By: Jonathan Szczepaniak | Metro | Published November 18, 2024
BEVERLY HILLS – There’s memories as an athlete you always think about when your career is all said and done.
Whether it was a walk-off hit in the championship game or a buzzer-beating basket to clinch your team a hard-fought win, big-time moments always have a way of becoming a core memory.
For Birmingham Groves senior quarterback Ryan Counts, securing a regional championship win on a 12-yard run and seeing his teammates ecstatically rushing over to him will be one that lives on forever for the veteran signal-caller.
“There were a lot of feelings in my head,” Counts said. “I was just going crazy, and seeing my team jumping up and down made me feel good.”
Counts, who threw for two touchdowns and had a rushing touchdown, sealed the win in a moment where things felt like it could shift Warren De La Salle Collegiate’s (8-3) way Nov. 15 at Groves High School.
Facing a fourth-and-eight play near the De La Salle 30, Counts evaded the Pilots’ pressure and went full extension for the first down, icing the game and giving Groves the 21-19 victory over De La Salle.
Groves came into the matchup unbeaten, but many wondered how the Falcons would fare against their toughest competitor yet in De La Salle, who has reached the state finals seven times since 2014 and for four-straight seasons.
Both teams didn’t necessarily bring their A-game with penalties becoming almost a guarantee on every offensive possession, but the Falcons showed why they’re undefeated and one of the top teams in the state.
“What I’m proud of is I think it validates our program, and by our program I mean our guys and coach (Jim) MacDougall, who was before me, and we’re standing on the shoulders of all the guys that played in my 24 years here,” Groves head coach Brendan Flaherty said. “It just validates that what we’re doing is right and how we do stuff is right, so that’s prideful and joyful.”
The Pilots struck on the first possession of the matchup as senior quarterback Sante Gasperoni connected with senior wideout Dalton Drogosh on a slant pass as Drogosh did the rest, jetting down the field for a 41-yard touchdown.
Talk about doing everything you can to help your team win, Drogosh was Gasperoni’s primary target throughout the match, along with junior Damion King IV, and made play after play on the defensive end.
Currently a three-star recruit, some school is going to get a steal when they pick up a player like Drogosh, a hybrid linebacker/defensive back who kept the Pilots defense afloat all night alongside senior defensive linemen Anthony Presnell and Jacob Tur.
It was the Noah Sanders show on the ensuing drive as the University of Toledo commit set up the Groves offense at their own 45, and then broke a 29-yard rush to the De La Salle 22.
Groves senior Paul Hubbard broke a handoff to the left side of the field for a 19-yard gain to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Counts to tie it at 7-7 with five minutes left in the first quarter.
A less-than-desirable punt from the Pilots gave the Falcons field position at the De La Salle 37, and it was Sanders again with another big-time rush, breaking one for 20 yards to the De La Salle 17.
“I think he gets better every week,” Flaherty said. “I think his best football is still ahead of him, but the best thing about him is that he’s a great leader, but he’s also a confident, joyful guy. He picks up the mood in the room.”
A perfectly timed screen pass from Counts to senior Noah Woods would result in a 27-yard touchdown, putting Groves up 14-7 in the second quarter.
The offenses would trade punts until late in the third quarter when Gasperoni would find King on a 31-yard pass to the Groves 17, and the duo would finish it off with a 20-yard touchdown connection as Gasperoni fired it to King near the goalline.
But even when De La Salle caught momentum, Groves would take it right back as they blocked the extra point, keeping it 14-13.
Every coaching staff seems to have someone who can see something nobody else can, and for Groves it’s Henry Van Faussien, who was celebrating his birthday on the sidelines.
“He just saw a couple things there, and he works really hard on that thing,” Flaherty said. “He drew the thing up and said, ‘Hey, we can get it here.’” I said, ‘Sounds good.’”
Groves attacked the Pilots defense with their run game on the ensuing drive, showcasing their two-headed monster of Sanders and senior running back Mario Campoy-Lovasco.
Sanders broke a 13 and 19-yard run to put the Falcons in pilot territory while Lovasco kept his shoulder down and picked up the tough yards.
The play everyone has been talking about occurred on fourth-and-9 at the De La Salle 17 when Counts floated a pass to senior wideout Chris Little, who stepped out of bounds and appeared to have come back inbounds to secure the catch for a touchdown, but it was originally ruled incomplete on the field.
De La Salle was flagged for a pass interference, which would’ve given Groves the first down deep in the red zone regardless, but replay after the game appeared to have shown Little still out of bounds when he secured the catch.
High school referees do not have the luxury of replay when making a call on the field, and from the stands it appeared to be a bang-bang play.
The referees converged and it was ruled a touchdown, putting Groves up 21-13 early in the fourth quarter.
The Pilots defense kept throwing man coverage at Counts with no safety help overtop on Little, and he made them pay multiple times throughout the game, drawing pass interference calls and eventually the game-winning grab.
“The coach before the game said they wanted to be physical on Chris (Little), so we took that to heart,” Counts said. “If you want to be physical, we’ll throw it up and see who wins that.”
De La Salle drove right back down the field courtesy of a 38-yard grab by Drogosh, and junior Anthony Bitonti would finish the drive off with a 9-yard touchdown run with five minutes to go in the fourth.
Because of the blocked extra point, De La Salle went for the two-point conversion, but was unsuccessful as Bitonti was stopped just short of the goal line.
A win against De La Salle brought home a lot more than just a regional title for Groves, for De La Salle has recently been the thorn in the side of every Groves playoff run.
When Groves won regional titles in 2022 and 2018, De La Salle was waiting for them in the semifinals, ending their season on both occasions.
Now it’s the Falcons who will be moving on, and they will take on another Catholic High School League team in Orchard Lake St Mary’s (9-3), who is loaded with talent.
“No matter who you’re playing, when you're down to four they’re pretty good,” Flaherty said. “We started our season with playing U of D Jesuit, and we played De La Salle and will play St Mary’s. We can’t play (Detroit) Catholic Central. They’re (St Mary’s) going to be a tough team. They’re going to be a really tough team. We’re going to enjoy this and then we’ll find a way to do what we can.”
The two teams will clash for a shot at Ford Field Nov. 23 at West Bloomfield High School. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.