Football Playoffs: Wyandotte to Battle Oak Park for District Title

In a game that will decide a Division 2 regional title, Wyandotte Roosevelt will host Oak Park tonight at 7 p.m.

The Bears (10-1) advanced by beating Woodhaven 31-14 in the first round of the playoffs, then winning 9-0 at Taylor Truman last week to capture the district title. 

The Knights (9-2) beat Detroit Cody 35-20 in the first round, and then knocked off Southfield last week 19-12 in double overtime. 

Both squads come in as the champions of their respective leagues.

Roosevelt shared the Downriver League title with Woodhaven and Taylor Truman, while Oak Park was the 2012 Oakland Activities Association White Division champion.

Although the Knights have one more loss than Wyandotte, both defeats came at the hands of tough teams.

Oak Park lost 41-20 to Clarkston (11-0) in Week 9, a team that is considered one of the best in the state. In Week 8 the Knights were dropped by Oxford (7-5) 14-12, which was a squad that made it to the second round of the playoffs this year.

For Wyandotte to win tonight, they will have to shut down the potent offense of the Knights.

Malik Washington, John Kelly and Mario Morris together form a solid rushing attack. Against Cody two weeks ago, Washington and Kelly both had more than 100 yards rushing.

Brandon Harding and Brian Williams are both dangerous receivers for Oak Park, a team that is known to alternate quarterbacks during the game.

Roosevelt head coach Ron Adams said he is confident that his squad can match up with the Knights tonight.

“We’ve got a very good football team,” he said. “We’ve got tough, hard-nosed kids. We like our situation (and) we like our chances. We’re going to make the most of this opportunity.”

Fan Information

Tickets for tonight’s game are $5 at the gate. 

Those who want to get a seat in the bleachers should arrive early, as a large crowd is expected. The temperature is expected to be about 50 degrees at game time.

Media Coverage

For those unable to attend the game, Wyandotte Patch will be hosting a live chat throughout the game, bringing updates of what's going on, both on and off the field. This is in addition to the Facebook updates normally done for Friday night lights.

Fox Sports Detroit will have cameras at the game tonight, filming for the Friday Football Overtime show. The program is scheduled to air at 11:30 p.m. tonight, with an encore presentation airing tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.