Ground game leads De La Salle in 34-14 win over Roseville

DETROIT — Warren De La Salle Collegiate has a reputation for operating like a well-oiled machine no matter how many seniors graduate or what injuries may hit the squad.

When the Pilots needed a spark in the running back room after injuries plagued their rushing corps, it was the next-man-up mentality for the De La Salle offense.

Sophomore Anthony Bitonti was the man for the job, and he looked like he’d been a four-year varsity starter, leading the Pilots to a 34-14 win over Roseville on Nov. 10 at Wayne State University in the regional championship game. De La Salle has now won four-straight regional titles.

“I was expecting it (the game) to be a lot faster than it was,” Bitonti said. “Guys up here, they’re bigger, they hit harder, and they move faster, but I was prepared for it.”

Bitonti rushed for 178 yards on 21 carries in the win, and while he didn’t punch his ticket into the end zone, Bitonti set up the offense in Roseville territory all night.

Senior Landon Belesky opened up the Pilots’ scoring to take an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter, and Bitonti and junior quarterback Sante Gasperoni would take the reins on the ground game from there.

Bitonti broke free on a 49-yard run down the left sideline to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by senior Dylan Trondle in the middle of the second quarter. Bitonti found room on a 16-yard run on De La Salle’s next drive, along with a Roseville facemask penalty on the play, to set up De La Salle at the Roseville 42.

Bitonti said the offense had a game plan for the rushing attack going into the matchup.

“I just watched a ton of film on our previous 3-4 defenses and really grinded out,” Bitonti said. “I was ready for it.”

Gasperoni would finish off the drive with a 24-yard touchdown on a read option that saw the Roseville defense crash one side and Gasperoni sprint down the other as De La Salle extended their lead 21-0.

Roseville’s offense would finally get the wheels spinning early in the third quarter on a 29-yard touchdown throw from Jordan Simes to junior wideout Herman Searcy to make it 21-7, but that would be the only traction the Panthers offense gained.

Gasperoni would tack on a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the middle of the third quarter and finish the job with a 10-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Damion King IV to open the fourth quarter.

The Pilots defense was keeping Simes busy all game in the pocket, forcing an interception to De La Salle junior defensive back Dalton Drogosh late in the third quarter.

De La Salle’s defense has had success in the past against Roseville, holding the Panthers to just 35 total points in their last three matchups. De La Salle had eliminated Roseville the past three seasons in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 playoffs, and Drogosh said they were prepared for a motivated Roseville squad.

“We knew they were going to come hard at us,” Drogosh said. “We’ve played them the past couple years and beat them, and we knew they were going to come wanting revenge. All week, our coaches got us ready. We came out, played hard, and made some adjustments in the game, and we came out victorious.”

It’s a tough draw each year for a talented Roseville squad to face the defending Division 2 state champions, but head coach Vernard Snowden said the matchups have shown his team where it needs to improve.

“People will say, ‘It’s not fair that Catholic League schools can get people from all over,’” Snowden said. “I’m not using that as an excuse, and I’m not using that as a reason. There’s a glaring difference with us and them, and we know what it is. It’s up front with the linemen and the depth of the offensive linemen. None of their guys I’ve seen go both ways. We had some guys go both ways. The thing is, we got to really, really hit at the weight room. We got to be strategic with it and get bigger and stronger. That’s the key part that’s missing with us and them.”

Roseville did spark up the crowd late as junior Desmond Straughton returned a De La Salle fumble 59 yards for a touchdown with just under a minute left in the game.

Roseville (8-4) wrapped up its successful 2023 season with a district title and will return key playmakers on the offensive end in Simes, Searcy, Straughton and junior Eric Slater to kick-start their 2024 campaign.

The defense is a different story, with playmakers across the board graduating, including Huston Eubank, Elijah Parker, Corey Cobb Jr., Anthony Scott, Brandon Cunningham and Bryan Weathersby Jr.

Roseville is set to return eight starters on offense and six on defense, gearing up for another successful run in 2024.

“We’re going to be good,” Snowden said. “Next year is going to be a real good year for us as well.

De La Salle (10-2 at press time) was expected to play Waterford Mott on Nov. 18 at Troy Athens High School in the MHSAA semifinals, after press time for C & G Newspapers. Visit candgnews.com for updated MHSAA playoff football scores.

Waterford Mott features one of the most lethal dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2024 class in senior Kalieb Osborne, but the Pilots have been playing lights-out this season, despite graduating 47 seniors last year.

“We lost a lot of big players from last year, but we’ve had some young guys step up big time, and they ball out every week,” Drogosh said.

The Pilots were looking to make their fourth-straight MHSAA Division 2 state finals appearance as the two-time defending state champions. The championship game will take place on Nov. 25 at Ford Field.