Tag: belleville

The catch of the year just happened in the Michigan state championship

The catch of the year may have happened in the Michigan high school football state championship when Adrian Walker made a behind-the-back pick.

With 16,000 high school football teams, there are hundreds of thousands, if not well over a million, receptions each season. This year, it took until one of the very final games of the season to have what may be the catch of the year.

In the game between nationally ranked Belleville and Southfield Arts & Tech, which would decide the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) Div. 1 championship, three-star receiver/defensive back Adrian “AD” Walker Jr. had an interception in the first quarter that was unlike any pick you’ve seen before.

Walker went airborne, jumping the route; he tipped the ball up with both hands and then caught it behind his back:

The incredible catch certainly belongs with the best of all time in a championship game, sharing space with the likes of David Tyree, Julian Edelman and Lynn Swann.

Walker returned the ball to the 11-yard line, putting Belleville in position for running back Colbey Reed to punch home a touchdown and give the team a 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Despite the heroics, Belleville fell to Southfield Arts & Tech 36-32. Kansas quarterback commit Isaiah Marshall scored the game-winning touchdown and subsequent two-point conversion with just under a minute to go, clinching the championship and putting the bow on a 13-1 season.

In getting the win, Southfield Arts & Tech broke Belleville’s 38-game win streak and prevented the No. 21 team in the Super 25 national rankings from achieving a three-peat after Belleville won the titles in 2021 and 2022.

More:

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5-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith continues to shine for No. 2 Chaminade-Madonna

USA TODAY Sports Super 25 Regional Football Watchlist: Midwest region

Keep an eye on these teams in the Midwest region.

The 2023 high school football season has arrived, with teams kicking off across the country in August.

That means the first USA TODAY Sports Super 25 is nearing, which marks another start to an iconic franchise that began back in 1982.

Last year’s Super 25 was one of the tightest races of all time, as St. John Bosco narrowly won out over Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman, as well as Texas power Duncanville and Miami Central (Fla.).

How will things stack up this season? Ahead of the opening Super 25, USA TODAY HSS is looking around the country at the five regions we use to create the national rankings:

First up, is the Midwest region, which includes schools in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Michigan State football gets commitment from former Michigan commit, UMass transfer

Michigan State has picked up a linebacker from the portal, who was formerly committed to the University of Michigan

Michigan State has just gained a commitment from the transfer portal at the linebacker position. Belleville native Aaron Alexander has announced his commitment to MSU.

Alexander, a member of the 2022 recruiting class, was at one point committed to the University of Michigan, but flipped late in the cycle to the University of Massachusetts to reunite with former Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown.

Alexander played in 3 games on special teams for UMass in his one season with the school.

It is unclear if he will be on scholarship or will be added as a preferred walk on.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

 

 

Top Michigan HS football team under investigation for undue influence

Jermaine Crowell, head coach fo the Belleville (Mich.) high school football team is under investigation for undue influence.

According to a report by Mick McCabe at the Detroit Free Press, the best high school football team in the state of Michigan is under investigation for undue influence.

At issue is head coach Jermaine Crowell’s alleged involvement in multiple undue influence violations as the school tried to recruit King (Mich.) WR/DB Jameel Croft Jr. over the summer. Apparently, Croft was practicing around Belleville when Crowell made initial contact to recruit him, violating the undue influence rule.

For his part, Crowell denies any wrongdoing, per the report.

“When they talked to me, they said something like the reporter that was interviewing asked him several different times in several different ways how did he get picked up and who was doing it… In any case, it’s not true and what they said they didn’t give you that information.”

In the end, Croft chose King so he could play with Dante Moore, one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2023 and an Oregon commit.

Per the Free Press, Crowell has an 81-10 record since taking over as head coach for Belleville. They went 9-0 this season and will begin the playoffs on Friday night at home against Woodhaven (Mich.).

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Michigan State Football offers 2025 QB Bryce Underwood out of Belleville, Michigan

The Spartans offered a 2025 quarterback out of Belleville, Michigan.

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If you want to land some of the top quarterback prospects, it never hurts to get a head start, and that’s what Mel Tucker and Michigan State Football are doing with 2025 QB Bryce Underwood. The Spartans offered Underwood a scholarship on Tuesday.

Bryce Underwood is a pro-style quarterback out of Belleville, Michigan, a hot bed for college football talent. He’s already 6’1″, 185-pounds and looks like he’ll end up being one of the top players in the state by the time he is finally ranked by the recruiting services.

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Underwood currently has offers from Kentucky and Marshall so MSU isn’t the only school taking an early interest in the young QB.

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MSU Football recruiting target, Detroit native Jamari Buddin commits to Penn State

Detroit native and major Michigan State recruiting target Jamari Buddin has committed to Penn State.

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Well, this one hurts. Michigan State Football has had the full-court press on Jamari Buddin for months now, trying to do everything possible to recruit the 4-star Detroit-area standout, but it was all for naught. The Belleville High School linebacker announced today that he will be committing to Penn State in 2021, closing the chapter on the chances that he would stay in-state.

Penn State has had a lot of success recruiting in Detroit these past few years, and the Buddin story is just another example of why Michigan State needs a strong recruiter like Mel Tucker to come in and re-establish MSU as a top recruiter in Detroit. As of right now, Penn State and Michigan have really been the lead recruiters for top talent in Detroit and I would suspect that this a huge topic of conversation among the Michigan State staff.

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MSU Football players, recruits chime in on recruitment of 4-star Jamari Buddin

Jamari Buddin pondered a future with Michigan State on Wednesday and a few players, both active and recruits weighed in.

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Jamari Buddin is, undoubtedly, one of the best recruiting prospects in the state of Michigan. A month ago, the Belleville, Michigan prospect placed Michigan State Football in his top-7 choices for his recruitment, getting MSU fans, players, and recruits excited about the potential to add a player who would be one of the prize-jewels of the MSU 2021 recruiting class. Today, Buddin posted a tweet pondering a future with the Spartans and a few active players from different backgrounds chimed in on Buddin’s potential commitment to the Spartans.

Here is Buddin’s initial tweet:

First we have Devontae Dobbs, MSU’s offensive lineman who will be entering his second season with the Spartans:

Next is Charles Brantley, the 4-star corner who committed to the Spartans at the end of April:

And here we have Andrel Anthony Jr., another one of the top prospects in Michigan who has yet to commit to a program. Anthony plays for East Lansing High School and has MSU in his top-10 for recruitment:

There is a lot of excitement around Buddin’s recruitment, and for good reason, as the outside linebacker is a clear top-10 player in the state of Michigan for his recruiting class and would be a major recruiting win for the Spartans.

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