This week’s Local 4 high school football Game of the Week is a matchup between two powerhouses for the Macomb Area Red Division Championship.
The Utica Eisenhower Eagles will host the Macomb Dakota Cougars on Friday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m.
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The game will be streaming live on Local 4+ in partnership with State Champs Sports Network.
The Macomb Area Red Division Championship is on the line for this matchup as Dakota is currently ranked number one in the division and Utica Eisenhower is ranked number two. If Utica Eisenhower wins, they’ll share the championship with Dakota. If Dakota wins, they’ll win the championship outright.
Utica Eisenhower enters this game coming off a 34-31 loss to Chippewa Valley.
The Eagles opened the season with five straight wins against Oxford (33-16), L’Anse Creuse (49-0), Romeo (28-7), Anchor Bay (30-12) and Sterling Heights Stevenson (35-13).
“Every game is important for us but because it’s a championship week, the kids are a little bit more focused, also because of the loss last week." said Utica Eisenhower Head Coach Chris Smith." That loss sometimes refocuses kids so these guys are ready to play."
Utica Eisenhower has a high-powered, explosive offense that’s led by senior quarterback Jack Bullock and senior running back Bryce Hurley.
Bullock is having a solid season in his first year as starting quarterback. Last week, Bullock had 268 passing yards and one touchdown. He has 1006 passing yards and nine touchdowns so far this season.
“We just got to go out there and just take every opponent like it’s a state championship game," said Bullock. “We can’t come out flat. We just got to go out there and play our best."
“He’s really developed his own leadership style and I think the team has really rallied around that type of style that he has and he’s done a great job so we have complete trust in Jack (Bullock) and how he runs this offense," said Smith.
At the start of this season, Hurley changed positions from wide receiver to running back and is having a breakout season. He has rushed for 720 yards and nine touchdowns so far but it isn’t fair to think of Hurley as just a running back. His speed affects the game in so many ways including catching passes as a receiver and returning kicks and punts. Hurley says he prepared himself to play running back with strength training over the offseason.
“I had the idea like early last offseason and got in the weight room, put some weight on and just focused on getting stronger,” said Hurley. “I’ve always been a fast kid so I wanted to try it out and it’s been a good year so far at running back.”
The tough and physical Eisenhower defense have held opponents to just 13 points per game. They will have their toughest test as they face a Dakota offense that scores 37 points per game so far this season.
Dakota enters this came coming off a 42-7 win against Romeo.
Dakota is undefeated and nearly all of the wins were by a wide margin. The Cougars opened the season with a 38-14 win against Fordson and followed with wins against L’Anse Creuse North (50-6), Anchor Bay (34-6), Sterling Heights Stevenson (24-9) and Chippewa Valley (34-7).
The offense is led by senior quarterback Jadon Ford while senior Justin Bell anchors the offensive line.
Ford who is also a standout baseball player currently has 815 yards passing and seven passing touchdowns.
Bell is a 6′8″ 288 lbs offensive tackle who is committed to Michigan State University.
The defense is led by senior linebackers Di’Mari Malone and Brady Hamby. They are centerpieces to the Cougars defense that allows just 8 points per game.
Malone is a 6′2″ 220 lbs outside linebacker who is also committed to Michigan State University. He currently has 29 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and 6 tackles for loss.
Hamby is a 6′0″ 220 lbs linebacker who is ranked number six in The D Zone’s latest ‘Player of the Year Rankings.’ He currently has 42 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
Last season, Utica Eisenhower beat Dakota 31-0 so the Cougars are looking for sweet revenge while the Eagles are trying to keep momentum in their favor. The stakes of the rematch are raised as the teams battle for the league championship.
The game was a defensive, physical battle as both teams scored less points than they usually do. In the first half, Eisenhower scored two touchdowns while Dakota was held scoreless. Bullock caught a touchdown pass and the Eisenhower defense returned a fumble for a touchdown.
Dakota brought the game within one possession after opening the second half with a touchdown. The eight minute drive ended with a tough goal line run by Hamby.
Eisenhower responded with a long, methodical drive in the fourth quarter. It was capped off with a 15-yard touchdown run by Bullock with only 1:55 left in the game.
That touchdown basically put the game out of reach for Dakota but they still fought valiantly and scored another touchdown with 40 seconds left to make the score 21-14.
Dakota attempted an onside kick but it was recovered by Eisenhower. The Eagles ended the game in victory formation and celebrated as the Macomb Area Red Division Champions.
