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10/26/2008-Football
Warriors playoff bound after win over OLSM
By KEITH DUNLAP
Of The Oakland Press
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DETROIT As unfathomable a thought as Birmingham Brother Rice not qualifying for the state playoffs was to the average high school football follower, imagine how the Warriors were feeling at such a prospect.
It would've been disappointing, Brother Rice junior quarterback Frankie Popp said. We have such a great tradition of making the playoffs. The coaches have been here a long time and it would've been kind of out of the ordinary.
Fortunately for Popp and Brother Rice, the most significant part about that statement was would've.
Needing a win over rival Orchard Lake St. Mary's to guarantee a spot in the playoffs, Brother Rice got it, prevailing, 28-21, over the Eaglets in the wildcard game at Saturday's Catholic League Prep Bowl at Ford Field.
Just like the rest of the qualifiers around the state, the Warriors (6-3) can now breathe easy and find out who their first round opponent will be when the playoff pairings are announced at 6:30 tonight.
I'm glad we have the opportunity, Brother Rice head coach Al Fracassa said. I think if they would've won, none of us would've made it.
That's probably true.
St. Mary's entered the game at 4-4, and a win by the Eaglets would've put both teams at 5-4 and in the position of hoping they'd be one of the precious few 5-4 teams put into the playoffs by the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
As it is, Brother Rice is in, while St. Mary's had the misfortune of suffering just its second losing season in head coach George Porritt's 20-year tenure.
St. Mary's losses were to East Grand Rapids, Warren De La Salle, Novi Detroit Catholic Central, Davison and Brother Rice.
It was just a combination of things, Porritt said. I will say this. I think we have a great football team and my kids have great character. I told the kids that we went through a whole season and I didn't have to deal with anything. I've won a lot of games and had to deal with a lot of stuff. We played great football teams and got beat.
Brother Rice's first touchdown on Saturday was an illustration of just how the season went for St. Mary's.
Facing a third-and-long from the St. Mary's 40, Popp fired a pass that escaped the hands of a Brother Rice receiver at the 30, but the deflection went down the field and hit Brother Rice receiver Nate Saldivar-Garcia in stride.
Saldivar-Garcia reeled in the deflection and went the distance to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead with 9:03 left in the first quarter.
Following field goals of 30 and 32 yards by St. Mary's Keegan Dupack, Brother Rice took a 14-6 lead with 48 seconds left in the first half on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Popp to Kevonte Martin-Manley.
The Eaglets rallied, tying the game at 14-14 with 10:51 remaining on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Robert Bolden and a subsequent 2-point conversion pass from Bolden to Rodney Woodland.
Ultimately, though, Brother Rice wouldn't be denied.
The Warriors answered the St. Mary's touchdown with one of their own via a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Jimmy Pickens with 6:40 left in the game to take a 21-14 lead.
The run by Pickens capped off a 10-play, 75-yard drive.
Brother Rice essentially put the game out of reach with 2:03 remaining when Michael Brown picked off a Bolden pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to give the Warriors a 28-14 lead.
St. Mary's rounded out the scoring with 47 seconds left on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Bolden to Woodland.
Popp went 10-for-12 passing for 163 yards for the Warriors.
St. Mary's was led by senior running back Sam Fioroni, who rushed for 137 yards on 25 carries.
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