Harper Woods hands Clarkston its first loss, 28-13
Oregon commit Dakota Guerrant scored twice as Harper Woods beat previously unbeaten Clarkston 28-13 Friday. Clarkston fell in the rankings but remains near the top of the Division 1 playoff-points list.
By OCJ Staff
Harper Woods beat Clarkston 28-13 on Friday, Oct. 16, handing Clarkston its first loss of the season, according to the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press.
Clarkston came in unbeaten. The Free Press had Clarkston ranked No. 5 in its Super 25 and Harper Woods No. 17. The Detroit News had Clarkston No. 6 in its own Super 25. Both teams are now 7-1.
How it went
Clarkston fumbled on its opening series, the Detroit News reported. Harper Woods took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when sophomore quarterback Austin Mitchell threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Dakota Guerrant, an Oregon commit, according to the Detroit News and the Free Press.
Deandre Bidden ran 59 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 14-0, according to the Free Press. Clarkston answered with a touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Waszczenko to Wendell Childs, the Free Press reported, cutting the lead to 14-6. Harper Woods blocked a Clarkston field goal try in the final seconds of the half.
On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Guerrant took a snap out of the wildcat and ran for a touchdown that made it 21-6. Harper Woods led 28-6 with 5:55 left before Waszczenko threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Julien Mohr, according to the Detroit News.
Harper Woods' defense forced a punt or a turnover on seven of Clarkston's nine possessions, the Detroit News reported. Waszczenko finished 16 of 29 passing for 182 yards.
"Being under the radar right now feels great," Harper Woods coach Rod Oden told the Detroit News. He told the Free Press he was proud that his players played the way they practice.
The two reports differ on Guerrant's numbers
The two newspapers gave different figures for Guerrant's night on the ground:
- Detroit News: 12 carries for 146 yards, with the second-half touchdown run covering 76 yards.
- Free Press: 10 carries for 154 yards, with the touchdown run covering 77 yards.
Both papers said Guerrant also caught two passes for 12 yards and completed one pass for 18 yards. The Free Press said he played most of Harper Woods' defensive snaps at linebacker.
Each paper also described a different Clarkston touchdown. The Free Press reported the first-half pass to Childs but not a late score. The Detroit News reported the late pass to Mohr and credited Waszczenko with one touchdown pass, without describing how Clarkston scored its first six points.
What it means
Harper Woods, a Wayne County school that plays in the Oakland Activities Association, has won all five of its OAA Blue games, the Detroit News reported. It has one regular-season game left, against Mason, according to the Free Press.
Clarkston plays in the OAA Red. The Journal did not find a report saying whether Friday's crossover game counted in the OAA standings.
The loss dropped Clarkston from No. 5 to No. 13 in the Free Press Super 25 released Sunday. Harper Woods jumped from No. 17 to No. 8.
Clarkston is still No. 3 in Division 1 with 80.375 playoff points, according to the Free Press's playoff-points standings published Monday. Harper Woods is No. 2 in Division 3. Those standings are the Free Press's tally, not the MHSAA's official list, which comes with the playoff pairings on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Clarkston closes the regular season at home against Muskegon on Friday, Oct. 23, according to MaxPreps. See our Week 9 preview.
This story uses reporting from the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, and MaxPreps schedules.