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Freshman QB leads Divine Child past Lamphere in D4 playoff opener
MADISON HEIGHTS — The 15 on the front and back of Drew Sheridan’s jersey signifies more than just a roster number for the Dearborn Divine Child quarterback.
It’s also his age.
The Falcons’ signal caller is just 15 years old. But he certainly did not play like a baby-faced freshman Friday night against Madison Heights Lamphere.
Sheridan threw five touchdown passes — to four different receivers — and amassed more than 250 passing yards in his team’s 42-6 victory over the host Rams in the first round of the Division 4 playoffs. His first and last touchdowns were hauled in by senior Bryce Borgus, the first from 37 yards out and the last went for 78 yards.
“He’s got a lot of poise and an extremely high football IQ. He really understands the game, understands concepts,” Divine Child head coach Chris Laney. “He’s got some moxy in the huddle, and he’s got a lot of leadership behind him — with a really good surrounding cast.”
A big part of that supporting cast is junior running back Marcello Vitti, who broke a couple nice runs early in the second quarter to loosen up the Lamphere defense. In what was a slow start to a game which saw the two teams trade punts on four of the first five possessions, Sheridan and company took advantage of a Lamphere turnover with just under five minutes left in the first half.
Just one play after Falcon senior Ethan Perkins forced and recovered a Ram fumble, Sheridan found Borgus to his left for a 37-yard touchdown to break a scoreless tie.
Lamphere’s lone score in the game came on special teams, as senior Aidan Grzesikowski returned a kickoff 64 yards for a touchdown. Grzesikowski fumbled the kick, only to pick it up, veer to his right before finding a seam in the Falcons’ kickoff coverage. The touchdown immediately answered Borgus’s first touchdown.
But it also proved to be the last score the Rams could muster. The Falcon defense forced four Lamphere turnovers in the game, three of which led to quick touchdowns. It also forced a Ram turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter. Divine Child needed just two plays to capitalize, with Sheridan connecting with junior Marcello Vitti over the middle for a 69-yard touchdown. That gave the Falcons a commanding 28-6 lead.
“Every week, he’s gotten better and better throughout the season and that’s a tribute to him and our coaching staff on the offensive side,” Laney said of his freshman quarterback. “He’s a student of the game. He tells us what to run sometimes. For a freshman to do that is really unique.”
Sheridan and Vitti fueled their team’s last-minute touchdown in the second quarter. Vitti had runs of 14 and 11 yards, and Sheridan connected with junior Antonio Solares-Vitti for a 25-yard reception, setting up a five-yard touchdown pass to senior David Harrison with just 48 seconds remaining in the half.
Divine Child needed just three minutes to score on its first possession of the second half. Vitti’s 28-yard run helped set things up, as Sheridan and Solares-Vitti hooked up for a 10-yard touchdown with 5:24 remaining in the third quarter.
“I’m very comfortable out there,” Sheridan said after the game. “I’ve got to give a lot of praise to my offensive line tonight. I don’t think I took any sacks. This all really came about in the offseason, working to develop all these weapons I now have to help us get this far. With me being just a freshman, the more talent I have around me, the easier it is for me.”
Vitti would cap off the night’s scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run with 6:31 to play. But as well as Sheridan, Vitti and the rest of the offense played Friday night, the Falcons’ defense also came to play.
Along with Perkins’ first-half fumble recovery, Divine Child forced three more turnovers in the fourth quarter. Vitti forced and recovered a fumble, while Solares-Vitti and sophomore Giancarlo Vitti picked up interceptions for the Falcons.
“Playoff football is not easy,” Laney said. “These teams are good. Lamphere is a good team. They had a great season. I think we were feeling ourselves out a little bit (early). We really didn’t know too much about (Lamphere) coming in. Our kids persevered a little bit there and we started to get things going. We were able to make a few adjustments at halftime and had a really good second half.”
Sheridan did not enter the season as the starting quarterback for the Falcons (7-3 overall). But he took over in Week 2 and has not looked back. With nine games under his belt now, he’s no longer playing like a freshman.
“That’s my mindset going into these playoffs. I can’t play like a freshman anymore,” Sheridan said. “It’s win or go home. I have to play like a senior and play up to my abilities. These guys have a lot of trust in me and I’ve got a lot of trust in them. And we’re playing well right now. We’re winning and that’s all that matters.”
Divine Child now awaits the winner of Saturday’s Harper Woods at Redford Union game.
For Lamphere, it marks the end of another very successful season for head coach Ray Ostrowski and his 8-2 squad. Lamphere has won seven or more games in five straight seasons, the last four under Ostrowski. This year, the Rams captured a share of the Macomb Area Conference Gold division.
“Divine Child is a phenomenal team,” said Ostrowski, who has a 30-11 record with the Rams since taking over in 2021. “They’re well coached and their players made plays. Our motto is ‘One play at a time,’ and I thought there were a couple plays that broke us and put us a little bit behind. Unfortunately as a result, we had to play catchup and we had to force some things that we really didn’t want to do.
“It sucks being the bridesmaid, but at the same time what I’m most proud of is this senior class. We were able to grow the program. When I first got here, on our very first day, we had just seven kids for a 7-on-7. And that first season, there were 34 players, and now it’s up to 75. In terms of growth, I’m absolutely thrilled with where the program is at. We’ve had a lot of first-time football players come out, kids coming back to play sports, and that’s what is most exciting.”
