Southfield A&T defeats Cass Tech in district title game

SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN – The Southfield A&T Warriors (10-1) defeated Cass Tech (7-4) 36-25 for a Division I district title. 

Cass Tech knocked the Warriors out of the playoffs last season, and the teams also faced each other earlier this season when the Warriors scored a touchdown in the final minute to win 29-27. 

Southfield A&T was dominant for most of Saturday’s contest, and it’ll move on to play Chippewa Valley (8-2) for a regional championship next.

Here are four takeaways from the game:

This one was personal

Southfield A&T came out scorching Saturday afternoon. On the opening drive, senior Warrior linebacker Dorian Freeman intercepted a pass and returned it inside Cass Tech’s 20 yard-line. A few plays later, senior Warrior quarterback Isaiah Marshall (Kansas commit) ran in a touchdown as well as the ensuing two point conversion.

Following a three and out by Cass Tech, senior Warrior wide receiver Jawon Jarrett (Marshall commit) caught a 61 yard touchdown from Marshall to put them up 14-0. Jarrett went on to catch two more touchdowns to finish with three on the day along with over 100 receiving yards.

Jarrett missed the week one matchup with Cass Tech due to an injury, but he still had something on his mind from last season.

“I was still sick about last year, how we lost to them,” Jarrett said. “It was personal. I’m not going to lie. They didn’t get to see me against them yet (this season) so it was something new probably.”

When it comes to Jarrett, Southfield A&T head coach Aaron Marshall said the proof is in the result

“The difference was on display today,” Marshall said. “I don’t think there’s a slot receiver in the state that’s better than Jarrett."

Marshall was on point

Marshall had Southfield A&T’s offense rolling from the jump. He had exceptional pocket presence, which allowed him to escape the Cass Tech rush and avoid sacks. 

Marshall is a dual-threat quarterback, but he got it done with mostly his arm Saturday afternoon. 

Marshall finished with over 200 all-purpose yards to go with a rushing touchdown, three passing touchdowns and no turnovers.

Jarrett described his quarterback as, “the man, the myth, the legend.” Marshall said it comes down to the little things.

“I think we got it done by just being focused,” Marshall said. “We were very prepared all week. We watched a whole bunch of film, and we just had to stay focused and just play disciplined and execute. We came out fast and strong, went up 22-6, and I think we just played well as a team.”

Stifling Southfield defense

Cass Tech was held to under 26 points for just the fifth time this season. Sophomore Cass Tech quarterback Corey Sadler Jr. is one of the most talented players in the state, but Southfield A&T was able to bottle him up all day. 

Sadler rarely had time to throw, and when he did, receivers couldn’t get open. 

The Technicians even tried to slide Sadler over to receiver, but they just couldn’t get their playmaker in space.

Coach Marshall said everything is coming together at the right time.

“It was the little things, why (the defense) weren’t having as much success early on as they wanted to,” Marshall said. “Shout out to my defensive coordinator. (He) changed some pieces around, kept at it, and he told me one day we were going to click, and we’ve been clicking the last few weeks really good.”

Squad of seniors

Upon entering Southfield A&T’s football stadium, it’d be hard not to notice the signs for seniors taking up half of the perimeter fence. 

Most of the contributing players this season are seniors, and it’s their last chance at a state championship on the gridiron.

With a big lead and the game in hand in the second half, the Warriors turned to senior running back Mathias Davis to take them home. 

Davis wore down the Technician defense with physical runs, and he wound up in the end zone towards the end of the third quarter.

Davis said he and the fellow seniors are playing with some added intensity.

“We just wanted it more,” Davis said. “They took us out last year. This is our last year, we got 29 seniors, and we just wanted it more this year. Me and my boys, we got three more games, we just gotta keep it pushing.”