Michigan high school football playoffs: Novi Detroit CC wrecks Belleville revenge tour, 35-21

Posted by Admin November 16, 2024 Football

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Mick McCabe
| Special to Detroit Free Press

Novi Detroit Catholic Central combined some old-fashioned smashmouth football with some timely passing and its typical hard-nosed defense Friday night to end Bryce Underwood’s high school career with a 35-21 victory in the quarterfinals of the Division 1 Michigan high school football playoffs in front of an overflow crowd at CC.

Underwood, the 5-star quarterback who has committed to LSU, had his moments of brilliance, but CC’s defense made him work for everything.

Under a hard rush all night, Underwood completed 11 of 23 passes for 188 passes and two interceptions.

Catholic Central advances to next Saturday’s semifinal against Detroit Cass Tech, which defeated Macomb Dakota, 21-14, on Friday night.

CC took the opening kickoff and on the first play from scrimmage, Jaden Pydyn pitched the ball to Matthew Williams on a reverse and he ran for 26 yards to set the tone for the Shamrocks.

The Shamrocks didn’t score on the possession but they got the ball back when Underwood was hit as he was throwing the ball and Samson Gash picked off the wobbly pass.

Five plays after the turnover, Pydyn exploded through the middle of the line and raced 48 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 4:48 left in the first period.

CC nearly caught Belleville off guard when it attempted and recovered an onside kick, but officials ruled CC interfered with the attempted catch of the popup kick and the Tigers got the ball.

Three minutes later, Underwood threaded the needle with a spectacular 40-yard TD pass through two defenders to tie the game with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter.

On the first play following the ensuing kickoff, a screen pass to Pydyn produced 37 yards and set up Samson Gash’s six-yard TD run for a 14-7 CC lead early in the second quarter.

Belleville struggled when it took over on its 25-yard line and wound up in a fourth-and-34 situation when it punted from its one-yard line.

Gash caught the line-drive punt and returned it 24-yard to the Belleville 6-yard line. On fourth down from the Belleville 4-yard line, CC came out in a full-house backfield and Pydyn powered the ball into the end zone for a 21-7 CC lead.

On its next possession Belleville had success despite Underwood completing just one pass, a 15-yarder. Everything else came on the ground with Underwood scooting the final 9 yards around left end with 1:01 remaining in the first half and the Tigers trailing, 21-14.

A key sack forced Belleville to punt away the first possession of the second half. CC took over at its 26. On a second-and-10 play, Pydyn appeared trapped in the backfield, but escaped and turned it into a 14-yard gain.

Four plays later, QB Skyler Hunter handed off to Pydyn, who stopped and pitched the ball back to Hunter. Hunter then lofted a 46-yard TD pass to Gash for a touchdown and a 28-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

ON CC’s next possession, Hunter caught the Belleville defense sleeping when he threw a surprise first down pass to Casmer Moir, who sneaked into the secondary and turned his catch into a 60-yard TD and a 35-14 CC lead.

Underwood came back with a pair of completions totaling 35 yards, followed by a CC pass interference penalty. Underwood sealed the deal with a 20 sprint and a dive into the end zone to make it a 35-21 lead late in the third quarter.

An exchange of turnovers highlighted a fourth quarter that kept Belleville from making a comeback.

Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on X @mickmccabe1. Order his book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” right now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com

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