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11/29/2009--Football
DETROIT-- Another game against East Grand Rapids, another heartbreaking loss for Orchard Lake St. Mary's.
Two years ago, East Grand Rapids defeated St. Mary's 46-39 in five overtimes for the Division 3 title. On Saturday East Grand Rapids scored with 1:14 left to defeat St. Mary's, 24-21, in the Division 3 final at Ford Field.
The teams have met four times and St. Mary's (8-5) has lost all four.
"They've got our number right now," St. Mary's coach George Porritt said. "I'm not ashamed to lose to a team like that. It's hard. Our kids are down. We'd like to win a state championship against that team."
It was the 11th appearance in a state final for East Grand Rapids (14-0); this was its 10th title and fourth straight.
Quarterback Ryan Elble threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Deon Jobe in the end zone for the winner. Earlier in the drive Elble, on a fourth-and-14, completed a 27-yard pass to running back Kirk Spencer to the St. Mary's 26. Safety Corey Lucas tipped the ball and Spencer made a diving catch. The pass was intended for tight end Colin Voss.
"I was thinking, 'Get to the ball as fast as I can and catch it,'" Spencer said. "I knew I caught it. There's no doubt."
Said Elble: "When I saw it deflected my heart basically stopped. I just put it up for Colin to make a play. It didn't work out that way but we'll take it. It felt like it was up there forever."
Josh Laarman caused a fumble on the last St. Mary's drive with 39 seconds left to secure the victory.
"I thought we had the game won a couple of times," St. Mary's quarterback Robert Bolden said. "Especially on that fourth down."
Cortez Riley, a 6-foot-1, 260-pound defensive tackle-fullback, scored on a 3-yard run around right end with 9:21 left to give St. Mary's a 21-17 lead. After stopping East Grand Rapids on its next series, St. Mary's made two first downs before being forced to punt. East Grand Rapids took over on its 13 with 4:01 left. Spencer began the winning drive with a 38-yard run.
East Grand Rapids (13-1) had taken a 17-14 lead with 47 seconds left in the third quarter on a 68-yard pass from Elble to A.J. McEwen.
Elble's 8-yard touchdown pass to Colin Voss with 30 seconds left in the first half tied the score at 7 for East Grand Rapids. The 59-yard drive was aided by an interference penalty against St. Mary's on a fourth down. Later in the drive, East Grand Rapids converted on a fourth-and-6.
Gary Hunter's 63-yard kickoff return to the 24-yard line gave St. Mary's a chance to take the lead before halftime. Twice St. Mary's tried to score on runs into the middle of the line from the 1-yard line and both times it was stopped. The second attempt was Bolden's sneak on the last play of the half.
East Grand Rapids coach Peter Stuursma said that was the turning point.
St. Mary's took a 7-0 lead on Bolden's 13-yard touchdown run with 10:27 left in the half.
The attendance for Saturday's four title games was 33,728 for a combined two-day total of 60,450.
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