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11/27/07-Football
Working overtime
St. Mary's, East Grand Rapids football end season in epic fashion
By the C & G Sports Staff
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DETROIT — The 2007 Michigan high school football season would not end.
In the final game of the Michigan High School Athletic Association football finals Nov. 24 at Ford Field, Orchard Lake St. Mary's fell to East Grand Rapids , 46-39, in five overtimes of the Division 5 championship, making it the longest state-title game in MHSAA history.
"The effort they gave was unbelievable," St. Mary's coach George Porritt said about the team that took him to his sixth state-title game.
"That was a lot of football right there. There were momentum swings where we scored a couple and they scored a couple."
It could only happen on a weekend when a new record for new records was set, and unfortunately for St. Mary's (10-3), one of those was the most teams ever to repeat as state champions.
The Pioneers (13-1) joined Macomb Dakota (Division 1), Menominee High (Division 5) and Saginaw Nouvel (Division 6) as repeating champions.
The Eaglets struck first in the final when senior running back Dominique White scored his eighth rushing touchdown of the postseason on a 14-yard scamper at 5:56 to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive.
The Pioneers got their featured back — junior fullback Joe Glendening — rolling after getting shut out on their first five possessions.
Glendening broke a 68-yard run with 39 seconds remaining in the first quarter to tie the game 7-7.
The Pioneers then took a 14-7 lead with their first possession of the second half when Glendening capped an eight-play, 55-yard drive with an 8-yard run at 6:48 in the third.
The Eaglets answered back the very next possession, tying the score, 14-14, on an 8-yard run by junior running back Sam Fioroni at 4:18.
After a scoreless fourth quarter, the two teams went into overtime, where each team gets one possession starting at the opponent's 10-yard line.
The squads traded field goals in the first overtime
In the second overtime, St. Mary's struck first when White ran around the left side for a 2-yard score on fourth down from the 2, as Porritt elected to run the ball rather than kick a field goal.
East answered with senior quarterback Calvin Blair connecting with junior tight end Chris Blair for a 13-yard run, knotting the score at 24-24.
Senior tight end Zach Flood added a 10-yard touchdown reception to start the third overtime and take a 31-24 lead, which was answered by White on a 3-yard run on third down.
In the fourth overtime, St. Mary's was stopped at the goal line on third down, setting up a scoring plunge by sophomore quarterback Robert Bolden on fourth down.
On the ensuing extra point, the Eaglets faked the kick and took a 39-31 lead with senior holder/quarterback Kris Morris connecting with junior receiver Dion Sims for two points.
"It was time to try something to end the game," Porritt said of the two-point conversion and fourth-down running play.
"Fatigue was starting to be a part of that game. Looking into the kids' eyes, it was time to score."
The Pioneers responded with a touchdown on a 1-yard run on fourth down from Glendening and matched the two-point conversion with Blair once again on the receiving end for the score.
With the score knotted at 39-39 in the fifth overtime, East scored first to take a 46-39 lead with Glendening scoring his fourth touchdown of the game from 3 yards out.
St. Mary's had its possession end after an incompletion on fourth-and-goal from the 9, sealing East's second straight Division 3 state title.
"It was a great football game, and an extremely well-played football game," Porritt said. "I can't remember one turnover, and both teams played real well. They're a great a football team, and I thought we were, too."
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