Road to Ford Field: Regional Final Takeaways: It’s the End of an Era as Detroit Catholic Central Takes Down Belleville

The Belleville Tigers traveled to Novi to take on Detroit Catholic Central in the Regional Final game. Catholic Central scored the first touchdown of the night, and while Belleville answered right back, it was Catholic Central that wouldn’t look back. They would go on to score 14 unanswered points to help them come out on top by a final of 35-21. 

Belleville 

End of an Era 

It’s the end of an era for the Belleville Tigers as the four-year run that saw them win two state titles with the best player in the class of 2025. The era ended in a disappointing fashion as they lost in the final last year and now fall in the Regional Final. This game was marred by coaching blunders by the Belleville Tigers. The scheme that the Tigers ran looked like they were breaking in a new team, and they kept it basic to the point that it hampered them in this one. While preparation goes into every game, it seemed like they came into the game thinking they were going to win, but the lack of pulling guards and their defense sitting in a cover three all night made the Bryce Underwood Era at Belleville come to a disappointing end. 

Number 1 in the Country?

The number one player in the country is Belleville Quarterback Bryce Underwood. However, at times, Underwood looked like he was a freshman under the bright lights for the first time. Underwood stared down one receiver most of the night, leading to a few bad passes that ended in interceptions. While he finished the game going 10 of 20 for 202 yards with a touchdown and 40 yards on 11 carries with two scores, it wasn’t enough. After the game, Underwood walked off the field with the help of police officers before his team had a chance to talk; while Underwood is the number one player in the country, he couldn’t help his team walk away as the number one team in the state. 

Detroit Catholic Central 

Dream Killers

The Shamrocks of Detroit Catholic Central played the role of dream killers in the game versus Belleville. Senior captain Jaden Pydyn said post-game that they blocked out all the noise this week surrounding Belleville and the play of the top Quarterback in the country. Pydyn would say they trusted their defense to shut down a great Belleville team. Skyler Hunter would say, “Everyone has a dream to hold up that wooden mitten at the end of the season, and it’s our job to come in and kill those dreams.” 

Pydyn’s Army 

Senior Running Back Jaden Pydyn ran for 190 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Pydyn, who is committed to Army, has been a driving factor for the Shamrocks this season. After the game, he gave props to his offensive line, saying, “They leave everything on the field for me,” which they did in the game against Belleville.