FOOTBALL: Clarkston Everest Collegiate rallies past Shrine for second district title
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
CLARKSTON — Royal Oak Shrine Catholic accomplished some things Saturday that nobody has been able to do all season against Clarkston Everest Collegiate.
One is to lead at halftime and two, keep the Mountaineers’ high-powered offense off the scoreboard during the first two quarters.
All that did was awake a sleeping giant.
The unbeaten Mountainneers rallied back from a rare 6-2 halftime deficit to down visiting Shrine in a Division 8 district finals, 23-13.
Everest Collegiate, which has made the postseason all eight years as a varsity stand-alone program, scored 21 second-half points to slay the Knights and captured its second district title in four years and second overall for the school of just 128 students in its high school.
Unbeaten Clarkston Everest Collegiate captured its second Division 8 district championship Saturday with a 23-13 victory over Royal Oak Shrine Catholic. Courtesy Photo | Everest Collegiate Athletics
Senior quarterback Giovanni Mastromatteo threw for three touchdown passes in the second half to spearhead the comeback.
The first was a 15-yard strike to Dominic Cross in the third quarter which put the Mountaineers up 9-6. The second came with 1:06 left in the third quarter, this time with Mastromatteo connecting with Jimmy Name for a 3-yard touchdown pass that gave the Mountaineers the lead for good at 16-13.
Cross also had an 87-yard reception that he raced to paydirt in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
Shrine’s Andrew Bala scored on a 9-yard run with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Connor Bunson’s 5-yard touchdown run gave Shrine the early 6-0 lead in the first quarter.
The only points Everest Collegiate could muster is when Michael McGrath recorded a safety in the second quarter.
Now in the Elite Eight for the first time in three years, Everest Collegiate will host Petersburg-Summersfield next Saturday at 1 p.m. for the regional championship, which would be the school’s first.
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