Friday night's Plymouth-Salem showdown was good for local high school football

  On uniform-distribution day earlier this month, Plymouth junior quarterback Victor Hicks had his sights set on No. 7.
  "I like the way Mike Vick plays, so I wanted his number," Hicks said Friday night a few minutes after his stirring effort against Salem. "But Brennen (Beyer) got it before I could," he added, smiling.
  Hicks ended up with  No. 5, his second-favorite number, but judging by the way he looked for Beyer whenever he needed a big play during the Wildcats' stirring 25-11 comeback victory, he still has an affection for No. 7.
  "I realized pretty quickly that I had to use Brennen and Jake (Morris)'s size to our advantage," Hicks said. "They're

both big and they can get up and go get the ball."
  Hicks and Beyer hooked up on two of the biggest plays in Friday night's 25-11 Plymouth victory - a two-point conversion pass late in the third quarter that tied the game at 11-all and a scintillating 21-yard TD strike early in the fourth quarter that gave the Wildcats the lead for good.
  On the play, Hicks lofted a perfect spiral toward the back left corner of the end zone that Beyer leapt high for and secured while stretching his 6-foot-4 frame to its limit.
  Hicks sealed the deal with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter when he directed another spiral to the opposite corner of the end zone to Morris, who out-jumped a perfectly positioned Salem defender and came down with the 16-yard TD catch.
  Before Hicks took the reins of the Wildcats' offense late in the first half, the game was playing out like one of those feel-good Disney movies.
  The Rocks, who had been humbled by the Wildcats the three previous years, showed what an injection of confidence and attitude can do for a high school football program. Under the guidance of new coach Kurt Britnell - a Salem alum and former Plymouth assistant coach - the Rocks played with an enhanced and spirited energy level not seen by a Salem team in recent memory.
  It was obvious early on that opposing high school athletic directors may want to think twice about scheduling Salem for next year's homecoming game.
  The play that epitomized Salem's resurgence unfolded mid-way through the second quarter when linebacker Austin Root rocked Plymouth running back Jamie Emminger so hard that Emminger and his helmet became two.
  I don't know if the Rocks were inspired by the hit (I know I was), but they reeled off the final eight points of the half to take an 11-3 lead.
  But that's when Hicks took over. A starting QB since he was old enough to snap on a chin-strap, the junior used his poise, speed and accurate arm to lead the Wildcats back to an inspired victory.
  It wasn't the Disney-type ending Salem fans had hoped for, but if you were wearing royal blue Friday night, you had to feel good despite the loss.
  The most compelling revelation I took in following Friday's game was that there are now three competitive football teams at the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park.
  And if you're a high school football fan in the area, what more could you ask for?

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