Detroit Cass Tech’s Tim Cheatem
If you watch the Midland football team warm up before a game, you might want to ask a question:
Where are the linemen?
“They all look like they’re specialty guys,” coach Eric Methner said. “We’re a Class A football team, and you wouldn’t believe it.”
You wouldn’t believe that the Chemics are a team of Class A players, because their biggest player who actually plays is the left tackle at only 215 pounds.
That was important because Midland was playing the behemoths from Mt. Pleasant in a Saginaw Valley League Red showdown of unbeaten teams.
“We played Canton a few years ago, and I thought our kids were undersized in that game a little bit,” Methner said. “This game was more uncanny than that. Mt. Pleasant has got to be one of the biggest Division 3 teams I’ve ever seen. They might be the biggest team I’ve ever seen on all levels.”
That helped make Midland’s 21-14 victory even sweeter.
Mt. Pleasant’s offense is built around a punishing running attack that allows its massive offensive line to wear down defenses.
But if you take out two long runs, the Chemics limited Mt. Pleasant to 50 yards rushing.
“My kids played awesome,” Methner said. “Mt. Pleasant is a good, good team. They’re big! Our defense played unbelievable. The courage our kids played with was just incredible.”
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Leading the gang up front was Zach Donaghue, who helped neutralize Mt. Pleasant’s offensive line and allowed players like linebacker Max Klemish to make tackles.
“Our defensive line guys don’t get any credit for making plays, but they were occupying their offensive line,” Methner said. “Zach Donaghue, he played great. The kid is a 165-pound wrestler, and he’s playing down on the ground in the A-gap, doing whatever he had to do.”
The only two-way starter for Midland is Luke DeLong, who caught four passes for 98 yards and did yeoman’s work in the secondary despite taking a helmet to his thigh early in the game.
“He was on the (Obie) Ricumstrict kid, who is their No. 1 wideout,” Methner said. “He’s a really good player and he’ll be a D-I kids, but I don’t know what sport it will be — he’s the dude. He made some nice plays for them, but Luke was on him all night long.”
Midland quarterback Payton DeWildt had another good performance, completing 14 of 25 for 213 yards and a touchdown to top 1,000 yards on the season. Virgil Walker caught six passes for 102 yards.
This was a crucial win for the Chemics, who are coming off a 4-5 season in which all five losses came to playoff teams. It was their first losing season since 1976 and snapped their streak of 37 consecutive winning seasons, two short of the state record held by Marysville.
That streak was vitally important to Methner and his players.
“Every year, our first goal is to get five wins, then get to six to make the playoffs and then 10 for a title,” Methner said. “We had a tough year last year. We started 18 or 19 sophomores or juniors. The bottom line was we were just very young and we made some young team mistakes, and with our schedule the way it is it’s very tough to win with underclassmen in our league, and we weren’t able to get it done.”
Although their youth was a detriment a year ago, the Chemics no longer are playing inexperienced players.
“We got them all back,” he said, “and they’re experienced, and they’re playing like seniors. We have a good team.”
A very good but small team.
Cass Tech vs. King
The game of the week in the state this week will be the Detroit Cass Tech at Detroit King annual get-together, which will be played at noon Saturday.
This is unquestionably the biggest rivalry in the PSL. Cass has had its way with King recently, winning four of the past five games, including the past two.
“This is what the kids have to deal with after the ballgame is over with,” King coach Dale Harvel said. “The kids have to deal with this all year-round. This Cass-King thing didn’t just start. It’s been around a long time.”
King was the first PSL team to win a state championship, and the Technicians have won two titles and played in at least the state semifinals the past five years.
“The thing is, you can’t turn the ball over on them, you’ve got to keep them on a long field and the usual things,” Harvel said. “You have to play good special teams to get them. They play all three phases of the game well, and they have athletes that can hurt you if you turn the ball over and give them the short field.”
There is an excellent chance this will be the first of two meetings for these teams, which could play again in Week 9 in the PSL title game.
Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.
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