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BIRMINGHAM – Pass at your own risk on Birmingham Groves’ secondary. The Falcons were ballhawks for the second game in a row, snaring three interceptions in Friday’s 28-12 home win over Harper Woods that also ensured them a share of the OAA White Division crown. “I just think that’s the experience we have back there,” Groves head coach Brendan Flaherty said.
“They’ve been there and done that, so they’re like coaches on the field. They do a good job of getting lined up in the right place, their field study is just incredible. I think it’s the positioning, you know, them knowing where to be and where the ball is going to be thrown.
” In last week’s 35-7 victory at Rochester, senior Teddy Abbot became the third player in MHSAA history to pick off three passes in a single quarter. Against the Pioneers (2-3, 1-1 OAA White), Abbot helped prevent points with an interception at Groves’ 4-yard line late in the first quarter, and ripped a desperation attempt out of the air on the final play of the first half as well. Related Articles High School Sports | Photo gallery of Birmingham Groves vs.
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Turnovers always good, and it gives the offense something to start with. The first one, you know, stop a score, get the offense some momentum for their drive.” It’s not like opposing quarterbacks can freely attack the rest of the Falcons’ defensive backfield, either.
Returning all-stater Chris Little, committed to Grand Valley State, is one behind Abbot with four on the season, and freshman Jordan Graham also got in on the action with an interception, taking it the other way 70 yards before being brought down on the final play of the game. The Falcons (5-0, 3-0 OAA White), who came into the night allowing a meager 10 points per game, looked as if they might be en route to their first shutout of the year until Dakota Guerrant finally got loose inside the final two minutes of the third quarter. Guerrant, a top-100 sophomore receiver who also took plenty of snaps under center — he threw a game-winning TD pass in the last 15 seconds of Harper Woods’ win last week against Stoney Creek — was relatively limited until he started a Pioneers’ drive with a 12 yard run.
The next play, he got loose on a run up the middle and went 75 yards for the score. Guerrant also called his own number on a three-yard score with 2:45 remaining. “He’s dangerous, man,” Flaherty said.
“He just goes. Our whole thing was to try and cast a net, keep him wrapped up in that net and not give up any huge plays. Well, we gave up the long run there, and he’s just a dynamic player.
It’s gonna be rough defending him for two more years.” Asked whether Groves did a good job otherwise of limiting Guerrant, Flaherty hesitated, then responded, “Yeah, kind of. I don’t know.
I lost like three years tonight I think (laughs). Um, I think the guys did a really good job, but he’s so slippery, so dangerous.” Equally as dangerous was the Falcons’ rushing attack, which sprinkled in just enough through the air to keep the Pioneers off-balance.
After neither team moved the sticks on its first drive, Groves made its first trip into the red zone with a 23-yard completion from quarterback Ryan Counts (8 of 10, 70 yards passing) to fellow senior Noah Sanders. Mario Campoy-Lovasco then carried it to the 8-yard line, and after that shook an arm tackle for a score that made it 6-0 with 3:28 left in the opening quarter following an extra point off the crossbar. The Pioneers’ defense also deserves credit for either flat-out halting Groves, or bending but not breaking on other drives, but finally conceded another score late in the half when the Falcons used play-action on fourth-and-2 for a 10-yard TD pass from Counts to senior Noah Woods, and he completed to junior Carter Hdllaki (team-high five tackles) on the conversion to make it 14-0 with 3:26 to go in the opening half.
On a night where he was a nominee for Homecoming King, Sanders ruled the Falcons’ backfield. He finished with 110 yards on 16 carries and did plenty of heavy lifting on Groves’ third scoring drive, which culminated with a two-yard keeper by Counts that made it 21-0 with 7:13 left in the third. Campoy-Lovasco, who finished with 83 yards on 21 carries, found the end zone for the second time on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 6:46 remaining to help put the game out of reach.
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As every other White team already has at least one defeat, a Week 7 win over Southfield A&T would make the Falcons outright winners. Though rival Seaholm (5-0) looms in the final game of the regular season, partially wrapping up the division so early means that fighting complacency now becomes a subplot for the undefeated Falcons. "Yeah, so you've got to just keep dialing in and trying to get better," Flaherty said.
"It sounds really trite, but we've just got to keep trying to get better, create a new standard every week. 'Okay, that's pretty good, but let's clean up these mistakes, let's figure it out.' Edit the mistakes, experience it, not let (them) happen again.
" Harper Woods plays another White Division game next week against Southfield A&T, while Groves also remains home to take on a Lakes Valley Conference opponent in South Lyon (3-2)..
