De La Salle Collegiate football rallies to defeat River Rouge

RIVER ROUGE, Mich. – The De La Salle Collegiate Pilots (7-1) narrowly defeated the River Rouge Panthers (5-2) 19-18 in a game that came down to the final possession, as Pilots' quarterback Brady Drogosh threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Here are the three takeaways from the game

A defensive first half

Any momentum was stopped before it could result in any positive moment for either team. The first half was pure defense. Neither team's offense could find enough space for a first down, let alone breakaway for a touchdown.

The speed at which both defenses operated were significant, as every play felt defensively urgent. As a result of the dominance of each defense, both quarterbacks suffered, failing to record any throw for more than a handful of yards and resulting in both quarterbacks throwing interceptions deep into their own halves of the field.

Both defenses played physical shut-out football, concluding with back-to-back sacks by the Pilots to end the first half.

Both Drogosh and River Rouge wide receiver Nick Marsh were sensational

When push came to shove, both superstars delivered. Marsh had several big-time catches throughout the second half, including a 43-yard bomb, and he finished with a two-yard fade route in the end zone.

During the late-fourth quarter, the Panther’s offense went exclusively through Marsh, as he received every target during their final two possessions. Marsh kept his team in the game and offered them an opportunity to win.

However, Drogosh delivered his team the victory. Three touchdowns in one quarter, that’s what sealed the game for The Pilots.

Both superstars suffered during the game’s first half, but in the final moments, Drogosh found a way to pick apart the Panther’s defense with a high-flying offense.

With eight minutes remaining in the fourth, Drogosh began to find his rhythm following a 40-yard bomb for the Pilots’ first touchdown.

Drogosh’s spectacular performance continued with a three-play drive resulting in a follow-up touchdown. The game concluded with the quarterback throwing a last-minute touchdown to seal the game.

Drogosh was the game’s MVP. However, both Drogosh and Marsh were special tonight.

Special teams matter

The Panthers scored four times. However, the Panthers missed four 2-point conversions. If any of those attempts resulted in a touchdown, this article would discuss The Panthers as tonight's victors.

However, The Pilots’ special team placed them in the position to walk away tonight’s victors. Following a late 4th quarter stop by The Pilots’ defense, De La SAlle returned the ensuing punt to the Panther’s 25-yard line, setting them up for the game’s final touchdown.

In the game’s clutches moments, the De La Salle Collegiate Pilots came up biggest, leaving the River Rouge field with an important win.

Coaches' thoughts

De La Salle head coach Dan Rohn spoke on his team’s performance: “I think earlier we got a little tight. We have to be a little more aggressive offensively. I think once we got aggressive, we just trusted our new receivers.”

Regarding the fourth quarter push, Rohn stated that he just depended on his defense to give them an opportunity to win.

“We just kept asking our defense to give us a chance. They played tremendously down the stretch.” Rohn said. “We had to find the things that worked. We kept moving things around and finding different packages. Once we got aggressive and let our quarterback make some plays, we were good.”

Following this game, the De La Salle Collegiate Pilots are set to play for its league championship against University of Detroit Jesuit(4-4), while River Rouge will play its final away game against Southfield Arts & Tech (6-1).