Detroit Free Press Mick McCabe column
Oct 06, 2012 (Menafn - Detroit Free Press - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Oak Park had played so well for so long but was about to lose its first game of the season.
Farmington Hills Harrison, which finally had figured out a way to stop Oak Park's high-powered offense and with a tremendous second-half performance, led, 21-20, with 5:09 left Friday night.
That lead was going to be safe because Oak Park had gained only one first down in the second half and only scored a touchdown because John Kelly returned his second interception to the Harrison 1-yard line.
All Harrison needed to do now was kick off and play Hawks defense.
Harrison kicked the ball deep, and Kelly's eyes almost bugged out of his helmet as he watched it coming his way.
"This week we were prepping for them to do squib kicks or any kind of tricky things like that," Kelly said. "We didn't really anticipating them kicking it deep." Kelly grabbed the ball and headed toward Oak Park's sideline.
"I knew that I was going to be able to get a couple of yards," he said. "But I didn't really think I was going to be able to score on it. They gave me a lane, and I just took it."
He took it to the house.
Kelly's 85-yard kickoff return wrapped up a thrilling 26-21 victory for host Oak Park. The victory clinched no worse than a tie for the OAA White title and assured Oak Park a Week 9 game against the OAA Red champ.
The kickoff return turned the tables on Harrison (4-3, 3-3), which needs to win out to make the state playoffs.
"I thought we fought back and had the game," said Harrison coach John Herrington. "We were fired up and were doing a great job on defense. That's the way we've been in our three losses. We haven't been able to close them."
Instead, it was Kelly who closed things out, one day after his 16th birthday.
"It was real big," Kelly said. "It switched the whole momentum of the game." Kelly was talking about his kickoff return, but he could have said the same thing early in the second quarter. After Kelly scored on a 1-yard run for a 14-0 lead, Harrison mounted its best drive to that point before Kelly intercepted a pass in the end zone.
"I saw the quarterback eyeing down a receiver," Kelly said. "So I took that and went right in front of the receiver and the ball came right into my hands. That was real big."
Oak Park's Malik Washington gained 92 yards on 10 carries in the first half, but struggled after intermission because of an injury suffered in last week's game.
That made Harrison's defensive job that much easier, which is why Kelly's second pick and 39-yard return to set up Mario Morris' 1-yard run with 2:42 left in the third quarter was so big. And then his kickoff return gave the Knights their seventh straight win. They're 6-0 in the conference.
"I honestly thought we were going to be an undefeated team this season, and it's kind of playing out right now," Kelly said. "It's just hard work and competition in practice every day."
This was Kelly's best performance of the season, and the 5-foot-9, 180-pound sophomore plays well beyond his years.
"He's a special player," said coach Greg Carter. "He's just a great player. He can play anywhere. Earlier in the school year I was thinking about putting him at quarterback because we were struggling at quarterback. He's good wherever he is."
Contact Mick McCabe: 313-223-4744 or mmccabe@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1.
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