BONUS COVERAGE: Harrison corrals 13th state title with 38-28 comeback win over Lowell

ANOTHER CELEBRATION: Farmington Hills Harrison celebrated its 13th state title Friday at Ford Field, winning the Division 2 state crown with a win over Lowell. Staff Photo | Larry McKee, www.lmckeephotography.com

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

DETROIT — No lead is safe. Especially when the opponent on the football field is state powerhouse Farmington Hills Harrison.

Lowell found that out the hard way during Friday’s Division 2 state finals at Ford Field.

Trailing 21-10 midway through the third quarter, top-ranked Harrison scored four straight touchdowns off turnovers and went on to post a 38-28 triumph over Lowell.

The win gave Harrison its 13^th state title under veteran coach John Herrington in 17 state title game appearances dating back to 1976.

“I thought we came back in the second half and we just played better,” said Herrington. “Turnovers were the big difference, as always. We had to capitalize on them. We got back into the game (on the turnovers) and once we gained the lead, it changed the momentum of the game.”

Trailing 21-10 in the third quarter, Harrison (14-0) forced four second-half turnovers to turn the 11-point deficit into a 38-21 lead by the mid-point of the fourth quarter.

“All I know is we got the turnovers. We got our passing game going, we were able to get the lead and we were able to move the football (in the second half),” said Herrington. “We didn’t want it in (Lowell quarterback Gabe) Dean’s hands or in their fullback’s (Leighton Watson) hands. They had a lot of yards in the first half.”

Harrison gained the ball back with 6:46 left in the third quarter when Lamarr Marshall picked off Lowell’s Gabe Dean and returned it to the Red Arrows’ 45. Seven plays later, Tommy Vento’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Burbridge cut the deficit down to 21-16. The two-point conversion was stopped.

Lowell coughed up the ball gain two plays later, and Harrison’s Michael Race recovered the fumble at the 50. Again the Hawks responded quickly with a seven-play drive which ended when Tommy Vento scored on a 1-yard run with 0:08 left in the third quarter, which gave Harrison its first lead since the first quarter, 24-21.

The Hawks never trailed again.

“When we got those turnovers, that changed the game,” said Tommy Vento. “We played better in the second half. We just didn’t have it in the first half.”

Harrison forced yet another turnover on the ensuing kickoff, this time with Ken Russ recovering the loose ball at the Red Arrows’ 36-yard line. A 15-yard penalty moved the ball back to the Harrison 49 and a 7-yard loss on a sack had the Hawks backed up to their own 42, but that did not slow the Hawks down.

Harrison responded two plays later when Tommy Vento connected with brother Jake Vento on a 56-yard TD pass play to up the lead to 31-21.

The Hawks forced its fourth consecutive turnover, this time with Derek Head picking off Dean at the Lowell 42. Harrison delivered another dagger five plays later when Austin Hunter cashed in with an 11-yard TD run for a 38-28 advantage.

“Our defensive coach (John Witkowski) worked hard all week watching film and we knew every single play that they were going to run,” said Jake Vento, who also played in the Hawks’ secondary. “Our defense stepped up.”

Dean was able to connect with Blake Lyman on a 27-yard TD strike with 2:32 that brought the Red Arrows to within 10, but the damage had already been done.

“It seemed that after the first turnover, it just kind of came (unraveled) for us,” said Lowell coach Noel Dean, who is 149-27 in 15 years with the Red Arrows, including D-2 state titles in 2009 and 2002. “You can’t make mistakes like that against a team like Harrison and expect to stay in the ball game.”

Harrison took a 7-0 on the opening drive, when Burbridge hauled in a 26-yard bullet from Tommy Vento.

Dean scored on a pair of 3-yard scoring runs on Lowell’s next two possessions to put the Red Arrows up 14-7.

Harrison was able to cut into the advantage before the break on a 22-yard field goal from Brandon Buckner.

Dean gave Lowell (11-3) its biggest lead at 21-10 when he scored on a 15-yard sprint with 9:34 left in the third. The Red Arrows could not sustain the momentum

Tommy Vento finished 19-for-32 passing for 310 yards and three touchdowns — the third straight postseason game he has collected at least 250 passing yards. Jake Vento had six catches for 1612 yards and Burbridge caught eight passes for 123 yards.

Austin Hunter rushed for 72 yards on 16 carries and Burbridge picked up 38 yards on six touches for Harrison, which outgained the Red Arrows 421-357.

“This is incredible,” said Jake Vento. “We’ve heard the stories of all of the great Harrison teams and now we won a state title.”

Dean has 11 passing yards on a 5-for-9 performance. Watson picked up 146 rushing yards on 25 carries and Dean followed with 110 yards on 17 rushes.

Tags: Farmington Harrison, high school football, high school football state finals, OAA football

Category: Prep Wraps