General | August 25, 2018 | 22:38
DETROIT — On a map, Detroit Cass Tech and River Rouge lie less than 10 miles apart.
On the football field, the Technicians showcased why they are superior than most schools and miles ahead of River Rouge at this point.
On a stretch of 10 straight postseason appearances, including eight straight campaigns where it reached at least the Division 1 Final Four, Cass Tech dominated both sides of the line and used its balanced running game to stymie River Rouge with a 40-7 victory in the 14th annual Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State University.
Behind a physical offense line, the 1-2 punch of Lewis Nichols and Jeran Mangham thrived and helped Cass Tech chalk up 254 yards with its ground assault. Nichols, named the Game MOP, had 108 yards on 12 carries and two touchdown runs, while Mangham added 53 yards on five carries.
"Those two players complement each other well, feed off each other," said Cass Tech. "Our line did its job and we we feel comfortable with those two in the backfield that we can dominate some teams."
Nichols, headed for Central Michigan, had confidence in his lines and backfield running mate.
"We knew they would throw a lot (up in the box) and try to go after us and with our (powerful) offensive line, us backs did what we had to," said Nichols. "Our offensive line deserves a lot of credit. And our defense did a great job. We know when we play like this we can be one of the best in the state."
The Technicians controlled the line of scrimmage and game clock, limiting River Rouge (0-1) to 122 rushing yards and 26 passing yards. No player on the Panthers' roster had more than 23 rushing yards.
Lewis scored on a 35-yard scamper with 2:32 left in the first period and Mangham followed with a 16-yard TD sprint for a 13-0 lead with 27 seconds left in second quarter.
Cass Tech scored on three more drives in the third quarter, with Mangham gliding to pay dirt from 11 yards out, while Jordan Lowe (17-yard run) and Nichols (40-yard run) built the Technicians cushion up to 33-0 with 1:35 to play in the third stanza.
"We just had to keep running the same plays. We knew the (holes) were there. I just had to keep my pad levels low and I'd break something sooner or later," added Nichols.
River Rouge had a 97-yard punt return by Daraun McKinney nullified with a holding penalty at the Rouge 4. The Panthers finally broke loose when McKinney blazed a 55-yard trail for a touchdown with 10:58 to play in the game.
Sebastian Brown's 2-yard touchdown plunge capped the scoring with 5:02 to play for Cass Tech, which owns three state titles and one state runner-up over the past seven years.
River Rouge has reached the Division 5 or Division 4 Final Four the past three seasons.
BOX SCORE
DETROIT CASS TECH 40
RIVER ROUGE 7
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
F |
| DCT |
6 |
7 |
20 |
7 |
40 |
| RR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
SCORING DRIVES
1st Quarter
DCT — Lewis Nichols 35-yard touchdown run (2:32), kick failed, 6-0
2nd Quarter
DCT — Jaran Mangham 16-yard touchdown run (0:27), Joshua Hernandez PAT, 13-0
3rd Quarter
DCT — Jordan Lowe 17-yard touchdown run (8:10), kick failed, 19-0
DCT — Mangham 11-yard touchdown run (4:46), Hernandez PAT, 26-0
DCT— Nichols 40-yard touchdown run (1:35), Hernandez PAT, 33-0
4th Quarter
RR — Daraun McKinney 55-yard touchdown run (10:58), Avery Burch PAT, 33-7
DCT — Sebastian Brown 2-yard touchdown run (5:02), Hernandez PAT, 40-7
RECORDS — Detroit Cass Tech 1-0; River Rouge 0-1
