Roseville advances in football playoffs with win over Port Huron Northern

ROSEVILLE — As talented and athletic of a group as Roseville football is, there’s been times where the hunger wasn’t as strong as it should be, and it showed against Harper Woods in the last game of the regular season in a 24-7 loss.

The Panthers will be the first ones to tell you that it was humbling, but they weren’t going to make the same mistake twice as the opening round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 State Tournament started on Oct. 27.

“I think sometimes our kids, and this has just been the tale of this year, have complacency and contentment,” Roseville coach Vernard Snowden said. “I think mentally going to Harper Woods, they felt as if we already made the state playoffs, so we’re OK and stuff like that. Now going into the Port Huron (Northern) game, I think they know that it’s either win or go home, so mentally they were there and they were focused, and there was no contentment Saturday night.”

As Roseville took the field against Port Huron Northern for the second time in three years for playoff football, beating Northern 41-2 in the 2021 district finals, Roseville locked in on every side of the ball en route to a 30-0 win over Northern on Oct. 27 at Port Huron Northern High School.

Roseville junior quarterback Jordan Simes tallied four total touchdowns — two rushing and two passing — while junior Eric Slater recorded two touchdown grabs in the win.

Simes opened the scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak just before halftime with some assistance from senior running back BJ Weathersby on the push into the end zone to take a 7-0 lead.

While Roseville’s offense was still finding its footing in the first half, the defensive unit stepped up when the team needed it most.

Northern was unable to get anything going offensively as Roseville’s defense, led by senior Elijah Parker, senior Huston Eubank and junior Desmond Straughton, kept Northern contained all game.

“Defensively, after week three, we have really turned it on,” Snowden said. “I just think the biggest part is just staying consistent in what we do schematically and just let the guys play fast.”

It was only a matter of time until the Roseville offense came alive, and the connection of Simes and Slater led the Panthers on a scoring barrage in the third quarter.

Simes found Slater on a 5-yard touchdown pass as Slater leaped over a Northern defender near the left side of the end zone to bring in the catch, and the duo would connect again just minutes later to take a 22-0 lead. 

Snowden said Slater showed his playmaking abilities in the win.

“Eric is a very big and physical receiver, and it showed Saturday night,” Snowden said. “With that being said, there had been some games where Eric had no catches, and there’s some games where Eric had great games. His skill set is just mentally being patient and understanding that you might not have a great game, but just do what you can do for the team to win. I think this Saturday was a game for him where he was able to showcase his ability at receiver.”

Simes added a 9-yard touchdown run toward the end of the third quarter, which gave Roseville the 30-0 lead.

Roseville will now shift its focus to Macomb Area White rival Grosse Pointe South as they will go head-to-head for the second time this season on Nov. 3 at Grosse Pointe South High School.

South bested Roseville 16-7 on Sept. 22 en route to the Blue Devils MAC-White league championship, but it’s a different time of the season with different implications.

If one thing is for sure, it’s going to be a physical football game when both teams meet on Nov. 3.

“One thing is we played physical that game, but I think when it came down to it, Grosse Pointe South made less mistakes than we did,” Snowden said. “We had a blocked punt they scored off of, so I think it’s just (cutting) back on our mistakes, executing the things we need to do, and just continuing to play physically. It’s going to be a very physical football game.”