General | August 31, 2019 | 19:36

Two of Michigan's most well-known high school football programs -- Detroit Catholic Central and Detroit King -- met for the first time since 2001 in the opening game on day three of the 2019 Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic.
 
Just like back in 2001, Catholic Central beat the Crusaders Saturday afternoon, 24-22, on the strength of its "Smashmouth" brand of football.
 
King gifted Catholic Central with great field position to start the game, after Crusaders senior running back Peny Boone, a Maryland commit, fumbled on the first play from scrimmage.
 
The Shamrocks took over at the King 27-yard line, and made the Crusaders pay for it.
 
Led by junior quarterback Jack Beno, the Shamrocks went on a five-play scoring drive that was capped off by a five-yard touchdown run from senior Brendin Yatooma with 9:49 to play in the first quarter.
 
King stubbed its foot yet again on its second offensive possession. Freshman passer Dante Moore, who already has a Michigan offer to his name, was intercepted by Catholic Central senior defensive lineman Zach Rood on the third play of the drive.
 
CC responded with a 1-yard score by Yatooma with 6:43 to play in the quarter.
 
The Shamrocks, relying on their potent ground game, continued to control the clock going into the second quarter. They went on an 11-play drive that extended into the second quarter and resulted in a 32-yard field goal from junior Charlie Mentzer with less than 11 minutes to play in the half.  
 
The Shamrocks followed up the 11-play drive with an eight-play one on their next offensive possession.
 
It ended with a three-yard TD run by senior running back Cole Price, and gave the Shamrocks a 24-0 advantage with 4:34 to play in the half.
 
At this point, it looked like Price and the Shamrocks had delivered the Crusaders a knockout punch that they wouldn't recover from. However, that was far from the case.
 
The Crusaders proceeded to score 22 unanswered points, including a touchdown on the subsequent kickoff.  
 
Senior wide receiver Marshawn Lee returned the kickoff 95 yards for King's first score.
 
Prior to halftime, King scored once more, via a 9-yard TD pass from Moore to freshman receiver Kenny Merrieweather.
 
After a successful 2-point conversion, the Crusaders trailed the Shamrocks, 24-14, at half.
 
Catholic Central opened up the second half with the ball.
 
The drive started off well, as Beno and Price were moving the ball efficiently on the ground. However, it was stunted when Beno threw an interception to King senior defensive back Joe Frazier.  
He was intercepted once more before the end of the third quarter. Senior linebacker Antoine Evans recorded the INT with 1:27 to go in the quarter.
 
Moore and the Crusaders took advantage of the miscue, and struck on a 20-yard TD pass to senior wideout Rashawn Williams with 8:48 to play in the fourth quarter.
 
Moore continued to target Williams as the game progressed, including on a 22-yard throw with about 5:40 to play.
 
And King looked like it was going in to take the lead, as Moore got the Crusaders into a first-and-goal situation with 3:25 to play. However, CC senior linebacker Jack Birks caused Moore to fumble with 3:13 remaining. The fumble was recovered by fellow senior LB Gabe Xuereb.
 
The Shamrocks had finally closed out the defending Division 3 state champion Crusaders -- or so it seemed.
 
Just like cats have nine lives, the Crusaders seemingly did on Saturday, as well.
 
They got the ball back with 1:25 to go, after the Shamrocks let a bad snap, while in punt formation, go out of their own end zone. It resulted in a safety that cut the King deficit to two, 24-22.  
 
Both teams' fans couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.
 
King fans were provided with a renewed sense of hope that their team could pull off the epic comeback.
 
Meanwhile, CC fans were left wondering if their squad could actually blow what was once a 24-point lead.
 
Moore, in his first high school start, had the chance to lead the Crusaders on a game-winning drive that would for sure have earned him a high degree of respect with his veteran teammates.  
 
However, CC closed the door on King's valiant comeback attempt with an interception of Moore with 1:12 remaining. Price recorded the game-saving interception for the Shamrocks.
 
Moore finished the contest 19-for-26 for 183 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
 
Williams, who recorded 75 receiving yards and a score, was King's Legacy Football Most Outstanding Player.
 
Meanwhile, Yatooma, who posted 37 yards and two TDs on the ground while making numerous impact plays at linebacker, was Catholic Central's Legacy Football Most Outstanding Player.