GOODRICH — Connor Imsland celebrated his 18th birthday by breaking new ground in his football career during the MHSAA football District 4 regional final between Dearborn Divine Child and Goodrich on Friday, Nov. 13.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Imsland stopped a methodical Goodrich drive in its tracks with his first career interception. Thanks to dutiful film study during the week, Imsland knew to expect a screen if Goodrich released both running backs towards his side.
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The Martians did just that, and Imsland jumped in front of the pass at the Falcons’ 23-yard line for Divine Child’s third interception of the night, preserving a seven-point lead.
“I saw the backs come to me,” Imsland said in his first interview as an adult. “That means we were getting a screen. I saw them coming, shed my block and got the interception. … That is my first varsity interception.”
Divine Child (11-1) went on to knock off previously undefeated Goodrich 21-14 in a state-championship-caliber regional final between the two teams who split time at No. 1 in the division all season.
Dearborn Divine Child beat Goodrich in a MHSAA football Division 4 regional final on Friday, Nov. 13 at Goodrich High School.
FRIDAY’S SCORES: Michigan high school football regional finals
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Early on the next drive, Divine Child dialed up a trick play that has become popular across the Michigan high school football playoffs. On 2nd-and-21 from their own 33, the Falcons called a hook and lateral. Junior quarterback Drew Sheridan hit Michael DiSalvo on a short hitch over the middle, who pitched it to Rayshawn Thomas on a drag underneath him. Thomas turned on the jets, scoring a 63-yard touchdown with 8:57 left.
“Everyone is getting into Ben Johnson’s playbook,” Divine Child coach Chris Laney said. “We hit that one up the sideline. Rayshawn turned it upfield and it was a really great play all-around.”
Goodrich (11-1) responded with a quick touchdown drive, capped off with a fourth-down touchdown from quarterback Ty Eickhoff to Isaac Valley, who made an impressive one-handed grab. The Martians got the ball back less than three minutes after forcing a Divine Child three-and-out, but the Falcons’ defense came up with one more stop on a pass breakup by Adam Garcia.
“Our defense played lights out today,” Sheridan said. “I’m really proud of our defense. Goodrich has a really tough defense. Shoutout to [Martians] Drew Aagesen and Colton Burnett [who sacked Sheridan multiple times], they played really well. But we executed good enough to get the job done and move on to the semis.”
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Goodrich frequently brought the ball into Divine Child territory, but the Falcons stood tall. It started with a fourth-down goal-line stop, thanks to Joe Muscat’s fourth-down tackle behind the line of scrimmage.
Then, senior cornerback Giancarlo Vitti made a diving interception on a pass tipped by linebacker Andre Davis. Shortly after Vitti’s pick, Divine Child scored the game’s first points on Finn Cameron’s rushing touchdown. Vitti has been a key returner late in the season for the Falcons after he missed time with a broken fibula.
“I came here knowing I was going to make a play to help win this game for our team,” Vitti, a Princeton commit, said.
DiSalvo came up with another Divine Child interception on a long pass, leading to a field goal. Goodrich answered quickly with a touchdown, making it 10-7 at half. But Divine Child’s defense kept the door shut, holding Goodrich in check in the crucial moments.
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“It was all about winning on first down,” Imsland said. “They’ve got three great running backs and [Burnett] is a dog. We had to stop them on first down, force them into second and third and long, because we feel like we have that advantage.”
The crucial win puts Divine Child in the Division 4 semifinals for the second year in a row. The Falcons, who will face Birmingham Detroit Country Day next week for the second straight season, now sit two wins away from a repeat title.
“This team is hitting its stride at the right time,” Laney said. “We know we are going to have another big one next week, but we are going to celebrate this first tonight.”
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Divine Child rides ballhawk defense back to MHSAA football semifinals
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