By: Jonathan Szczepaniak | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published September 15, 2023
ST. CLAIR SHORES — In one of the more exciting games so far this season for Michigan high school football, St. Clair Shores Lakeview and Roseville put on an instant Macomb Area Conference White classic at Lakeview High School on Sept. 8.
Backed up to their own 15-yard line and setting up to punt to Roseville’s explosive offense down 33-24 late in the third quarter, Lakeview executed a perfect fake to keep the game alive.
“Sometimes, you go with your gut,” Lakeview coach Patrick Threet said. “We hadn’t done that here ever. When you’re playing a team that’s as talented and well coached as Roseville, you have to find ways to steal possessions, and that’s what we did.”
Senior Keonte Woolf would break a 52-yard touchdown run a few plays later, and Woolf put the game in his hands after a Lakeview stop defensively to punch in a 1-yard touchdown to give Lakeview the 37-33 win over Roseville.
Lakeview’s defense got the fourth down stop when the team needed it most, and Lakeview’s run game answered to make a house call late for the win.
Roseville’s offense reached the Lakeview 15-yard line on their final drive, but Woolf would put a final stamp on the game with an 84-yard interception return to the Roseville 1-yard line.
Woolf had teammates, fans, and even play-by-play announcers begging him to go down after the interception, and Woolf himself saw firsthand last year what could happen if he took it to the house.
“Last year against Stevenson, we lost in overtime because we gave them the ball back after we had a strip fumble that we took to the house,” Woolf said. “We would’ve ran the clock out to claim a victory, but instead it gave Stevenson the opportunity at a crazy big shot leading to their win. My teammates were a big help with Jasen Messenger telling me to go down.”
Woolf was instrumental on both sides of the ball, including the Lakeview run game that continuously dominated Roseville throughout the matchup.
Senior running back Branden Harris was unstoppable on the ground, rushing for 179 yards and a touchdown in the win. Sophomore quarterback Gavin McKee connected with Harris for a 40-yard pass on the first drive of the game, and Harris finished it off with a 10-yard touchdown run to take an early lead.
Roseville would answer on a pick-six by Nigil Clark and tack on an 18-yard rushing touchdown by Bryan Weathersby to take a 12-7 lead, but Harris would break a 64-yard run to set up a 6-yard touchdown run by junior Aidan Daniels. Weathersby ran for two touchdowns while Desmond Straughton and Anthony Scott each recorded a score in the loss for Roseville.
Daniels, once a starting guard for Lakeview, transitioned to tight end this season, and then made the switch to running back the week of the Roseville matchup. It’s safe to say it paid off for Threet, as Daniels tallied two touchdowns in the win.
Lakeview’s run game was the difference maker, and Harris said their running back corps liked what they saw from the Roseville defense.
“They were pretty spaced out on their defensive line, which opened up opportunities for us to run off tackle,” Harris said. “To say the least, we took advantage of those opportunities.”
Lakeview will face Utica on Sept. 15 at Utica High School, as the Huskies continue their five-week stretch of league play.
Lakeview is currently in a three-way tie for first in the MAC White with Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse and Grosse Pointe South, which Lakeview will face back-to-back in their final two league games.
It’s a massive step in the right direction for Lakeview after suffering a 36-6 loss to Sterling Heights Stevenson the week before.
Senior David Osagiede, who tallied 11 tackles and two tackles for a loss in the win, said the team was determined to come out on top.
“The win was worked for,” Osagiede said. “We wanted to make the last year for this turf memorable.”