Round 2 of Michigan high school football playoffs have familiar feel thanks to rematches

We are headed into only the second round of the Michigan high school football playoffs this weekend, but it seems more like the semifinals or finals weekend and it has nothing to do with the chilling temperatures.

When you are faced with games matching Southfield A&T against Detroit Cass Tech and two-time defending champ Belleville against Saline, it seems we should be down to the nitty-gritty of the playoffs.

Southfield and Belleville with host those games and both will be Saturday at 1 p.m., making it seem even more like a semifinal weekend.

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Both games are rematches of sorts. Last season in this round, Belleville outlasted Saline, 62-44, in something of a shootout.

Two main characters from that game, both quarterbacks, return: Belleville’s Bryce Underwood, the No. 1-ranked junior in the country, and Saline’s CJ Carr, who has committed to Notre Dame.

Last year, the teams battled to a 28-28 halftime tie before Belleville’s Jeremiah Beasley took over, gaining 167 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the second half. Underwood added 90 yards rushing in addition to going 8-for-13 passing for 153 yards and three scores.

Carr had a sensational outing, completing 34 of 45 passes for 387 yards and five TDs.

“Oh, their quarterback put on a clinic,” Belleville coach Calvin Norman said. “Mr. Carr is the real deal. We have real respect for his game and his knowledge of the game. We don’t take that lightly at all. That’s a big part of their offense.”

Preparing for a passer such as Carr can be a chore, unless you have a quarterback like the fleet-footed Underwood, who can make every pass you want and can run.

“It helps us because we have the quarterback like Carr and we’re able to prepare, so we’ll be able to prepare for Mr. Carr,” Norman said. “When we do our practice schemes and he’s throwing the ball, and now we’re going to get it to where he’s scrambling and throwing the ball late because he does that a lot on film.”

Of course, the Cass-Southfield game also features two amazing quarterbacks: Southfield’s Isaiah Marshall, who has committed to Kansas, and Cass sophomore sensation Corey Sadler Jr.

These teams played in the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State in Week 1 of this season; Southfield emerged with the 29-27 victory after Marshall scored on a daring 16-yard run with 54 seconds left.

“It was a dogfight, they all are between us and them,” said Southfield coach Aaron Marshall, Isaiah’s uncle. “Like I was telling my boys, we know what they do, they know what we do, so who’s going to execute the best, who’s going to tackle, who’s going to block? It’s not a secret, right? Who’s going to execute?”

Sadler, who does most of his damage carrying the ball, gained 109 yards on 12 carries in that game, and he genuinely is a threat every time he touches the ball.

“They’ve got CJ who’s very dynamic, of course, and they move him all over the place,” Marshall said. “He goes from quarterback to wide receiver, punt return, kickoff return, defensive back, so he’s everywhere and you always have to account for that kid. He’s a special player.”

Equally as special is Marshall, who has been Southfield’s quarterback from the opening game of his freshman year.

This season, he has completed 133 of 204 passes for 2,149 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also has carried the ball 79 times for 1,003 yards and 12 TDs.

“Isiah’s just got to be Isaiah and we should be in good shape,” coach Marshall said. “The best thing Isaiah does is make the right decision. When he’s supposed to run, he runs; when he’s supposed to throw, he throws.

“You look at his passing numbers, and let’s say he didn’t rush the ball at all, he’d still be one of the top quarterbacks in the state. Look at his rushing numbers and say he never threw the ball, he’d be the best running back in the state.”

Davison lighting up the scoreboard ... on both sides of the ball

Davison has been a model of efficiency . . . on offense.

A week after scoring 56 in their final regular-season game, against Lapeer, the Cards scored 76 points in a Division 1 district semifinal victory, with an incomprehensible 55 coming in the opening half.

“Last week, we scored 56 points and turned the ball over three times,” Davison coach Jake Weingartz said. “This week we scored every time we had the ball except once.”

Defensively ... well, the Cards did not play as well as their offense performed.

A week ago, they managed to defeat Lapeer, 56-55, and in the rematch they posted a 76-35 victory.

“We gave up some things,” Weingartz said. “We’ve got to clean some things up defensively.”

In 2019, Brendan Sullivan, now starting at Northwestern (he led the Wildcats over Maryland Saturday), took the Cards to the D-1 state title; he is the standard by which all Davison quarterbacks will be compared, and justifiably so.

But Sawyer Glennie has been sensational. This week, he completed 15 of 20 passes for 254 yards and four TDs.

“Our quarterback is something,” said Weingartz. “Brendan Sullivan is a stud, but our quarterback is right there. He’s just been playing great, but nobody’s on him. Maybe it’s because we’re a little up north, but he’s being overlooked.”

Having a quarterback throw for 254 yards usually means the rushing game didn't do much. But not with this team.

Junior AJ Hill carried the ball 19 times and gained 245 yards while scoring three touchdowns, as the Cards scored more points than any other team in the state on the opening weekend of the playoffs.

Lakers' Flowers blooms at WR

With receivers Marquise Morris and Elisha Durham, West Bloomfield already had enough playmakers to make a legitimate run at the Division 1 state championship.

But last March, junior receiver Kam Flowers moved into the district from Ann Arbor Huron. That was fine with quarterback Reqez Nance.

“When I heard we got a transfer, I said we’ve got a lot of weapons added on with Marquise, Elisha and all of the great players we’ve got on offense,” recalled Nance. “I said, 'let’s put him in his spot and let him play his role.' ”

Flowers' role in Friday’s opening round was to be a game-breaker, as West Bloomfield defeated Rochester Adams, 42-14.

After quarterback Ryland Watters gave Adams a 7-0 lead with a 7-yard TD run, Flowers went to work.

He began the next series by catching a 29-yard pass. Three plays later, he was split left and came across the backfield, took a handoff and sprinted around right end before cutting upfield and racing 44 yards for a score.

“My offensive coordinator told me to use my speed and go score,” Flowers said. “I got the reverse and used what I do best. I just ran the ball. I found green and I took it.”

He helped take the Lakers into the D-1 district final at Utica Eisenhower.

The Lakers were already loaded at the receiver spot, but you can never have too many playmakers.

“He’s just an explosive player,” West Bloomfield coach Zach Hilbers said. “He’s really, really fast, obviously a lot of speed. You can see him all over the place. We try to get him the ball in a lot of different ways. That helps because our quarterback is dynamic and we’ve got other guys around him that do such a good job — Elisha and Marquise.”

As if the Lakers didn’t have enough playmakers, 6-foot-4 Brandon Davis-Swain has established himself as an offensive threat at tight end, not just a dominant defensive lineman.

As West Bloomfield began pulling away in the third quarter, Davis-Swain, who has committed to Colorado, lined up in the backfield and scored on a 7-yard run.

“Brandon can play anything; he can move, he can run,” Nance said. “Like on his first touchdown, I was supposed to get the ball, but I said it’s the playoffs I can get my player the ball — sharing the ball.

“I’m not about to take no injuries, so I gave it to Brandon. Coach said if me or Brandon get the ball, he’s fine with that.”

Davis-Swain had his hands on the ball again on the next possession when he caught a 27-yard touchdown.

All in all, Flowers was pleased he was able to contribute to the best team he’s ever been on.

“I would say I add a lot of versatility of me being able to run the ball for the team and also to be able to catch the ball on the receiving side," he said. “I try to come into this team and bring leadership and contribute to the final goal — win a state championship.”

Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1. Order his book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan high school football playoffs have familiar feel in Rd. 2