Madison Heights

A tough end to a great year

By Mike Moore
C & G Staff Writer

Bishop Foley football made most of its postseason

MADISON HEIGHTS — There’s an unspoken school of thought surrounding the state football playoffs: Once a team qualifies, just about anything is possible.

In the first two weeks of the postseason, Madison Heights Bishop Foley did its best to prove that ideal true.

The Ventures wrapped up the 2008 regular season with a 5-4 overall record, one win shy of a guaranteed playoff berth. But elevated by victories over three Class B teams, Foley, a Class C school, had enough playoff points to qualify for the Division 6 tournament, its fourth postseason appearance in five years.

In the pre-district round, the Ventures got past Whitmore Lake, an 8-1 team in the regular season, setting up a district final showdown against an 8-2 Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central team that had scored 28 or more points in eight of its first 10 games and cruised past Allen Park Cabrini 59-7 in the pre-district.

“I think it was safe to say we were a heavy underdog heading into that one,” Foley coach Paul Stanton said a couple of days after his squad lost to SMCC 34-29 on a trick play with less than a minute remaining.

“This was a great game against a very good team. Our guys battled from start to finish. It was easily our best game of the season.”

Foley had to battle back from 14-point deficits twice, taking a 29-28 lead with less than two minutes to go in the fourth after a successful two-point conversion. But with 47 seconds remaining, the Falcons scored on a throw-back screen pass to take the lead for good.

“It was a tough way to end the year,” Stanton chuckled. “At the same time, I know I speak for the coaches and parents, and everyone else in the program, when I say we couldn’t be prouder of these guys and the way they played.

“St. Mary’s was a team that beat up on (Dearborn Divine Child) two weeks ago and put up 59 on Cabrini. We had a lot to be proud of coming out of there.”

Not many expected Foley to finish the regular season with a winning record in 2008, let alone qualify for the playoffs. After all, this was a team fresh off a 3-6 campaign in 2007, with just eight seniors and loads of inexperience.

“The work ethic was key,” Stanton said of the season. “The kids really got into serious mode in the final stretch of the season, and that was key for us, especially in the playoffs.”

In losing just eight seniors, Stanton expects next year to be just as strong, if not stronger.

“The experience will pay off,” he said. “We had a lot of underclassmen that were able to contribute and play some important roles. We’re certainly going to miss the kids we’ll graduate, but if the guys coming back commit themselves to being better, we’re going to be.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Mike Moore at mmoore@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1038.