Junior WR Kobi Russell hauls in the winning TD in the Cranbrook victory over Mumford.
S. Fairman- Photo.
Cranbrook advanced to the MHSAA D4 Regional Final by eliminating Detroit Mumford 7-0 from the playoffs.
The win gives Cranbrook its first ever MHSAA District Title.
“The game was a hard fought battle, with two really good teams who came ready to play, “said Cranes Head Coach Joe D’Angelo. “My hat is off to Mumford, they came well-prepared.”
The game turned out to be a defensive struggle.
The first half saw no scoring, with back and forth offensive efforts that stalled in each opposing territory.
In the 3rd quarter, Cranbrook stopped a Mumford drive when sophomore LB Tariq Muhammad intercepted a Laviean Fields pass to give the Cranes the ball.
The Cranes capitalized on the turnover with a 6-play, 42-yard drive. On a roll out pass, senior QB Trevor McConnell found junior WR Kobi Russell in the corner of end zone for an 11-yard TD.
After a Pierson Cooke PAT, the Cranes led 7-0 at the 4:35 mark in the 3rd quarter.
The Mustangs would piece together another 6 play drive, but it would end on an interception by sophomore LB Jack Fairman to give the ball to the Cranes in Mumford territory.
“Our linebackers did a great job today against the pass and the running game,” said Coach D’Angelo.
Cranbrook was not able to convert the turnover into points, however. The game entered the 4th quarter with Cranes holding a slim margin.
Going into the final 3 minutes, Mumford found a measure of success, and pushed the ball in to the Cranbrook territory. With 1:04 left to play, the Mustangs attempted a pass to the tight end near the goal line.
But the pass was defended by senior CB Marqis Stokes and junior LB Connor Toomey, and the deflected ball was caught by sophomore LB Will Kerr for a third Crane interception.
Cranbrook would run out the clock to preserve the victory.
“I’m glad to see that our defense stood tall, even when the task seemed daunting. Our program took another step forward today”, said D’Angelo.
Senior QB Trevor McConnell was 10 for 17 and 105 with 1 TD. Junior WR Kobi Russell was 6 for 8 with 50 yards and 1 TD. Defensively, sophomore LB Jack Fairman had 12 tackles and 1 INT.
For Mumford, QB Laviean Fields was 8 for 19 and 122 yards, RB Cerell Lewis 22 carries for 125 yards.
Cranbrook advances to play River Rouge in the Regional Final next Saturday. The game will be played on the Cranbrook Campus.