The Crusaders’ varsity football team win over Walled Lake Western Warriors on Nov. 25 at Ford Field marks the first time in King’s history for back-to-back Division 2 State Championships. King trampled on Walled Lake ,18-0.
“Winning back-to-back state championships shows how good a team really is and how hard they work,” said head coach Tyrone Spencer.
The Warriors, known for their strong defense, had a couple of plays that prevented the Crusaders from scoring.
“Playing against Western was hard defense wise,” said senior and defensive tackle Darius McDuffy. “Their defense wasn’t letting up and it was somewhat of a struggle but we came through.”
The Warriors had not won a state championship in quite some time and found themselves scoreless against King.
“This is the first time in 30 years that a team has been shutout in the state finals,” said defensive line coach Leon Crenshaw.
Senior cornerback Jesse Scarber and junior cornerback JaeVeyon Morton did their thing on the field. Each intercepted a pass and scored a touchdown.
“Jesse Scarber stepped up big time this season to help the team achieve a lot,” said Crenshaw. “JaeVeyon Morton had a great season. I don’t know where the team would be without him.”
The win is bittersweet for the 16 seniors on King’s team because this was their last high school football game.
“I played in two of the three state championship games and each one was different from the last,” said senior and defensive tackle Damani Green. "But this state championship game was the best and exhilarating for me because it’s my last game."
After head coach Dale Harvel died of a heart attack on July 22, the football team decided to dedicate this season to him.
“It was great to win for Coach Harv,” said senior and defensive back Jorden Marks. “Everyone told us we couldn't win after Harvel died. It was great to prove them wrong. Dedicating our season to him is what drove us to win.”
“If Harvel was here he would be proud of his team,” said Spencer.
