WALLED LAKE – One of the most anticipated matchups in the first round of this season’s high school football playoffs did not disappoint, as Birmingham Brother Rice narrowly defeated Walled Lake Western in a neck-and-neck battle.

Brother Rice will be moving on to the district finals after the 28-24 win, building off of its scorching hot streak to inch its way into the playoffs following a 2-4 season start.

“It means a lot,” Brother Rice head coach Aaron Marshall said. “We couldn’t stop them at all in the first half. They were getting what they wanted in the run game. My defensive coordinator made really good adjustments in the second half, and we got really really key stops.”

The game began in favor of Western, who stretched the opening drive out to nearly seven minutes, topping it off with a 37-yard touchdown reception on fourth and long by junior Timon Dogan to make it 7-0.

The time-consuming drive by Western was rough on the defensive end, but Marshall said they stuck to the game plan.

“You stick with the game plan,” Marshall said. “When it’s the playoffs, you’ve got to take what you can get when you get it right. You’re never automatic to score. You keep calling the plays you’re going to call and defense will adjust.”

While Western appeared to have complete control of the game, the tide quickly turned. Sophomore Deondre Hill instantly rushed 79 yards to answer back in a drive that lasted less than a minute. A failed extra-point attempt made it a 7-6 game in favor of Western.

The long rush paid off for Brother Rice, which forced Western to go three-and-out on their next possession. The defensive effort was aided by a 40-yard receiving touchdown to senior Jacob Johnson from junior Sam Eyde to take the lead at 13-7 ending the first quarter.

Johnson and Hill were the difference-makers on offense for Brother Rice.

“That’s our version of Sonic and Knuckles, that’s thunder and lightning man,” Marshall said. “They both are prime time players. They are big time guys and they make those kinds of plays in big time games.”

While the first quarter was a shootout for both teams, the second quarter showcased strong defense. Western once again used a long, near 10-minute opening drive to set up a short rushing touchdown by junior Michael Walker Jr. to retake the lead at 14-13.

Following a turnover on downs by Brother Rice, Western couldn’t add on to their lead despite a 57-yard reception by senior Jacarri Anderson. Western would get into scoring range and set up a field goal attempt, but the snap was long to send both teams to half.

Brother Rice looked like they were going to use the Western mishap to their advantage to begin the second half, as Johnson took the ball 40-yards downfield, only for it to be followed by a field goal to give them the lead once more at 16-14.

Both teams once again reverted to their quick scoring as Western followed the field goal with a short rollout touchdown caught by Central Michigan commit Lucas Hoffmeyer. Brother Rice responded with a wide open touchdown caught in the corner of the end zone by sophomore Tyler Trussell to turn the game in their favor to end a back-and-forth third.

The fourth quarter seemed to be all Western, which held a 24-22 lead until two minutes to go in the game. On the final offensive drive for Brother Rice, Deondre Hill sent a 24-yard rush to the endzone to retake a 28-24 lead. Despite a minute and a half to win the game, Western was stopped by an aggressive Brother Rice pass rush.

Brother Rice will move on to face Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, a 35-7 winner over North Farmington, in next week’s district finals. Despite the immediate emotion of the win over Western, Marshall said they’re going right back to the drawing board to prepare.

“Literally starting tomorrow, we’re going to watch this film and correct our mistakes from here,” Marshall said. “We’ve got to have a great week of practice, it’s imperative that we start there.”