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11/25/07-Football
St. Mary's loses marathon football final
By Mike Rosenbaum of The West Bloomfield Eccentric
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DETROIT--Orchard Lake St. Mary's and East Grand Rapids battled through the longest football playoff game in Michigan history Saturday night before the Pioneers emerged victorious, 46-39, after five overtime periods in the state Division 3 championship game. The contest was played at Detroit's Ford Field.
The game was tied 14-14 after regulation play. Both squads settled for field goals in the first overtime period, then scored six consecutive touchdowns in OT periods two through four.
The Eaglets put themselves in good position to win in the fourth overtime when quarterback Robert Bolden scored from a yard out on fourth down, then Kris Morris completed a two-point conversion pass to Dion Sims for a 39-31 lead. But the Pioneers answered on Joe Glendening's one-yard, fourth-down touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion pass from Calvin Blair to his brother Chris.
Glendening's three-yard TD run, followed by Michael Wilson's extra point, gave East Grand Rapids a 46-39 lead in the fifth OT. St. Mary's gained only two yards on the next three plays in its bid to answer, then Bolden's fourth-down pass was broken up by Pioneer defensive back Evan Ankey, ending the game.
The Eaglets dominated the first quarter of regulation play with two long drives. Dominique White capped the first possession with a 15-yard touchdown run. But on the third play of the second quarter, East Grand Rapids stopped St. Mary's on fourth-and-one from the Pioneer one-yard line.
Glendending tied the game on a 68-yard with 14 seconds remaining in the first half, then put the Pioneers on top with an eight-yard scoring run in the third quarter. The Eaglets responded with an 80-yard drive, capped by Sam Fioroni's eight-yard run.
East Grand Rapids, which successfully defended its D-3 championship, finished the season 13-1. The Eaglets finished 10-3.
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