General | August 30, 2019 | 22:56

Three straight possessions and three consecutive turnovers. 

That's how Birmingham Groves and Grosse Pointe South opened up play on day two at the 2019 Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic. The Falcons won the battle between the two first-time PKC participants, 34-21.

Groves senior Colby Taylor returned the opening kickoff 56 yards, but that went for naught after the Falcons fumbled on an ensuing fourth-and-4 play. 

Fortunately for Groves, though, after the fumble, it benefited from two consecutive South miscues. 

South, on each of its first two offensive possessions, committed turnovers that led to scores for Groves.

Falcons senior linebacker Damon Dunbar was the beneficiary of the first South turnover. He returned an interception 22 yards to the house with 8:19 to play in the first quarter. 

And then, on the subsequent Blue Devils offensive possession, Groves senior linebacker Ralph Donaldson picked up a fumble and returned it 54 yards for a score. Groves went for two, and executed on a Markis Alexander pass to junior tight end Orion Kendra. It gave the Falcons a 14-0 advantage with 6:04 in the quarter.    

They got their first offensive score with 11:55 to play in the second quarter, courtesy of a two-yard TD toss from Alexander to senior running back Kaleb Coleman. 

And they struck once more before the Blue Devils got on the scoreboard, via a great 36-yard TD catch made by sophomore Will Johnson in the left corner of the end zone with less than a minute to play in the first half. 

The Falcons led the Blue Devils, 28-7, at halftime. 

The Blue Devils were a much more well-oiled machine in the second half. They committed no turnovers en route to outscoring the Falcons in the half, 14-6.

South senior passer Alex Shaheen put together a strong second-half performance. He threw his first touchdown of the half to senior wideout Sam Tucker on a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with less than 3:30 to play in the third quarter.   
Shaheen helped the Blue Devils get on the scoreboard once more. He threw a TD pass to senior receiver A.J. Benson with 3:07 left in regulation. 

Shaheen finished 19-of-30 for 205 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Benson finished with seven catches for 93 yards and a score.  

However, the Legacy Football Most Outstanding Player for South went to Johnson, who got it done on both ends of the field. 

Johnson, who already has multiple offers from Power 5 schools, including Michigan and Michigan State, finished with two catches for 47 yards and a score. He also recorded 3.5 tackles while playing defensive back. 

The Falcons' last score of the game came from their Legacy Football Most Outstanding Player Ralph Donaldson. He scored on a 1-yard TD run with 8:33 to play in the fourth quarter.

"Winning the award means a lot, but like I told my teammates, what I do running the football is a direct result of effective play from our center and the rest of our line," Donaldson said. "It's a team sport, so our quarterback and linemen have to play great to win, and they did today." 

Donaldson finished with 23 yards and two scores on the ground as well as 72 receiving yards, which came on his lone reception of the game. He was also responsible for two fumble recoveries, including one that resulted in a touchdown.      

"Moving forward, this is a great start," Donaldson said. "We came out aggressive, and we came out swinging. I think it was a good thing for people to see that Groves is somebody to mess with and most importantly, a good team."
 
Additional stats for Groves: 
Markis Alexander finished 7-of-16 for 106 yards and a touchdown 
Colby Taylor finished with a game-high 101 rushing yards  
Senior outside linebacker Darryl Allen and sophomore defensive end Logan Flaherty each recorded a team-high four tackles