THAT’S A WRAP! Plymouth stymies Rocks in 32-8 romp
Salem ball-carrier Caleb Chinyadza is wrapped up by a Plymouth linebacker during Friday night’s P-CEP rivalry game.
Three weeks into the 2026 season, high school football teams across metro Detroit are starting to reveal their true identities.
Plymouth’s identity is proving to be one of a serial butt-kicker.
One week after losing a heart-breaking 21-20 setback at Dearborn Fordson, the Wildcats rebounded Friday night with an emphatic 32-8 victory over Salem.
Plymouth improved to 2-1 with a Week 4 showdown against vastly-improved Canton set for Friday night.
Wildcats were too fast, too big
The Rocks, also 2-1, couldn’t match Plymouth’s speed or size as the Wildcats rolled to a 24-0 first-half lead.
Running behind a massive and well-coached offensive line, Plymouth junior Xavier Williams sprinted and juked for 150 yards (and two TDs) on 16 carries.
Junior running back Charlie Voden was the perfect complement to Williams, churning out 80 yards on 15 carries.
Wildcat Andrae McSween was in Beast Mode on both sides of the line of scrimmage, grabbing two Cullen Dixon passes for for 34 yards, including a 17-yard TD; and racking up three tackles, five assists and a tackle for loss on D.
Schultz ruled in the trenches
Hayden Schultz was terrific in the trenches, recording two tackles, two assists, a tackle for loss and a blocked punt.
Speaking of blocked (or disrupted) punts, Salem’s Gabe Burger went air-borne to take the ball off the foot of Plymouth punter Ethan Soper in the fourth quarter, giving Salem the ball inside the Red Zone in the fourth quarter.
(To check out a video of the disrupted punt that has registered over 2.1 million views, click here.)
No flag was called on the play, even though Burger made significant contact with Soper, who stayed on the turf for a few seconds following the collision.
Dixon was efficient to say the least
Dixon finished with an efficient stat line, completing 5 of 9 passes for 69 yards and touchdown passes to McSween and Joel Dewberry. Dixon also ran four times for 42 yards and a 2-point conversion.
Soper was superb, booming multiple kick-offs into the end zone and booting a 23-yard field goal. Cam Schlaud was 4-for-4 on extra points.
Eyad Ibrahim picked off a Salem pass in the end zone along with picking up two solo tackles and one assist.
Salem’s lone TD came on a 78-yard pass from Braylen Bowie to Caleb Chinyadza. Payton Myles tacked on the two-point conversion.
Plymouth’s staunch defense yielded just 85 rushing yards on 24 attempts.
