MEN IN BLACK: Plymouth wins second straight ‘Park’ crown
Plymouth’s Titus Quinn (2) and Luc Damiani (9) bring down Salem’s Azarius Hayes.
Wearing head-to-toe black on Friday the 13th, Plymouth’s football team was downright scary good against Plymouth-Canton Educational Park rival Salem.
Playing suffocating defense and electrifying offense, the Wildcats stymied the Rocks, 45-19, Friday night to capture their second consecutive P-CEP championship.
Both teams upended Canton earlier in the season, making Friday’s game the championship-decider.
Still hope for post-season
Although just 3-5, Plymouth could still qualify for the MHSAA Division 1 playoffs with a win next week against KLAA East cross-over opponent Livonia Churchill.
Two D1 teams — Lake Orion and Grand Blanc — eked into the 2022 post-season with four wins.
As usual, Plymouth rode senior workhorse Jaxon McCaig (33 carries for 253 yards and three touchdowns) to victory against Salem, but he had a lot of help.
O-line shines
McCaig’s huge and agile offensive line — Idrys Cotton, Jorgito Shqua, Alex Witt, Carter Adamski and Lucas Barnes — cleared running room for the yardage 6-2, 210-pound yardage machine, while senior quarterback Sam Plencner and his talented crew of receivers made sure Salem’s defense couldn’t focus solely on the run.
Sam the man
Plencner completed 7 of 16 passes for 108 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 60 yards and one score.
A couple of Cams (Witt and Short) proved to be a potent pass-catching duo for Plymouth, combining for four catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns.
The winners’ defense was powered by Shqau (five tackles, five assists) and Alex Smaoui (four tackles, four assists).
Momentum changer
Sophomore LaRon Davis made a huge stop on a Salem fourth-and-2 play from near mid-field just before halftime.
Plymouth stampeded to a 21-0 lead before taking a 28-6 advantage into the half.
Salem’s offensive standout was senior quarterback Brayden Alexander, who completed half of his 16 aerials for 153 yards and one touchdown. Plymouth picked off two Alexander passes.
Plymouth jumped ahead 7-0 when Plencner capped off a seven-play, 74-yard drive with a 20-yard run right through the heart of the Rocks defense less than three minutes into the game.
The Wildcats upped their advantage to 14-0 with 5:44 to go in the opening quarter when Cam Short took a jet sweep handoff to the house from 17 yards out.
A 26-yard Plencner-to-Witt TD connection 10:10 before halftime made it 21-0.
Rocks break the ice
Salem got on the board for the first time at the 6:54 mark of the second quarter when Aidan Moore scored on a 3-yard carry. Moore’s TD was set up on a 17-yard run by Adarius Hayes. A high snap on the extra point left the Rocks in a 21-6 hole.
Plymouth stretched its lead to 28-6 with 3:03 remaining in the half on a 4-yard end zone-finder by McCaig.
Daniel Vigo was perfect on his six extra-point attempts and a 25-yard fourth quarter field goal.
Salem’s two second have touchdown came on a 51-yard run by Moore and a 21-yard scoring strike from Alexander to Hayes.
Salem will wrap up its 2023 season Oct. 20 at Dearborn.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
