***By Josh Longstreth
The Freeland Falcons were able to get their ground game going to the tune of a 40-13 win over Lake Fenton last week. Freeland came into the game looking to establish what really makes them harder to beat, the running game. They would do just that to cruise into the district final this week where they would meet a familiar foe. The Goodrich Martians have had nearly everything go their way this season. Goodrich cruised past Ortonville Brandon last week to cement their name in the district final with a chance to win it for the second season in a row. The two teams met in a thriller in the same exact spot last season, and the 2023 version would not disappoint.
Goodrich would grab the first score of the game after an 80-yard drive from the Martians offense. Chase Burnett would find some daylight on a 27-yard run to put Goodrich up 7-0 after a good PAT. Then it would be the Goodrich special teams getting into the mix. Max Macklem would find plenty of a room and take one back from 79-yards away. It looked like it would be all Martians early, 14-0. That wouldn’t be the case, however, no on the Falcons watch. On the ensuing kickoff, Freeland would grab some momentum back in a hurry led by their special teams. Ty Fournier would find some room and he didn’t need much, taking it all the way back for a Falcons score on a 92-yard kickoff return. After one, we had ourselves a ballgame at 14-7, Goodrich.
Things would slow down a bit in the second quarter as both teams began to settle in on the defensive side. Freeland would take some life into the half to make this a completely different game. Sam Talaga would find his way into the endzone from 6-yards away after a 13 play drive. The Falcons offense would drive from their own 12-yard line and make it a 14-14 game. Buckle up, we had another thriller lining up between these two.
Freeland would get things rolling on offense first in the second half. Quarterback, Jake Metiva, would find sophomore Wilson Huckeby on a 26-yard scoring strike. The extra point would fail but Freeland would grab their first lead on the night and take that into the final quarter, 20-14.
Both defenses really showed their grit throughout the fourth as neither offense could come up with any points. That was before until late. Goodrich quarterback, Easton Phipps, would get loose on a 71-yard run to put the Martians deep in Freeland territory. Putting Freeland in a tough spot with some possible danger looming, it would come to fruition. Phipps would find space again and this time he wasn’t coming down taking it into the endzone on a 16-yard touchdown run. A missed extra point from Freeland could come into play, and it would. The Martians would now hold a 21-20 advantage with just 1:50 left to play. The Freeland offense would have a chance but it just wouldn’t be as the Goodrich defense would put a stamp on it. Goodrich goes on to take the district title between two teams that played yet another classic.
The Goodrich defense was solid for most of the night as they limited the Falcons to just 268 total yards on the night. A defense that has given up just 13.6 points per game on the season showed again why they’ve been so good for much of the year. Tonight, they came up with plays when it mattered most.
On the offensive side, the Martians offense put together some big plays of their own when the game was on the line. Goodrich piled up 280 rushing yards on the night led by Chase Burnett (159 yards, 1 touchdown) and Easton Phipps (106 yards, 1 touchdown).
The Freeland defense did a solid job of limiting Goodrich all night but wouldn’t be able to contain their running game late. It proved to be costly for a defense that was nothing short of superb all season.
Offensively, the Falcons were able to get some things going on the ground but it wouldn’t be enough to open many things up through the air.
Goodrich will now move on to play Haslett next week in Regionals. Haslett knocked off Chelsea in a tight battle, 30-22. The Vikings head into that game at 8-3 while the Martians now sit at 10-1 on the year. Haslett played all three teams they lost to tight in DeWitt, Mason, and Williamston. The Vikings defense should pose a big challenge for the Goodrich offense as they have limited opponents for much of the season. It should be a big time matchup when the two meet next week.
For Freeland, this one will sting but doesn’t diminish another great season from the Falcons. A program that is a staple in the playoffs (16 appearances in a row) should expect to be back next year. They will lose some big time players that have helped them a lot over the last few years but will return some vital pieces that should help soften the blow in spots.
