WEEK 9: Cass Tech vs. Southeastern

**super freak Will Gholston applies pressure**
**Will Sturges finds open space**
**Dior Mathis makes 1 of his catches**
**Thomas Gordon trying to make a play**

**QB Edward Thomas is the real deal**

Detroit- Cass Tech gets a ton of ink around the state, and deservingly so, with William Campbell, who is ranked with the top of the nation's best regardless of position. Then throw in two Michigan commitments in Teric Jones and Thomas "Flash" Gordon and you have a exceptional nucleus for a high school football team...But i truly believe that it's Southeastern who can boast the most talent out of the two teams, and the Jungaleers have proof of it, not once but twice, as Southeastern topped their conference rival again, and this time more convincingly, with a 36-13 thumping in the PSL Championship Game.

Southeastern scored first on Will Sturges' 14 yard reception from junior quarterback Edward "The Future" Thomas. The two point conversion gave the Jungaleers an 8-0 lead. Cass Tech then took control of the game, although it wouldn't last for long, on a 14 play drive that was capped by a 2-yard run from Jones on 4th-and-goal. On the ensuing kickoff Southeastern fumbled the ball away and the Technicians took over on the Jungaleers 22 yard line. Gordon first connected with Dior Mathis for a 12 yard gain, then finished the short drive with a 7 yard scamper to give Cass Tech a 13-8 lead.

The game took a huge turn late in the first half when Gordon appeared to have picked off Thomas near midfield but the play was taken away due to a personal foul before the pass was thrown. A few plays later Southeastern regained the lead off of a 4 yard run from Donovan Wilson, to allow the Jungaleers to take a 14-13 lead into the half.

What looked like a game that would come down to the final minutes quickly turned into a Jungaleer highlight reel. Thomas found Darryl Pitts for consecutive touchdowns on Southeastern's first two drives of the second half. Pitts' first grab came 9 yards out and the second was a 23 yard strike. Cass couldn't find the endzone in the second half and the Jungaleers tacked on one more score to make the final 36-13.

BREAKDOWN

Southeastern- it's just sick how much talent this team has, and they mesh incredibly well together. The Jungaleers have two speeds- fast and really fast. There isn't a week link at any position, they have it all- big yet athletic lineman, exceptional speed at every skilled position, and a defense that just flies to the ball.

Southeastern has a ton of confidence in their passing game and went right to it on their first three plays. Unlike most teams, they throw to open the run game and once the run game is open, the opponents mine as well pack it up and call it a day.

Cass Tech- the first meeting (a 20-12 S.E. win in week 6) could have gone either way but this loss had to embarrassed the Technicians. Cass will get one more shot at S.E. and we all know it's tough to beat a team as talented as Cass three times in one season. I did like Cass' game plan, and that was to also use the pass attack to open up run lanes, but S.E.'s secondary was just to good to pass against.

GAME MVP- Edward Thomas, S.E.- I guess "The Future" is now! Thomas made a name for himself with a huge performance on the PSL's biggest stage. He completed 8 of 14 passes for 180 yards with four of those completions reaching paydirt. I was very impressed with the accuracy Thomas had on his deliveries, he made perfect throws that allowed his receivers to catch the ball in stride.

Will Gholston, S.E.- Gholston's the best player in Michigan regardless of class, yeah, I said it! He's a pure freak of an athlete and he can excel at either linebacker or D-end for any high major college. He has phenomenal speed and can get sideline to sideline. I've never seen a player rush a QB then race 20 yards downfield to tackle the receiver. His engine never slows down and he goes 100 miles per hour on every play.

Kyle Bryant, S.E.- a prototypical lineman at 6-6/280 pounds. he has quick feet and has a solid blend of power and athleticism that allows him to be equally good at run and pass blocking. Bryant is a quiet and well manured kid but once he steps on the field it's a different story.

Darryl Pitts, S.E.- the DeLaSalle transfer came up big and his second half TD's sealed the win. He matched the Cass secondary with footspeed but his 6-3 frame was just too much for Cass to handle. I hear Wisconsin and Cincinnati are very close to offering while most MAC schools have already offered.

Will Sturges, S.E.- the playmaker list just doesn't stop for S.E. and Sturges might be the toughest to slow down out of all the S.E. skilled position players. He does a terrific job of finding the opening against opposing secondaries and he made some nice catches in traffic. He finished with 175 all purpose yards to go with a pair of scores.

Will Campbell, Cass- Campbell had some big plays including 2nd down and 3rd down tackles for loss in the second quarter to keep the Jungaleers out of the endzone when they set up a 1st-and-goal at the 4 yard line.

Dior Mathis, Cass- Cass made sure they got the speedster the ball early and often. He had four catches in the opening quarter. While his trade mark is still being a lock down corner he looked good catching balls. He had two big catches to set up both of Cass' TD runs.

Teric Jones, Cass- the Michigan commit has a solid day with 20 carries for 97 yards and a TD but he was held in check for most of the day.