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Walled Lake Western stymied by Detroit King's defense in Division 2 title game defeat

By By DAN FENNER | MI Prep Zone, 11/26/16, 2:45PM EST

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Defending champion Crusaders shut Warriors down.

 Playing in a state title game for the first time in 17 seasons, Walled Lake Western’s defense was in championship form Friday against Detroit Martin Luther King. Unfortunately for the Warriors, their typically high-flying offense was nowhere to be found against an unflappable Crusaders defense.

King recorded four takeaways, including two second-half interceptions returned for touchdowns, to keep leave the Western offense adrift in the Division 2 final at Ford Field. The Crusaders shut out the Warriors, 18-0, to repeat as state champions.

Trailing 6-0 at halftime, Western’s air-tight defense allowed just 37 yards in the second half and only 158 yards for the game. As a result, the Warriors began three second-half drives in King territory, but costly penalties coupled with the Crusaders’ relentless pass rush kept Western out of the end zone.

“I think King did a great job defensively,” Warriors coach Mike Zdebski said. “I think they’ve been a great defensive team basically all season … It was just a struggle offensively to get guys open and we were just a little bit off the whole time.”

Just moments into the second half, King doubled its lead to 12-0 when senior Jesse Scarber intercepted a tipped pass and raced 56 yards to the end zone. With just under three minutes to play in the game, Crusaders junior Jay-Veyon Morton duplicated the feat with a 61-yard pick-six that served as the final dagger.

“We saw our offense struggling, so we just went out there and did what we could to win. Sometimes the offense can’t win the game and the defense has to step up,” Scarber said.

Trying a number of different methods offensively, Western never found consistent success when it had the ball. With seniors Johnny Tracy and Cody White alternating snaps at quarterback, the duo was unable to consistently get the ball into the hands of playmakers downfield or on the perimeter. Western entered play averaging over 38 points per game.

“I have to give it to King – They were a very physical and athletic team and were able to get a lot of pressure on us up front,” Tracy said. “They have a lot of athletes in that defensive backfield. They forced us to throw into some tight windows, which obviously caused us some problems.”

Scarber and Morton each two interceptions in the game, one of which came on a jump ball in the end zone with Western threatening for points.

The Warriors’ defense was opportunistic as well, twice preventing the Crusaders from scoring even when they had driven inside the Western 5 yard line.

TO READ MORE ON THE WARRIORS DEFENSIVE EFFORT CLICK HERE

The game remained scoreless until just before the end of the first half when a controversial officiating call positioned King to gain the upper hand, which it capitalized on.

With under two minutes to play in the second quarter, White appeared to have completed a deep pass to midfield, with senior Kam Ford getting his hands on the ball and taking three strides forward. As he was tackled to the ground, however, the ball may have come loose, prompting officials to rule the entire play incomplete.

Following a short punt, King recorded the game’s first points with 12 seconds to go before halftime when quarterback Dequan Finn found wideout Ambry Thomas for a 9-yard touchdown reception to make it 6-0.

“It was a catch. He had three steps down,” Zdebski said of the play that went against his team. “But that’s a bang-bang play for an official. A tough play to call. That one play is not going to win or lose the game right there.”

The Warriors (12-2) were seeking their first state title since Zdebski led the program to the 1999 Division 1 championship. Western will lose 26 seniors to graduation.

For King (12-2), the victory was extra meaningful, as it came following the offseason death of its long-time coach, Dale Harvel.

“We think about coach (Harvel) often because there are little things that, working under him, you hear in the back of your mind,” first-year coach Ty Spencer said. “This means a lot.”

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