26.4°F  Website Login | DetroitNovember 26, 2008Experience of a lifetime
By Brad D. Bates
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Muskegon High tops Warren De La Salle football in D-2 state final
DETROIT — Sixteen players on the 2008 Warren De La Salle football team know exactly how hard it is to win a state championship.
Whether it’s senior receiver/cornerback Jimmy Martinez, who started in this year’s 34-14 Division 2 state final loss to Muskegon High Nov. 28 at Ford Field and the Pilots’ 32-30 loss to the same Big Reds in the 2006 D-2 final, or senior quarterback Josh Sinagoga — a reserve in 2006 but a mainstay this year — the 16 players who were on the roster for both of the program’s state-final appearances know what a championship effort looks like.
“It shows a lot of character and intestinal fortitude,” DLS coach Paul Verska said of what drove the group of players who were with him in 2006 and 2008.
“It’s easy to get there once and be satisfied, but these guys have been there a couple of times. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”
That character was on display as the Pilots (13-1) held on against a Muskegon squad that capped its 14-0 season by scoring a shade under its average of 36 points per game.
The Big Reds’ defense held a De La Salle offense that averaged 36 points per playoff game to just three more than its season average of 11.
Muskegon struck at the 2:02 mark in the first quarter when senior Anthony Davis scored on a 46-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, senior John Martinez, one of the Pilots’ captains and a starter at receiver and cornerback, returned the kick 17 yards to the De La Salle 19-yard line. Kick returns were the only significant action John Martinez all game, as he was hampered by an ankle injury he suffered in the team’s state semifinal win against Southfield High.
“John was driving me nuts to play, but he just couldn’t run” Verska said. “I didn’t want to risk him getting himself injured even worse.”
Jimmy Martinez was injured late in the final game, as well. It was a tough way for the Martinez’s to end their football careers at De La Salle.
“Jimmy was a great player,” Verska said. “(Jimmy and John Martinez) both are tremendous athletes, and they hate to lose. They’re great kids and a part of the reason this senior class has been so successful. They make me look good.”
After the next two possessions ended with the offenses trading punts, the Pilots drove to the Muskegon 30, where Sinagoga connected with senior receiver Mark Karam for a 39-yard gain. But the drive stalled after failing to convert on a fourth-and-five at the Muskegon 25.
Muskegon senior quarterback Elan Banks then drove his team 75 yards in eight plays, eventually scoring on a 4-yard run. Banks accounted for 48 of the 75 yards, including a 38-yard run.
On the Pilots’ next possession, Muskegon senior defensive tackle Alvin Fletcher recovered a fumble at the Pilots’ 43-yard line.
Less than two minutes later, the Big Reds found the end zone again, this time on a 1-yard run from senior fullback Jason Hannet. A failed two-point conversion made the score 20-0, where it would stay to end the first half.
Muskegon opened the second half the way it played much of the first, as Banks engineered a 10-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 6-yard Hannet rush at 8:09 for a 27-0 lead.
The Pilots broke onto the scoreboard on their next possession with an 80-yard drive of their own. Sinagoga connected with junior running back Tim Zabawa for a 61-yard gain to the Muskegon 4-yard line at 6:45 in the third quarter.
After senior fullback Chet Privett gained 2 yards on the Pilots’ first attempt from the 4, the Big Reds held Zabawa out of the end zone on back-to-back rushes before he finally broke through on fourth-and-one with 4:42 to play and cut the Muskegon lead to 20.
The Big Reds’ ground game would not be denied, though, as Muskegon stormed back with a 55-yard touchdown run from Hannet at 2:25 for a 34-7 lead.
Sinagoga added a 16-yard touchdown run with 1:50 left in the game to cut the lead to 34-14.
“We didn’t tackle very well today,” Verska said. “Other than that, it was a great year, and there’s lots of people who would like to change places with me.
“You haven’t heard the last of us yet. We’re going to work and keep getting it better and get it done right one of these times.”
Key to Verska’s mission to get back to the title game are players like Zabawa, who will return in 2009 as a senior.
“We’ve got a couple key players coming back,” Zabawa said. “We’ve got to act like this senior class, and hopefully, there will be a break here and there and we’ll be back here next year.”
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