Southfield’s Varsity Football team has taken its fourth District championship under Head Coach
TimConley.
At a night game with a malfunctioning score board, Southfield won the districts by beating rival Oak Park on Oak Park’’s home turf on November 7, by a tight score of 14-13.
A winning kick from senior Anthony Springer late in the fourth quarter sealed the game.
Springer had the game on the line and he split that ball right down the middle
of the goal posts with a lot of air under the ball to spare.
A relieved Springer said afterward, “Words can’t explain how happy I was to be a part of a win like
that; I knew I had to make it.”
Also in the fourth quarter, an amazing catch by senior Filmel “Dior” Johnson made Springer’s kick possible. Johnson kept the drive alive and prevented the Blue Jays from having to go into overtime.
When Johnson was talking about the last play of the game he said, “It never was designed for me
to have the ball in my hand. My quarterback (senior Kanye Harris) saw the corner playing up tight on me, and
he knew I could beat my man. I had to become a playmaker, especially since the game was on the line.”
Quarterback Harris said the last drive of the game made him nervous. He said he told himself, “This is for the game, it’s win or go home, and we did not want to go home with our heads down.”
Oak Park had its shining moments in the game, too. Senior running back John Kelly had a big game, scoring one of Oak Park’s touchdowns and giving Southfield a run for its money.
A big forced fumble of Kelly’s caused by SHS star defensive end senior Charles Harris was recovered by
senior hawking falcon Adrian Carter. This fumble gave Southfield momentum, setting up the
winning drive.
Coach Conley said, “As a team, we are still improving every week, which is a great sign. It’s a long season and they
are still showing a lot of leadership and courage, which is all I can ask.”
Southfield’s next scheduled opponent is Wyandotte Roosevelt High School, which will be for the
Regional finals.
The two schools have met before under similar circumstances. Southfield beat Wyandotte Roosevelt in 2008, getting to the furthest point they’ve ever been in school football playoff history, making it to the Semifinals.
Conley says his keys to success are no secret: “Keeping it simple, playing as a team and being able to run the ball.”