General | August 24, 2023 | 20:55
West Bloomfield quarterback Reqez Nance had just smartly and quickly moved the Lakers within a point of tying Chippewa Valley after throwing an 18-yard strike to Nigel Dunton with 15 seconds left in the game.
Initially the Lakers had lined up for the extra point, but with threatening skies and a play they thought would work first-year coach Zach Hilbers called a time out.
They would go for two and the win.
"That's what I wanted to do,'' said Nance, who drove the Big Reds defense crazy with the running and passing.
So West Bloomfield lined up for the two-point conversion Thursday night in the second game of the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic Thursday night at Wayne State's Tom Adams Field.
"We thought they would give him (Nance) the ball and do a pass-run option,'' said Big Reds Coach Scott Merchant.
Instead, they handed the ball off to massive senior lineman Brandon Davis-Swain on a sweep.
From two-yards out Davis-Swain bulled his way in from the two and West Bloomfield held on for a 22-21 victory.
"We practice that play all the time,'' said Davis-Swain, who is headed to Colorado to play for Deion Sanders.
"I love my guys. I wanted to do it for them. I was out there hurt. I think I popped something in my shoulder, but we had to get this win. This is great motivation for the rest of the season.''
Merchant said: "I told him he was too big to be getting the ball. It was a great high school football game against the No. 3 team in the state. I'm proud of my guys. We had to find some different combinations to get some things working.''
Nance and junior wide receiver Elisha Durham were cooking in the first half.
His 63-yard strike to Durham set up a Brody Pikur score to give the Lakers an early lead. Nance completed his first four passes for 100 yards, all but seven going to Durham.
"I'm a playmaker, I'm supposed to make plays,'' said Nance. "They did some things (on Durham) different in the second half, but we should have done more.''
Chippewa Valley's Cash Shaw tied the game at 14-14 with a two-yard TD run with 53 seconds left in the first half.
The teams didn't again until CV quarterback Andrew Schuster hit Deshaun Lanier with a five-yard strike with 3:27 to play.
Starting on his own 22, Nance scrambled for 15 yards, hit Durham, Jaiden Allos, and Marquis Morris with passing.
After two incompletions he hit Morris again with a 17-yard strike before his touchdown pass to Dunton.
"Great game,'' said Nance. "I wanted to go for two and the win. Coach and I kind of went back and forth but we knew Davis-Swain could get the job done.''
