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11/26/07-Football
St. Mary's players vow to return
By ED MEYERS/Special to The Oakland Press
DETROIT--Orchard Lake St. Mary's may have lost the Michigan State High School Division 3 state championship game in a record-setting way Saturday night, but that hasn't distilled the Eaglets' desire to come back next year and win it all.
"We have to come out and work. I promise you we'll be back next year and everything I can do to get better I will do," sophomore quarterback Robert Bolden, who directed the Eaglets' offense all season, said through his tears. "I want to work on getting stronger during the summer."
George Porritt, who finished his 19th season as coach by boosting his career record to 171-39 had nothing but pride for his team's effort in Saturday's 46-39 loss to East Grand Rapids, a game that only finished after five overtimes, and was the longest in MHSAA playoff history.
"I was real proud of you. You gave it all you had and it was the greatest effort I've ever seen in a championship game," he told his team after the game. "There is nothing to be ashamed of and a lot to be thankful for."
Rodney Woodland, a junior running back and defensive back, also vowed to return next season.
"We lose a lot of key players," he said, "but I'm going to do better and so will the other guys coming back."
The biggest hurdle to the Eaglets returning will be rebuilding the lines, and replacing five starters on offense, and four on defense.
"We have an excellent chance to come back to Ford Field. We have a lot of juniors returning, but we'll have to replace most of the linemen," said Sam Fioroni, a junior running back and linebacker.
Another junior, Suave Lavallis, a wide receiver and cornerback, stated, "We'll be back, that's for sure. I want to become more of a leader and promise to get stronger over the coming year."
Junior Justin Semmes added, "We have a good chance for playoffs again next season. Hopefully I can do better, but we have to rebuild our line."
Porritt, who has three state titles to his credit, will have to replace 26 seniors, including running back Dominique White, who dueled it out with East Grand Rapids' 1,800-yard rusher, junior Joe Glendening.
"I have to give credit to East Grand Rapids," Porritt commented. "They ran some plays that mixed up our defense some and they played a good defensive contest as well. Their quarterback made the plays when he had to."
Since 1989, OLSM has only had one losing season -- a 3-6 mark in 2002, on the heels of a 12-2 mark the previous year, when the Eaglets were runner-up in the state title game. The Eaglets finished this year with a 10-3 mark, the seventh time they've won 10 or more game.
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