Another classic Thanksgiving

Football has always been associated with Thanksgiving in Detroit, but
lately the Thursday afternoon affair seems to leave fans hungry
compared to the weekend feast.

A little of the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day sheen has dissipated ever since the retirement of one Barry Sanders, but after the past two years of high school finals, even No. 20 himself would be hard-pressed to provide a better show.

Many assumed the 2006 Division 2 championship between Warren De La Salle and Muskegon
High could not be topped. But as is the case with most things, if you
wait long enough, you’ll be proved wrong as the 2007 Orchard Lake St.
Mary’s/East Grand Rapids Division 3 championship came very close.

Where all of last year’s dramatics were contained to regulation, you may have
read that the Eaglets one-upped their league rival Pilots and extended
their game to five overtimes.

Just like last year, the most exciting game of the weekend pitted a team from the Catholic High School League against the OK Conference with plenty of bragging rights
between public and private andEastside versus Westside at stake.

Again, the OK won as East Grand Rapids outlasted the Eaglets in a marathon just as narrowly as Muskegon’s Ronald Johnson outraced De La Salle's Don Fowler in a sprint last year.

Of course, talk to people in Macomb County and they’ll tell you the OK and Catholic League are playing for second place.

Macomb Dakota from the Mac Red Division took home its second straight Division
1 championship and Marine City High topped Detroit Country Day for the
Division 4 crown.

The Cougars put together the first Division 1 14-0 season since 1999, and answered every question and doubt they had coming into this year.

When the final game was played, Dakota was arguably more dominant than last year’s team, which was an overtime away from also being undefeated.

The Cougars won their 22nd consecutive game against Livonia Stevenson, but take into account that streak started after an overtime loss to Utica Ford II Sept. 22, and if one or two bounces went the other way, we’d be talking about a 28-game streak.

But that would be impossible ...

Given the one loss that Dakota’s JV and two freshmen teams combined for in
2007, maybe I should wait till next year before saying that.