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Cass Tech wins Division 1 Football District title with a 42-23 Victory over Dearborn
DETROIT – For the fourth straight year Cass Tech has played a team from Dearborn in the state playoffs. The past three years it has been Dearborn Fordson, but today their opponent was the Pioneers of Dearborn High – who defeated Fordson last week to earn their way to this showdown with the mighty Technicians of Cass Tech. And while Dearborn fought the good fight for three quarters, in the end the Technicians moved on, defeating Dearborn 42-23.
Dearborn may have entered the game has underdogs,but they sure didn’t play that way early on. After a 3rd down sack on Cass Tech quarterback Jayru Campbell by Thergram Alshara, Cass was forced to punt and Dearborn took advantage. Quarterback Ollie Ajami capped off a six play drive by tossing a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight-end Sean McFarlane who was wide open in the endzone. Dearborn continued to put the pressure on Cass Tech early when Ajami hit wide-out Ali Farhat for a 15-yard touchdown pass over Michigan commit Jourdan Lewis. The Pioneers were up 14-0 early in the 2nd quarter and were playing like they were going to make a statement in this game.
But with a strong running game, you can never count on Cass Tech to stay grounded very long. The Technicians responded to the 14-0 deficit with a long drive capped by sophomore running-back Mike Weber scoring from 6-yards out with 8:32 left in the half to get Cass Tech on the board. The defense also made big plays when they were needed – junior defensive-end Brian Sanders sacked Ajami a few possessions later, forcing Dearborn to punt. Cass Tech took over with great field position and tied the game up on a Gary Hosey 6-yard touchdown run with 3:56 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Dearborn would later make a 46-yard field goal to go up 17-14 at the half.
Dearborn opened the second half with an onside kick that obviously surprised Cass Tech but they were unable to convert it into paydirt. Cass Tech slowly took over the game and put Dearborn away. After a 20-yard touchdown run by Mike Weber, cornerback DaQuan Pace intercerpted an Ollie Ajami pass on their next possesion and Cass Tech quickly capitalized. Jourdan Lewis hit a Dearborn defender with a double-move to get open, pulled in the reception and took it 43-yards for a touchdown with 4:17 left in the 3rd.
Up 28-23 entering the 4th, Cass Tech continued to control the game with their running attack and huge offensive line play. Gary Hosey added another rushing touchdown late in the 4th to finish with 143 yards on 15 carries and 2 touchdowns. Mike Weber sealed the Cass Tech victory with a 5-yard touchdown run with 5:22 left in the game, rushing for a game total of 178 yards on 20 carries. Cass Tech would go on to win this playoff game 42-23, capping their third straight district title.
Cass Tech will go on the road to play Saline on Friday, November 9th in the Division 1 Football Regional Final
