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11/25/07-Football
Overtime leads to gutsy calls
By KEITH DUNLAP of The Oakland Press
DETROIT--George Porritt, the riverboat gambler?
In his 19-year tenure as head coach, it's hard to imagine Porritt making two gutsier calls than the ones he made in overtime of the 46-39, five-overtime loss to East Grand Rapids in the Division 3 state football final on Saturday.
The first one came on the first possession of the second overtime, when St. Mary's faced a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line.
Instead of kicking the field goal, Porritt sent his offense back out on to the field to go for a touchdown.
The risk paid off, as St. Mary's sophomore quarterback Robert Bolden pitched the ball to senior running back Dominique White, who won a race into the corner of the end zone for a touchdown that gave the Eaglets a 24-17 lead.
"It was time to score a touchdown," Porritt said. "Fatigue was starting to be a part of that game big time. I could see it in the kids' eyes. I thought we had to score."
East Grand Rapids ended up tying the game with a touchdown of its own, which set the stage for Porritt's second big gamble of overtime.
After scoring a touchdown in the fourth overtime, Porritt called for a fake on the extra point.
The gamble paid off, as holder Kris Morris hit tight end/wideout Dion Sims in the end zone for a two-point conversion that gave the Eaglets a 39-31 lead.
However, East Grand Rapids equalized with a touchdown and two-point conversion of its own.
"I thought it was time that we had to try and do something to finish the game," Porritt said. "I thought we made a very good call, and so did they (on their two-point conversion)."
Unfortunately, those successful gambles ended up mattering nothing after East Grand Rapids rallied to prevail.
Tough to tackle
If you're a fan of great performances by running backs, then the game between St. Mary's amd East Grand Rapids was for you.
St. Mary's senior Dominique White made his presence felt, rushing for 158 yards on 28 carries.
His counterpart, East Grand Rapids junior Joe Glendening, was even better.
Entering the game with 1,771 yards rushing and 31 touchdowns on the season, Glendening added to those totals by rushing for 175 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries.
The highlight of the night for Glendening was a 68-yard touchdown run with 39 seconds left in the first half that tied the game at 7-7, a run that saw Glendening weave through a horde of St. Mary's defenders in the middle of the field and then outsprint the St. Mary's defense all the way to the end zone.
Finals slide
St. Mary's won the first four state championship games in school history that it participated in, but now has lost its last three.
The Eaglets lost in the 2001 Division 4 final to Chesaning and in the 2004 Division 2 final to Muskegon before Saturday.
On the other side, East Grand Rapids won its eighth state title in school history and its fourth in the last six years.
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