After a lot of adversity, the Belleville Tigers beat the Caledonia Fighting Scots 35-17 to claim their second state title in as many years.
Belleville
A Dynasty Tappin’ In?
It is now fair to call Belleville a dynasty. They dealt with adversity in the playoffs, and Interim Head Coach Dejuan Rogers kept his team focused. With players like Bryce Underwood, Colbey Reed, Jeremiah Beasley, Kevin Simes, and Adrian Walker for an offense that scored 48 points a game, they should be able to keep it up on the offensive side. Belleville will need to replace seven of their 11 starters on their defense. If Rogers is kept on as the Head Coach, he and his staff should have no issue keeping up the success they’ve enjoyed. An interesting tidbit to note is that Rogers wore a suit on the sideline during the finals, and when asked about his decision to wear it after the game, he said that he wore it because he looked at this game as an interview.
Flip a Switch
This Belleville team flipped a switch in this game. Early on, they looked flustered, and on a few throws from Bryce Underwood, he didn’t look like himself. The team looked flat and didn’t have their swagger. But Adrian Walker picked off a Caledonia pass late in the first and a sack from Lamar Fairfax at the end of the half; you saw the switch flip. With the sack at the end of the half, Belleville scored on that drive and sent the game to halftime tied. Both turnovers came at crucial points when it looked like Caledonia would go up by two scores; the defense stepped up and gave their offense back the ball. The second half came, and Belleville looked energized. The defense kept making big plays, and the offense got back to normal.
Caledonia
Hung in There
Caledonia had chances to stay ahead of Belleville in this one. An interception in the red zone, a sack before halftime, and being held to a field goal when you’re in the red zone hurt. You need to find ways to score against a team like Belleville, who can pop off at any point, and Caledonia couldn’t do that in this one.