MHSAA football playoffs: Southfield A&T jumps on Cass Tech early for 36-25 victory

Where was the overtime? Where were the last-second heroics?

For once, Southfield A&T didn’t need any of that to get past Detroit Cass Tech. The Warriors played a strong first half and established the pace early in a 36-25 thrashing of the Detroit Public School League champions.

Playing on its home field, Southfield scored on its first three possessions and opened up a 22-6 lead just 13 minutes in.

“We don’t like close games, but we know when we play a great program like Cass, sometimes it’s going to take all four quarters and sometimes, overtime,” Southfield A&T head coach Aaron Marshall said. “We prepared for it, but the boys were a lot more disciplined at doing our jobs and our assignments. We didn’t turn the ball over. All those little things really played a part in today’s victory.”

Dorian Freeman set up the first one early, intercepting a Cass Tech pass and returning it to the Technicians’ 13-yard line. Although the Warriors needed to convert a fourth down on the short drive, quarterback Isaiah Marshall ran the ball in from the 1 just 3:22 into the game.

“I think it was great because our defense got a pick on the second play and we just had to punch it in — execute off of that turnover, and that’s what we did,” Isaiah Marshall said.

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After forcing Cass Tech to punt, Southfield (10-1) drove 83 yards on seven plays in less than three minutes to go up 14-0. Jawon Jarrett hauled in a Marshall pass for a 60-yard touchdown after getting behind the defense.

It only took Southfield six plays to score on its next possession. Marshall was once again effective, rolling out left and finding Jarrett open on the near side as the 18-yard pass play went for a touchdown. Marshall’s conversion pass to Tashi Braceful set the lead at 16 points one minute into the second quarter.

“We didn’t have Jawon in Week 1; he was battling some injuries,” Aaron Marshall said. “To have him play in this game, we knew it would be a mismatch for them because we have receivers. We have Tashi, we have Xavier Bowman, we’ve got a lot of Division 1 guys out there, so we knew that the speed and quickness of Juwan would be a surprise for them.”

Both the quarterback and receiver agree they’re a good fit for one another.

“The first time we played them we didn’t even have him and we missed him a lot, so him just being here is very good, he’s very electric-fast and he can do so many things,” Isaiah Marshall said.

“Our chemistry was a little off at first at the beginning of the season because I didn’t play that many games, but we just really locked in, we stayed after practice and did extra stuff, just me and him, one-on-one,” Jarrett said.

But Southfield wasn't immune to the occasional breakdown. Cass Tech scored a first-quarter touchdown when a defensive coverage mix-up left wide receiver Jalen Howell at least 15 yards in the open; the play covered 30 yards.

Then two follow-up Southfield drives blew up. The Warriors faced fourth-and-31 from their 11 following two penalties and a sack, and the resulting punt didn’t even travel past the first-down marker. On the next possession, Southfield was hampered by an intentional grounding penalty and Marshall tripped when scrambling out of the pocket on a fourth-and-15 from just shy of midfield.

But Cass Tech (7-4) couldn’t convert on either gift, with one drive ended by coughing up the ball, and the second ended with a pair of dropped passes in the red zone.

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Southfield scored on its opening second-half possession to increase its lead. Marshall hooked up with Jarrett once again, traveling 33 yards to make the game 30-6. The Warriors’ Mathias Davis added a 3-yard rushing touchdown later in the quarter. Davis also ran the ball 33 yards on the prior play to get Southfield in scoring position.

Cass Tech closed the score to 36-18 by the time the third quarter was out, but by then, Southfield had enough of a cushion to hang on.

One key to the game was Southfield’s ability to key in on Cass Tech’s electric all-purpose back, Corey Sadler Jr. The Warriors minimized his touches when he lined up as a wide receiver and kicked the ball away from him on punts, and Marshall was able to match Sadler’s scrambling and rushing abilities under center.

“Our defense is our anchor,” Aaron Marshall said. “We can score, and that’s great, but we all know how football works. We ain’t winning nothing without our defense. With a kid like that, you’ve got to know where he is at all times. I’ve got a lot of respect for that kid, he’s got a lot of heart. They ask him to do a lot, and he delivers.”

Sadler was still the Technicians’ biggest playmaker, though, with a 3-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and scrambling out of danger to fire off a fourth-down, 9-yard scoring pass to Will Sykes Jr. with 3:17 left in the fourth.

Southfield won, 29-27, in the opening week at the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State. In 2022, Southfield won a first-week shootout, 56-54, only to have Cass Tech turn the tables, 25-14, in the district final game. Southfield takes a 3-2 series edge with Saturday’s win.

“Last year they won, and it was really personal for me,” Jarrett said. “I knew coming into the game that it wasn’t going to be as close as people think. We’re better on paper and we do more things as a team. I just knew it wasn’t going to be a close game, it wasn’t surprising.”

Southfield A&T will travel to Clinton Township Chippewa Valley for a Division 1 regional on Friday. Chippewa Valley eliminated local rival Macomb Dakota, 17-7, on Friday night.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MHSAA football playoffs: Southfield A&T jumps on Cass Tech, 36-25