Summerfield Bulldogs at Detroit Southeastern Jungaleers
By Frank Vajcner and Chris Schultz
Summerfield and Detroit Southeastern meet for the first time on the gridiron at opposite ends of the spectrum. The Jungaleers are coming off of their first unbeaten conference play season since 2009, with the only loss coming to SMCC. Summerfield struggled through the regular season, but both of their wins came by shutout.
Summerfield Bulldogs (2-5, 9th playoff appearance, 7-8 playoff record)
Alex Lipka’s bunch comes in after blanking Allen Park Cabrini 41-0. The Bulldogs average 27.2 points per game out of the spread offense. Leading the way is senior QB Devin Albain (68-113, 1368 yards, 15 TDs). His favorite targets are Gavin Fietz (22 catches, 462 yards, 6 TDs), Ethan Eyler (16 catches, 326 yards, 3 TDs) and Drew Dafoe (10 catches, 121 yards, TD). When the Bulldogs run the ball, Jake LaRocca (283 rushing yards, 3 TDs) and Albain (309 rushing yards, 7 TDs) are the go to options.
On defense, Eyler is a leader at LB (111 tackles, sack, interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery). DB Dafoe (55 tackles, sack, forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries), LB LaRocca (54 tackles, sack) and DB Albain (37 tackles, sack, 2 interceptions) are all strong at their respective positions.
Austin Porter (16-20 PAT, 1-1 FG) is a reliable kicker.
Detroit Southeastern Jungaleers (6-1, 6th playoff appearance, 7-5 playoff record)
The Jungaleers have ran through the Detroit Public School League Division 4 undefeated under fourth-year head coach Courtney Dinkins. Offensively they are led by QB Leron Roseboro. The southpaw, Roseboro has a handful of weapons at his disposal, most notably WR’s Donald Eckles and Karon Allen. The running game centers around RB De’Shaun Matthews. Matthews is a small, shifty speed back who runs hard. On defense, Southeastern runs a 3-3-5 look that takes advantage of their speed and quickness. Senior LB Brett Brown leads the way along with sophomore DE Kevin Sturgess.
Outlook: Both teams have offenses that can score, but the Jungaleers have been better on the defensive side. That will be the difference.
- Chris: Southeastern
- Gary: Southeastern
- Frank: Southeastern.