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Warren Cousino senior quarterback Christian Purchase was a huge contributor offensively for Cousino this season.
Photo by Patricia O’Blenes
ROSEVILLE — For the first two rounds of the playoffs, Roseville football encountered some familiar competition.
Unfortunately for Warren Cousino (6-4), Roseville’s recent success in their head-to-head matchups continued Oct. 28 at Roseville High School in the first round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs.
Roseville (8-2) entered the contest with five straight wins over Cousino since 2017, and junior running back Bryan Weathersby and sophomore quarterback Jordan Simes made sure the streak would continue.
After building a 26-7 lead at the half, Roseville rolled through the second half en route to a 49-7 win to advance to the second round of the MHSAA playoffs.
“We’re definitely not satisfied; it’s just a lot of them not satisfied with where we are at,” Roseville coach Vernard Snowden said. “It’s definitely good for the school and the community, but it’s definitely a job not finished for these guys.”
Weathersby had 13 carries for 176 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while Simes was solid through the air with 102 yards and two touchdowns.
Roseville’s defense continued its dominant season behind senior linebacker Elijah Baker and junior linebacker Anthony Scott. Scott tallied an interception and nine tackles while Baker had eight tackles and a fumble recovery.
Cousino coach Brandon Gennette had high praise for Roseville’s defense.
“Coach Snowden has done a good job of getting his guys to buy into the weight room,” Gennette said. “The biggest thing that stood out to me was the trenches; they got some big guys.”
Cousino’s season ended on a sour note, but Gennette’s guys showed indications of a promising future for Cousino football.
While earning its highest win total since 2016, Cousino finished second in the Macomb Area Conference-Gold this season, and will return a healthy number of starters on each side of the ball.
“Culturally, we’re not going to rest on what we did, but I think the kids returning are going to be hungry because of what they did,” Gennette said.
As for Roseville, its road once again involved a matchup against Warren De La Salle Collegiate (9-1).
De La Salle eliminated Roseville for two straight years from the MHSAA playoffs while outscoring the Panthers 103-28 in the process.
“To me, it’s not about the other teams; we use the motto this year and last year that ‘It’s all about us,’” Snowden said. “It’s not about the other team; it’s about us getting it done.”
Roseville hosted De La Salle at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at Roseville High School, after press time.
For a school that hadn’t hosted many playoff games in recent history — until the last two years — Roseville football has brought the community and the school something to cheer for.
“The excitement is very, very important,” Snowden said. “It just changed the dynamic and the importance of the school.”
