Belleville and Saline faced off in a classic for the district final as Belleville beat Saline 62-44.
Saline
CJ Carr finally shows his worth
The 4-star Junior quarterback out of Saline was finally released and showed what he could do. Carr completed 37 of his 53 passes for 383 yards and five touchdowns in the losing effort. The tight spiral and placing the ball where only his receivers could get it. He finally showed flashes of his brilliance and why he was and still is highly touted.
What does the Fox say?
Caid Fox and CJ Carr had a night in the district final as they connected on 8 of 12 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Both players are juniors, and they will have one more year together. Carr found Fox 63 times during the season for 780 yards and nine touchdowns. With another year, they could become a dynamic force in the state.
Belleville
Be the same guy.
Belleville quarterback Bryce Underwood needs to be the same guy on the field and the sideline. During the game, Underwood could be seen as more of a tough guy on the field, but on the sideline, he was having fun and joking with his teammates. Act like that both on the field and the sideline, and your game could go to the next level.
Different Look and Unnecessary Risks
Without head coach Jermain Crowell, Belleville looked different and took some unnecessary risks. We really didn’t see the use of the deep ball to Kevin Simes, and Underwood only had 14 passing attempts on the night. Although Underwood still passed for 154 yards and three touchdowns, they won, looking like a different team. They also took unnecessary risks, one of which could be a reason to worry for the defending state champs. Late in the fourth quarter, up 20, Belleville called what looked to be a designed QB run play, and Underwood played a hefty price. Underwood went to the ground and hit his head hard off the turf and looked like Tua Tagovailoa from a few weeks ago, minus the fencing from his fingers. It was a scary situation for everyone at the game. It’s unclear how severe the injury is, but if Underwood is out this week, it will be a tough challenge for them to make it to a semifinal.
Bonus Takeaways
We also saw a rematch of one of the more exciting games of the year as Cass Tech got revenge on Southfield A&T 25-14
Cass Tech
Catching Fire
After a slow start to the season that saw Cass Tech lose 3 of their first four games, Cass has caught fire and has beaten three of the top teams in the state in the last three weeks. We could be staring at a potential home game for Cass Tech in the state finals, as they are less than a mile away from Ford Field. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, we have two more games and a potential for a state championship game in the semifinals as they could match up with defending state champion, Belleville. They are catching fire at the right time.
Southfield A&T
Top Talent Hindered by Poor Play Calling
Southfield A&T had the more talented team, but their play calling was the issue in the loss. They had one play, and everyone in the stadium knew what was coming. They were going to line up under center and let 3-star quarterback Isaiah Marshall run QB Power. Marshall finished with less than 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. If they used the arm of Marshall a bit more, we could have been looking at a Southfield A&T win.