Southfield

Southfield High football wins another in dramatic fashion; gets a rematch with Oak Park

By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer

SOUTHFIELD — Southfield High football gets another shot at Oak Park High, this time with the season on the line.

The Blue Jays and Knights meet in a Division 2 district final at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 at Oak Park.

In their Sept. 14 meeting, Oak Park won 24-16 in overtime at Southfield.

The Blue Jays earned the rematch after beating another familiar foe, Detroit Martin Luther King, 22-19 Oct. 26 at home.

“We did a great job of preparing; the kids were looking forward to it,” Southfield coach Tim Conley said. “Even though we beat them before, I think we went in as underdogs because of their program and where they’ve been. I think our kids liked that role.”

Southfield beat King by a point in double overtime in the season opener.

This time around, the Blue Jays came out strong, leading 14-0 late into the first half with touchdown runs from quarterback Tre Walton and running back Gerald Gates.

The Crusaders got on the board with 2:39 left in the half when quarterback Davaun Williams hit receiver Mycial Allen on a 10-yard strike to make it 14-7.

King running back Avonte Maddox cut into the lead again with a 23-yard scamper with just under 11 minutes left in the third quarter, but the extra point was missed to make it 14-13.

After stopping Southfield on downs on the following possession, the Crusaders didn’t waste time taking the lead, as Williams found Allen again, this time on an 80-yard score. King failed on the conversion again, giving them a 19-14 lead.

“With the tough schedule that we’ve had and the close games we’ve played, we knew if we kept fighting, we’d be fine,” Conley said.

After trading two punts each, Southfield scored the game-winner when Gates found the end zone from 3 yards out on fourth down. Running back Jeff Madison then made an athletic catch on a pass from Walton in the corner of the end zone for the 2-point conversion, making it 22-19.

King didn’t go away without a fight.

The Crusaders drove the ball down to the Southfield 10-yard line, but were unable to capitalize on four plays.

“We put ourselves in position to win another mitten (district trophy); we just beat a good team,” Conley said.

This is Southfield’s fourth run in the playoffs in the last five seasons. Each time, the Blue Jays have won a district title.

Gates credited a great attitude by the coaches and players for the success.

“We’re just trying to keep moving forward,” he said. “We put in the hard work and play as a family.”

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062. Follow Christian on Twitter.