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My take on beyond-Hollywood-type gridiron endings, sharp cornerbacks and under-the-radar soccer mid-fielders

BY ED WRIGHT
Oct. 5, 2009, 4:28 p.m.

...With the possible exception of the final play in "Remember the Titans", has there ever been a more wild and wacky end to a high school football game than the one that played out Friday night on Westland John Glenn's football field?

With their team leading 28-27, Plymouth's Alex Ruffin and Tony Rhodes blocked a last-second Rocket field goal attempt and the ball bounced back to the Rockets' holder. What truly happened next is only known by those who were on the field or those who have been fortunate enough to check out the videotape.

Based on the final score -- John Glenn 33, Plymouth 28 -- the holder scooped up the ball, paused for a couple

seconds, then raced into the end zone as the Plymouth players rushed off the field, confident a victory had been secured.

However, when Plymouth coach Mike Sawchuk called me Friday night, he was 100 percent certain the holder's knee was on the ground when he first secured the ball and that the whistle blew -- and Sawchuk was on the field and he saw the videotape.

As of Friday night, Plymouth was prepared to file an official protest with the Michigan High School Athletic Association, however, from what I understand, protests are upheld about as often as the Detroit Lions win Super Bowls.

Once the initial shock of what transpired wears off, which I'm sure it has by now, the Wildcats will be able to turn the adversity they experienced Friday night into a unifying fuel as they enter the final-third of their season.

And, like the Titans, they could be destined to pull off a season that they will always remember.

...The scariest thing about Canton's pair of top-notch cornerbacks -- senior Arron Boudreaux and junior Josh Nolen -- is their ability to turn opponents' hitch and out passes into Chief touchdowns, like they did Friday night.

Next on the "scary" list is that the pair are so lightning quick, that even if they bite on hitch-and-go and out-and-up routes, they're still fast enough to recover and make a play.

Boudreaux and Nolen's skills are important now, but they'll be even more vital once the Chiefs move further along in the state playoffs when it seems like the receivers get a little faster every round.

The neat part about Friday night is that when the two good friends get together 20 or 30 years down the road, they'll be able to talk about that homecoming night in 2009 when they both ran back interceptions for touchdowns.

...I'm one of the Detroit Tigers' biggest fans, but I don't feel good about Tuesday night's playoff game against Minnesota. The Twins have played like world beaters the past three weeks and with an incredibly loud crowd cheering their every move, they'll be tough to beat. Prediction: Twins 5, Tigers 3. I hope I'm wrong.

...As Salem's soccer team clung to a precarious 1-0 lead against explosive Northville the other night, a Mustang player controlled a pass and accelerated down the field as if the ball was attached to one of his shoe strings.

That is until Rock mid-fielder Dan Martin closed hard and separated the ball from the attacker with a slick slide tackle that left the Northville player shaking his head.

The play was a classic maneuver by the often under-the-radar mid-fielders -- players who are appreciated fully by their coaches, teammates, parents and highly educated soccer buffs, but not nearly enough by regular fans like myself.

...Five years from now, people are going to look back at this past spring's Detroit Lions' draft and say it was one of their best ever. Not because of Matt Stafford, but because of Louis Delmas. He reminds of a smaller Ronnie Lott.