hot early. They scored on a seven yard touchdown run from Stephone Buford for an early 7-0 lead.

Harper Woods got a defensive stop and then running back Dwight Houston scoring from five yards out and a 14-0 lead for the Pioneers.

Harper Woods had trouble with the Carson Vis/Jake Vermass combination all night. Vas and Vermass connected on a 45 yard passing score for the Sailors cutting the Pioneers lead to 14-7.

Harper Woods would not panic however thanks to the combination of Nate Rocheleau and Dakota Guerrant. They connected from 32 yards out but missed the PAT making the score 20-7 Pioneers. The Sailors did go down the field but Vis was picked in the endzone keeping the score at 20-7 Harper Woods at the half.

The Pioneers started out red hot in the third quarter on a second down and 18 as Rocheleau connected with Ramonty House from 90 yards out and making the score 27-7 Harper Woods.

Grand Rapids South Christian did not back down as they went down the field leading to a one yard score from Charlie Scherur making the score 27-14 Pioneers which ended up being the score after three quarters.

The fourth quarter became a tense drama.

The Sailors had the football and Vis ran the zone read and took it himself from 22 yards out but the PAT was blocked making the score 27-20 Harper Woods.

The Pioneers went down the field again with a huge one yard touchdown on fourth and inches from Buford but they missed the PAT again making the score 33-20 Harper Woods.

Vis did his magic again for Grand Rapids South Christian as he connected with Noah Funk from 12 yards out making the score 33-27 Harper Woods.

The Pioneers did their best to run the clock out but the Sailors got a stop and the ball back.

Grand Rapids South Christian drove down to the Harper Woods three yard line with three seconds left but the Pioneers defensive line forced Vis to throw under pressure and defensive back Kayonte Wilson  causing the ball to be incomplete and giving Oden his first State title in school history.

Vis had under 475 yards of total offense. He threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns while adding 72 yards on the ground with one score for the Sailors The Pioneers used a balanced attack with 487 yards total offense (200 rushing, 287 passing) to win this game. Donald Adams had 174 all purpose yards.

The Pioneers lose a ton of proven talent next season but they have a lot coming back as well. Harper Woods can now say they have beaten the best and is among one of the best in Division Four.

Playing an OAA schedule in the last two years has helped the Pioneers and it showed big time. Harper Woods has played powers in West Bloomfield, Adams, Clarkston, Lake Orion, Oak Park, Stoney Creek, Rochester, Bloomfield Hills, and Southfield Arts and Tech. It has helped them for this moment.

Harper Woods can call itself State Champion.

Pioneers win Division Four State Crown

Week Thirteen Thoughts

by | Nov 20, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Week Thirteen Thoughts.

Written Saturday November 18th at 4:35 PM

Harper Woods: The Pioneers had a big 35-24 win over Goodrich on Saturday afternoon. Harper Woods trailed 14-0 early but outscored the Martians 35-10 to close it out. Stephone Buford, Nate Rocheleau, Koby Taylor, Ramounty House, Jacob Oden, and Dakota Guerrant had monster games. The Pioneers have a tall task ahead of them when they play Grand Rapids South Christian next week.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors earned their first trip to the Division One State finals after overcoming West Bloomfield 40-35 on Saturday afternoon. Isiah Marshall had the winning touchdown run to send Southfield Arts and Tech to Ford Field. Matheis Davis had a big game for the Warriors scoring two touchdowns while Tashi Braceful was solid as well and the defense did just enough and Marshall played really well. Southfield Arts and Tech has a really tall task awaiting them with Belleville next week.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers had a really tough loss to Southfield Arts and Tech falling on the final play 40-35 on Saturday afternoon. The defense couldn’t get it done against Isiah Marshall which ended up being the difference. Brandon Davis-Swain had three big touchdowns while Rick Nance played really well along with Elijah Durham but the defense could not get that last stop and credit Southfield Arts and Tech, they made a great play. West Bloomfield loses Nance, Davis-Swain, among others but they have Kam Flowers, Elijah Durham, Jailen Allos and company coming back. The Lakers will be back next season.

Pioneers win Division Four State Crown

Week Thirteen Recap

by | Nov 20, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Week Thirteen Recap.

Written Saturday November 18th at 4:30 PM

HARPER WOODS 35, Goodrich 24: The Pioneers are in their first State final after winning a wild game at Livonia Franklin on Saturday afternoon. It was not a good start for Harper Woods, which was almost similar to the game against Croswell-Lexington where they had a really slow start trailing 14-0. Stephone Buford started the scoring with a touchdown run to get them back in the game. They also got a touchdown on a fourth down and 20 to tie the game at the time and got the late score to tie it at 21-21. The Pioneers got going in the second half by outscoring the Martians 14-3 behind a potent offense of Buford, Jacob Oden, Nate Rocheleau, Ramonty House, Dakota Guerrant, Colby Taylor, and company. Coach Rob Oden will lead his team to their first State final but it will be a very tall order as they play Grand Rapids South Christian next week.

 

SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 40, WEST BLOOMFIELD 35:  It was a wild and crazy game at Troy on Saturday afternoon which featured a power outage and a tense drama. The Warriors started the scoring after getting a fumble recovery. Mathias Davis scored from five yards out and a 7-0 Southfield Arts and Tech lead. The Lakers answered with a 42 yard touchdown pass from Rick Nance to Elijah Durham to tie the game at 7-7. The Warriors responded with an Isiah Marshall to Tashi Braceful from 19 yards out and a 14-7 halftime lead. Southfield Arts and Tech started the third quarter with a 21 yard touchdown pass from Marshall to Tyjuan Esper to go up 21-7. The Lakers got back in in with a Nance to Brandon Davis-Swain 19 yard touchdown pass to make it 21-14 Southfield Arts and Tech and then connected again from seven yards out to tie the game at 21-21 after three quarters. The fourth quarter was a tense drama, the Warriors took the lead back after a Davis one yard score but Davis-Swain answered tying the score at 28-28. Southfield Arts and Tech responded again with Marshall scoring from 20 yards out but the PAT was blocked making the score 34-28 Warriors. West Bloomfield answered again with Nance finding Kam Flowers from 27 yards out making the score 35-34 Lakers. Southfield Arts and Tech had one last chance and connected behind the play of Marshall. Marshall scored from one yard out with no time left sending Southfield Arts and Tech to the Division One State Finals for the first time in school history with a 40-35 win. They will have a really tough task ahead of them when they play Belleville next week.

Pioneers win Division Four State Crown

Clarkston falls in Division One State Semifinals

by | Nov 20, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Clarkston falls in Division One State Semifinals.

Written Friday November 17th at 9:00 PM

Farmington Hills Mercy played one of their best performances of the season on Friday night which earned them a trip to the Division One State Finals.

The Marlins overwhelmed Clarkston 25-23, 25-13, and 25-20 on Friday night in the Division One State Semifinals at Battle Creek denying the Wolves their first ever State title in volleyball.

Farmington Hills Mercy will meet Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern who upset Northville on Saturday in the Division One State Finals.

Clarkston led 20-14 in the first set but Farmington Hills Mercy outscored them 11-3 stunning the Wolves and what was yet to come.

The Marlins controlled things in the second set in dominating fashion. The third set they dominated in the middle but the Wolves battled until the end. Farmington Hills Mercy is well coached under Coach Loretta Vogel and they have numerous talented players as well.

Clarkston had a ton of trouble with Marlins setter Campbell Flynn. Flynn kept Vogel’s team in system, and neutralized the Wolves attackers. She also set up Farmington Hills Mercy’s most dangerous outside hitters including Kate Kalczynski who had 14 kills and Maya Zarow had 10 kills. Flynn also added some kills on their own in the match.

This is the third time that Clarkston has fallen in the State Semifinals in program history. (2012-Lake Orion and 2020-Birmingham Marian.)

Wolves freshman standout Marlie Smith had nine kills while Kayla Cogan added seven kills and Emily Kuebler had 19 assists for Clarkston. The Wolves lose five seniors including Cogan and Kuebler next season.

The Wolves had a great season winning the Red and getting this deep into the postseason. They have a lot of proven experience coming back for Coach Alison Smith next season. Clarkston should be one of the favorites to get back to Battle Creek next season.

Pioneers win Division Four State Crown

Week Twelve Thoughts

by | Nov 13, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Week Twelve Thoughts.

Written Saturday November 11th at 4:30 PM

Harper Woods: The Pioneers had no issue with Carleton Airport on Saturday afternoon at Harper Woods winning 46-19. The Pioneers went through the air behind the play of Nate Rocheleau and Stephone Buford. Colby Bailey started the Harper Woods scoring with a 44 yard touchdown giving them the 7-6 lead in the second quarter. Rocheleau added a 77 yard passing score to Dakota Guerrant to give them a 14-6 lead. They would connect again going 53 yards and a 21-6 lead into the half. Rocheleau would continue his strong play through the air in the second half as he connected with Yasin Milton to extend the lead to 28-6. Carleton Airport got a touchdown and a fourth down stop but an interception from Willie Powell brought momentum back to Harper Woods. Bailey had another big run and Buford had a one yard rushing score making the score 34-12 Harper Woods. Carleton Airport would add another score to make it 34-19 but Buford put the game away with a 50 yard rushing touchdown making it 40-19 Harper Woods. Donald Adams went 66 yards for the Pioneers making the score 46-19 which was the final. The defense looked very good as well. Corey Bailey, Javonta Lee Forbes, and Eilron Beaman had sacks and big plays which included a fumble and Jacob Oden and Powell interceptions on defense. The Pioneers will play Goodrich next week.

Southfield Arts and Tech: The Warriors earned their first regional crown in school history with an impressive 31-21 win over Chippewa Valley on Friday night. Isiah Marshall played lights out football. He threw four passing touchdowns on the night with two to Xavier Bowman and two to Juwan Jarrett. The Southfield Arts and Tech defense played well despite allowing 14 points to a very good Chippewa Valley offense that had a really good quarterback in Andrew Schuster. The Warriors will play West Bloomfield next week.

West Bloomfield: The Lakers came from 20-0 down to beat Clarkston and earning revenge after falling 44-36 in week six winning 21-20 in the regional finals at the Swamp. West Bloomfield got a block on the winning field goal by Nigel Dutton who also added a rushing score in the game. Kameron Flowers had a ten yard touchdown and Reqez Nance had the winning 42 yard run off the zone read on a fourth and one. The Lakers defense calmed down and was solid all night. They picked off Desman Stephens in the red zone. West Bloomfield behind a stout defense and timely plays they found a way to win the game. The Lakers have a week eight rematch with Southfield Arts and Tech looming next week.

Clarkston: The Wolves lost a tough one to West Bloomfield 21-20 on Friday night. Clarkston had a very controversial holding penalty called against them which set them back. Eddie Langton had his field goal attempt blocked with two seconds to go in the game. Clarkston had a really good start behind two touchdowns from Brady Collins, one to Brody Kosin (13 yards) and the other to Desman Stephens (94 yards.) Lukas Bowman added a passing score to Kosin from 23 yards out. The Wolves had everything lined up very similar to the Lake Orion game. They connected on a fourth and nine from Collins to Kosin at the two yard line but the West Bloomfield defense locked in stopping Griffin Bowman on two rushing attempts but the Wolves had a chance with the Langton field goal attempt but it was blocked. The extra point miss after the second quarter proved to be very vital in the game. Clarkston has a case that the officials called a roughing the kicker penalty against West Bloomfield that would had given Clarkston another shot. The officials called an unsportsmanlike penalty but they said that time had expired. If they had time they would had one more shot. They lose Kosin and Stephens to graduation but has Brady Collins and the Bowman twins coming back. The Wolves will be back in the hunt next season.

Pioneers win Division Four State Crown

Week Twelve Recap

by | Nov 13, 2023 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

Week Twelve Recap.

Written Saturday November 11th at 4:30 PM

HARPER WOODS 46, Carleton Airport 19: The Pioneers had no issue with the Jets on Saturday afternoon at Harper Woods winning 46-19. Nate Rocheleau and Stephone Buford were dominant at quarterback. Kolby Bailey was also solid for the Pioneers. He had a 44 yard touchdown run giving Harper Woods a 7-6 lead after the Jets scored late in the first quarter for a 7-6 lead. Rocheleau would extend the lead with a 77 yard pass to Dakota Guerrant for a 14-6 Harper Woods lead. That duo would connect again from 53 yards to give them a 21-6 lead at the half. Rocheleau would continue his dominance through the air. He connected with Yasin Milton giving the Pioneers a 28-6 lead. Jack Mills kept the Jets in the game with his second score but the two point try failed making the score 28-12. Carleton Airport had momentum but Willie Powell had an interception which led to a Bailey run and a Buford one yard touchdown making the score 34-12 Harper Woods. Carleton Airport added a touchdown from Mills to make it 34-19 but Buford responded by going 50 yards to make it 40-19 Pioneers. Harper Woods would add one more score on a 66 yard Donald Adams touchdown to make it 46-19 Harper Woods. The Pioneers defense was very good all day as well. Harper Woods will have a showdown with Goodrich at Livonia Franklin next week in the State Semifinals.

SOUTHFIELD ARTS AND TECH 31, Chippewa Valley 21: The Warriors earned their first regional title in school history with a 31-21 win at Chippewa Valley on Friday night. Southfield Arts and Tech started the scoring with a rushing touchdown from Mathas Davis from three yards out. Chippewa Valley added a touchdown to give themselves a 7-6 lead. Southfield Arts and Tech answered with Isiah Marshall connecting to Xavier Bowman making the score 12-7 Warriors. Marshall would connected again this time to Jawon Jarrett from 13 yards in the third quarter making the score 18-7 Southfield Arts and Tech. Marshall and Jarrett would connect again from 23 yards out making the score 24-7 Warriors. The Big Reds scored on an 24 yard touchdown pass from Andrew Schuster to Cash Shaw making the score 24-14. Marshall connected with Bowman again for a 15 yard score making the score 31-14 Southfield Arts and Tech. Chippewa Valley added a 75 yard fumble recovery making it 31-21 which ended up being the final score. Southfield Arts and Tech will have a rematch with West Bloomfield at Troy in the State Semifinals next week.

WEST BLOOMFIELD 21, CLARKSTON 20: The Wolves “Nothing to lose” mentality went into the Swamp and it became an instant classic. It was all Clarkston early as Brady Collins had two passing touchdowns including a 94 yard pass to Desman Stephens. Stephens added an interception while Brody Kosin caught two touchdown passes one was a 23 yard catch from Collins and a 20 yard touchdown pass from Lukas Bowman on a trick play. The Wolves also recovered a squib kick and did a solid job defensively on Reqez Nance. Nigel Dutton answered for the Lakers with a two yard touchdown run but missed a 36 yard field goal as the half closes with Clarkston leading 20-7. West Bloomfield answered on a Kameron Flowers 10 yard rushing touchdown making it 20-14 Clarkston. The Lakers defense got a big stop forcing a Stephens interception. They took the lead on a 42 yard rushing touchdown from Nance on fourth down and one yard giving them a 21-20 lead late in the fourth quarter. Clarkston had an opportunity on a fourth and seven and connected from Collins to Kosin giving them a chance to win the game from Eddie Langton from 26 yards out but the kick was blocked by Dutton and Jamir Benjamin came up with the football. West Bloomfield earned a 21-20 win over Clarkston and will move on to play Southfield Arts and Tech at Troy in the State Semifinals next week.