Sunday, November 29, 2009

Ford Field

Yesterday, for my internship with www.michiganpreps.com, I went to Ford Field for the high school football state championships. What an experience.

I didn't attend Friday's games (the even divisions) because of work, but I was there all day on Saturday. I got up around 9:30 and left the house just before 11 am. I got there around quarter to noon, over an hour until the Division One Finals bewteen Detroit Catholic Central and Sterling Heights Stevenson.

Being from Sterling Heights but moving to Clarkston, I was torn in this game. While I thought Clarkston got the shaft on a couple of calls in the semifinals against Stevenson, I was rooting for the Titans. Detroit CC beat them pretty handily though with stingy defense and a good run game. I think Clarkston would've fared better with a more two-dimensional offense (SHS had both of its runningbacks injured so they passed the ball about 90% of the time). I went down the field for the post game interviews and wandered with the maze of hallways beneath Ford Field.

The second game was a big blowout between Jackson Lumen Christi over Clare, with a 35-7 halftime score and a 42-7 final. The second half was pretty lackluster with an explosive first half led by their quarterback Conor Sullivan. The guy did everything for that team after the opening kick off return by Rafe Bellers. He got two rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns and one touchdown reception. It's believed he's the first to have done that.

The final game was an awesome way to end the tournament. A rematch between Orchard Lake St. Mary's and East Grand Rapids was a close and heartfelt match. The emotion in this game really shown through on every play. In contrast with the previous game, the first half was pretty calm. Save the last 15 seconds. Penn State-bound St. Mary's quarterback Robert Bolden gave that team a chance--and in all honesty is the only reason that team is in the playoff finals and possibly even the playoffs at all. He nailed a 28-yard pass to stop the clock with 8 seconds left on the 1-yard line. Whether it was his call or the coach's call, St. Mary's went for the 1-yard drive two times in a row and were stopped up both times. A field goal here is a safe call and probably one that Coach Porritt would make in hindsight. The second half changed leads back and forth until the 1:14 mark of the game. East Grand Rapids put the ball in the end zone off a 14-yard pass. Bolden made two great passes for 1st downs and stopped the clock each time moving the ball close to midfield. Then a mistake that will probably haunt him for a long time but you can't really fault the guy for everything he's done for the team to this point: he fumbled the ball and Grand Rapids recovered it at their own 44-yard line. The clock would run out and East Grand Rapids won for their fourth straight year.

What was more memorable though for me was being up in that press box. First, it was an extremely nice media area compared to the cramped and crowded press boxes at the actual high schools that I've been accustomed to all season long. But mostly, I liked the recognition that I got. Professional, working jouralists that I've been alongside all season long know me. They know me, talk to me, hopefully root for me a little bit. In no particular order, Keith Dunlop, Pat Caputo, Perry Farrell, Tom Markoswski, Mick McCabe and probably a host of others I'm forgetting all have helped me out in some way. Even without them knowing, I've learned more this semester than I have all four years of education. This truly was the best way to end a great internship and a great college career.

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