Detroit Cass Tech left no doubt in its rematch with Detroit King.
The Technicians jumped on the Crusaders following a stop on the first drive and did not let up the next 48 minutes en route to a 30-14 win in the Detroit Public School League Blue Division championship game at Ford Field on Friday night in week 8 of the Michigan high school football season to avenge a loss to King a month ago.
"It feels kind of normal," Cass Tech offensive lineman Kaleif Canty said postgame. "We were supposed to do that the first time, we let them slide the first time, so we had to come out and try to improve and show them what we are really about."
Cass Tech turned a turnover on downs on the first drive into a passing touchdown from Donald Tabron II to Alex Graham, then forced a fumble just before halftime, leading to a second Tabron touchdown to lead 14-0 at half.
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King's turnover woes continued into the second half with two straight interceptions leading to 10 more Cass Tech points before Deonte Ellington scored King's first touchdown. But Graham answered immediately with a 72-yard return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff to make it 30-6, Cass Tech. King added a last touchdown from Damon Stennis from midfield.
Cass Tech has now won three straight city championships, all over King, and five of six in PSL's top division.
Cass Tech, ranked No. 9 in Division 1, is now 6-2 and avenged a week 4 overtime loss at home to King, while the Crusaders, ranked No. 4 in Division 3, drop to 6-2 and snap a five-game winning streak. King won the first matchup a month ago in Week 4 with an 18-12 overtime win.
"We maintained our composure," Cass Tech head coach Marvin Rushing said. "We fell for the rat poison in the first game. ... We played for hate last time. This time we played for love, the love of each other and the love of this game."
Derrick Jackson II's turnovers power Cass Tech offense
Cass Tech senior safety Derrick Jackson II made it impossible for King to try throwing the ball deep. Jackson hauled in three interceptions that directly led to 10 points and stopped another drive in its tracks.
In the first half, he tipped a long seam pass to himself and secured the catch before hitting the ground. And he started the second half with two more takeaways on deep balls that ventured too far and landed in his hands instead. He returned his first to the King 9-yard line, leading to a touchdown a play later, and his second led to a 48-yard field goal.
"Really just doing my job," Jackson said. "A lot of my teammates were telling me all week, 'Do my job, do my job, we are going to make plays,' and that's what happens when I do my job. I make a lot of plays."
Tech forced a fumble just before the half when defensive back Lamon Wilcoxson popped King wide receiver Tay'Shawn Henry as he was making a catch on first down to jar the ball free. The referees ruled it a fumble that Cass Tech recovered, and the Technicians answered with a 22-yard touchdown the next play, a Tabron pass to Will Sykes Jr. to make it 14-0 at half.
Tabron makes difference in second matchup
The freshman quarterback for Cass Tech has missed three weeks due to a calf strain, including the loss to King. Tabron, along with a strong running game led by running back Carson Lovett, had the offense humming and capitalized on the short fields from the defense.
"He's too sweet," wide receiver Corey Sadler Jr. said. "That guy's nice, that guy's nice. He makes great throws, great reads, stays composed. For this to be his first (city) championship, it looked like a vet out there."
Tabron completed six of his first seven passes for 65 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first half. He started by finding four-star Colorado commit Alex Graham on a quick screen, and Graham cut all the way across the field for a 28-yard touchdown. After the fumble, he floated a perfect pass to the pylon to find Sykes along the sidelines. His third touchdown came after Jackson's second interception when he hit Lovett on a swing pass for a 9-yard score. He had an interception in the second half, but it was not enough to fuel a King comeback.
Cass Tech connects on two long passing TDs in 1st half
Cass Tech's defense had the first momentum-changing play. King kept its offense on the field for fourth down from its own 46 for fourth-and-1 and tried a quarterback sneak up the middle, but Cass Tech's defense got through the gap and Jackson and Logan Howell forced the turnover on downs.
The Technicians took over and picked up a pair of first downs to move just outside the red zone. Tabron hit Victor Polk for a 23-yard touchdown on a play-action rollout right, but it was called back on illegal procedure. A play later, Tabron's screen pass to Graham was deflected, but he secured the catch and cut inside his blockers and continued from the left to the right sideline to race into the corner of the end zone for an early 7-0 Cass Tech lead.
"I just followed the alley and hit it," Graham said. " I just trusted my teammates with the blocks and trusted my speed to get into the end zone to score."
As King was putting together a drive to respond, Darryl Flemister's pass down the seam floated just a touch too far and Jackson made a diving interception after tipping the ball to himself. Cass Tech couldn't capitalize and had to punt. King didn't reach Cass Tech's red zone until the second half after going down by multiple scores.
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22, and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
