Basketball team takes backseat

St. Mary's coach Porritt and some of his players have unfinished business on gridiron.

By TOM MARKOWSKI/The Detroit News

Today is the first day of practice for the boys basketball season and Orchard Lake St. Mary's coach George Porritt will be a no-show.

That's a good thing.

No, Porritt didn't resign. It's just that, once again, football is in the way.

Porritt is the head coach of the varsity football and basketball teams at St. Mary's. With the football team still in the playoffs -- St. Mary's defeated Melvindale, 35-12, on Friday in a Division 3 regional final -- the basketball team must do without Porritt for the time being. His assistants, Kris Daiek and Len Karschnia, will take over until the football season is done.

"They do a lot for me," Porritt said. "It's hard. We have to combine the JV and the varsity for awhile because we have six on the football team who are candidates for the varsity basketball team. And we still have to have tryouts."

St. Mary's (9-2), the Catholic League runner-up, plays East Lansing (9-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a semifinal at South Lyon. The winner advances to the final at Ford Field on Nov. 24.

Porritt had to miss the first two weeks of basketball practice in 2001 and '03 when St. Mary's advanced to the football finals.

St. Mary's' chances of going back to the finals hinge on the play of its offensive line. This unit has been consistent all season. Last week, St. Mary's went almost exclusively with the run. The offensive line set the tone on its first possession as Porritt called all running plays and St. Mary's drove 74 yards to score.

"(Melvindale) had guys playing both ways so we hoped to wear them down," Porritt said. "I think we only passed three times. We gave the ball to (fullback) Justin Semmes and he'd get 3 or 4 yards every time up the middle."

This ball-control style is perfect for this time of year, when the weather can play such an important factor.

Prep Football

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