St. Mary's upends previously perfect DeWitt

Vincent Goodwill / The Detroit News

FENTON -- Orchard Lake St. Mary's snuck into the playoffs with four losses, and found an undefeated DeWitt team looking for its first state final appearance since 2004.

But regular-season records can be deceiving. St. Mary's jumped on DeWitt early Saturday, taking a 30-0 lead and cruising to a 44-27 victory at Fenton High School to advance to the Division 3 final. St. Mary's is looking for its first state title since 2000.

St. Mary's quarterback, Penn State-bound Robert Bolden, had an efficient day, throwing three touchdown passes and rushing for another, but a solid team effort earned the victory.

St. Mary's (8-4) overwhelmed DeWitt with speed and power. DeWitt fumbled on its first play and that was all St. Mary's needed to begin its onslaught.

With his team ahead 9-0, St. Mary's cornerback Gary Hunter intercepted a tipped pass and returned it 29 yards for a score.

"With that pick, I think it sent us in the right direction," said St. Mary's coach George Porritt, whose team recovered from an 0-2 start to the season. "I was pleased with our defense, it got us going."

After DeWitt pinned St. Mary's on its 4-yard line, St. Mary's scored with relative ease. Bolden found receiver Allen Robinson in single coverage for an 80-yard score.

"Of course we have to pound the ball," Porritt said. "Then we get Robert into the offense. You got to see a great football player."

St. Mary's kept the ball on the ground for the most part, with its plethora of running backs. Bolden, Ernest Thomas and Enrique Pardo did the heavy lifting.

DeWitt (12-1) tried to make it interesting, scoring on two long drives, and with St. Mary's playing conservative offensively, it looked as if DeWitt would have a shot at an improbable comeback.

"We knew that team scored a lot of points all year," Porritt said. "We knew we would bend a little bit, but don't break."

DeWitt came in averaging up 46 points and quarterback Jimmy Williams tried valiantly to lead the comeback. He rebounded from a shaky start to throw four touchdown passes, accounting for all of DeWitt's scoring.

After hitting receiver Joel Stiffler for a 66-yard score before the half, Williams found Jordan Johnson for a 13-yard score, capping a 10-play, 70-yard drive to make the score 30-13.

"We were forced to throw but we've always been a passing team," DeWitt coach Rob Zimmerman said. "We ran the ball a little more this year, but we didn't have any choice. It was too little, too late."

Bolden was the one who erased any thoughts of a St. Mary's collapse. After St. Mary's took over on downs, Bolden ran for a 23-yard score and on its next possession he found Christopher Vucinaj for a 13-yard score in the fourth quarter.

"He did a very nice job for me and he's been like that his entire career," Porritt said of Bolden, who finished 7-of-11 for 145 yards.

Zimmerman lamented the mistakes, but gave St. Mary's credit.

"They're a very good team and when you make those kind of mistakes, it's tough to get back into the game," he said. "I'm proud of my kids, they never quit."

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