Michigan high school football playoffs: Caledonia overpowers Clarkston, 21-0, to reach D1 title game

DEWITT — Caledonia might not be quite a known commodity, but the Fighting Scots’ stock is on the rise.

In a dominating semifinal performance Saturday afternoon at snowy, frigid and wind-swept DeWitt, the Fighting Scots booked their trip to the Division 1 finals at Ford Field with a convincing 21-0 victory over Clarkston.

Caledonia (12-1), which will take on defending champion Belleville (13-0), last won a state title in 2005 in Division 3.

Clarkston’s high-octane offense, relying primarily on running back Ethan Clark (21 carries for 115 yards), couldn’t get anything going against a stout Caledonia defense led by linebacker Derek Pennington Jr., the son of the Caledonia second-year coach Derek Sr.

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“I don’t want to make it about my son, but it is a special thing coaching your own son,” the second-year head coach said. “Obviously, he made some big plays on defense for us and caught the touchdown to put us 21-0, but he’s one of 60 dudes and to be honest, I love them all. So, they’re all sons to me.”

Caledona’s three-pronged running attack led by quarterback Mason McKenzie (18 carries for 98 yards), Blake Herron (11 for 91) and Brock Townsend (16 for 53) ran right up the gut and made life miserable for the Wolves’ defense.

“The whole week we were practicing in the snow, we were always thinking countering and just running hard,” said Herron, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound junior. “All of us just have that mindset to go out there and plow them over and just keep on going. The guys’ up front ... none of us could do it without them. They put in the work and they’re one of the biggest parts of this team for sure. Those guys, I love them all. They’re amazing up front.”

Late in the game, McKenzie limped off the field and had to be helped off the sideline.

“He (McKenzie) is fine,” Pennington Sr. said. “He just turned his ankle a little bit. Mason gets a little concerned about his ankle because he had the one ankle sprain. He’ll be icing that down and ready to go next weekend.”

Trailing 14-0 to start second half the Wolves gambled and tried an onside kick, but Caledonia’s Tyler Burd came down with the ball in mid-air after it glanced off a teammate at the Clarkston 49.

And seven plays later, McKenzie found Pennington Jr., the 6-2, 225-pound tight end, on a seam route up the middle for a 20-yard TD pass putting the Fighting Scots up 21-0 with 7:32 to go in the third.

“I kept telling my dad, ‘We’ve got to throw the ball, they’re getting heavy in the box,’ so I reached out in the flat in the man’s zone and just caught it, so that was about it,” Pennington Jr. said. “Most of the balls that I get are surprises because I don’t get the ball much, but I was great.”

Clarkston (10-3) got into the red zone on the following possession, but with 1:36 left Jaxon Engelberg sacked Clarkston QB Steven Kossak for an 8-yard loss on fourth-and-14 to end the threat.

The Fighting Scots defense then came up to three fourth-quarter interceptions — two by Townsend and one by Jimmie Floyd — to seal the victory.

“That was a really good Clarkston football team, they had beaten Davison, Rochester Adams, they scored a ton of points and they scored zero on us today,” the Caledonia coach said. “I thought we dominated on both sides of the ball. We were the most physical team. We were the most excited team to play and we were Caledonia tough.”

The Fighting Scots took a 14-0 lead at halftime thanks to a 28-yard TD run up the middle by Herron with 3:02 to play in the second quarter following a nine-play, 73-yard drive.

On its second possession of the opening quarter, Caledonia struck first with a methodical 13-play, 63-yard — all run plays — capped by Townsend’s 1-yard TD with 3:59 to go in the first.

Clarkston’s best chance to score in the first half came after Clark ripped off a 44-yard run down to the Caledonia 23, but two straight penalties thwarted the drive backing up the Wolves who could not convert on fourth-and-14.

Meanwhile, the Caledonia defense held Clarkston to just four first-half first downs. Clark had 12 carries for 84 yards in the first half, but the Wolves had only 14 other yards over the first two quarters.

“Credit to them, they did a nice job defensively but I felt like every time where we got in position where we were close to scoring something happened that we shot ourselves in the foot, whether it was penalties or mistakes,” first-year coach Justin Pintar said. “It was one of those days where we didn’t have things going. We had a couple of big plays and opportunities where we could score touchdowns — I thought we were in position — then just one thing or another ended the drives for us. It was one of those days where you don’t have it.”

Clark, who is headed to play at Princeton, leaves quite a legacy for the Wolves.

“He’s phenomenal football player, just a great talent and just an even better kid,” Pintar said. “And that’s what you’re going to miss. He’s just a great young man and he gives everything he has every day at practice. Never says boo, never complains, just goes about his business. You’re going to miss any kid like that.”

Meanwhile, the last time the Fighting Scots captured a state title was 17 years ago, but now they’re on the cusp once again.

“We just want to live up to their standards, it’s amazing, it’s great,” Pennington Jr. said. “We were lifting weights all off season, working hard, it’s the hard work paying off and we deserve to go to Ford Field.”

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Caledonia beats Clarkston, 21-0 to play in D1 title game next week