Stuffing the run: East All-Stars showcase stout defensive performance, shut down West

TECUMSEH –– After hitting gaps all night, Coby Kegerreis clutched his trophy and turned in and out of a crowd assembled on the astroturf.

Getting out of it took a second. But lingering on the outskirts with no one to speak over, Kegerreis drew a couple deep breaths and started to describe his intentions heading into this game.

They were, well, simple.

“We were gonna prove that they didn’t have the best defense,” he said. “They were the defensive side, we were the offensive side. We showed we were the offensive side and the defensive side.”

Kegerreis, a Lenawee Christian graduate, earned MVP honors as a defensive tackle spearheading a 25-3 win for the East All-Stars in the Lenawee County Football Senior Showcase on Friday night.

The numbers help tell the story: 160 yards rushing, 14 yards passing, three interceptions and one forced fumble from the West as the East All-Stars took a rare shutout into the final four minutes of the game. Only then did the West get on the board with a 22-yard field goal from Onsted’s Alexander Ouelette.

Despite no film to scout, the West’s Wing T offense, led by Hudson head coach Dan Rogers, wasn’t exactly a secret to the East’s coaching staff or players. After all, the Tigers had rode the prominent ground-and-pound mentality to success with a state title this season.

But even as West All-Stars would rush left, right and up the middle past midfield, the East defense would bring them to a stop. Defensive linemen like Kegerreis would push back on guards, leaving gaps open for linebackers to fill.

Then, forcing the West to go outside, East defensive backs, ends and linebackers rallied in the flats to stand up running backs desperate to turn a corner. The formula blossomed from a straightforward one to a winning one within the first handful of West drives.

Kegerreis, a self-admitted undersized lineman at 5’8” and 195 pounds, in particular embraced the challenge presented by playing a physical offense from the first day of practice a week ago.

When everything seemed to click on the defensive side of the ball.

“We instantly meshed,” Kegerreis said, “We all were there to win. We had that one goal.”

Britton Deerfield’s Nico Johnson, one of the defensive backs making plays in the alley, also attested to how bad the East All-Stars wanted to win their final high school football game, exhibition or not.

“I know it’s the All-Star game and we’re out here having fun,” he said. “But no one wants to get their butt kicked. You can’t have fun if you’re getting your butt kicked.”

Britton Deeffield head coach Erik Johnson led the offense while Tecumseh head coach Greg Dolson led the defense for the East. Understanding the talent they had on both sides of the ball, he opted to not overcomplicate things.

“When you’re coaching normally, you got six, seven kids that are pretty good, right?” he said. “But when you get in an All-Star game, you got 23, 24 of the best kids in the county. It’s easy to execute a scheme when you got really good players.

“Some of those kids are dudes. When you just put them in the right spot and let them play, it works out.”

As the game wore on, those big plays started to come from the East pass defense as much as their line. Facing a 3rd and 7 after eight straight runs at midfield in the third quarter, Sand Creek’s George Hilliard lofted a pass a few yards too long-with ample opportunity for Tecumseh’s Jayden Amaya to jump the route for the East’s first interception.

On 4th and 8 in the third, Ashur Bryja was primarily responsible for the deep third of the field. He said he noticed a receiver not breaking down on the flats and coming his way, setting the stage for Bryja’s pick, the East’s second of the game.

Johnson notched one more interception with 7.7 seconds left to effectively close out a defensive performance that set the tone at the line and kept it up through the secondary.

With the crowd on the turf mostly dispersed, Lenawee Christian’s Elliot Addleman was one of the few players remaining to reflect on a stout defensive performance.

And the bonds that came with them.

“I love all those boys,” he said. “It was a lot of fun getting to know some of them and just hanging out with some friends that I already knew.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Lenawee county east all stars strong defensive performance