FeedsVikings deliver
Inkster heads to semi finals
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Inkster junior quarterback Devin Gardner (7) looks for running room against Chelsea defenders during a Division 3 regional championship match at Romulus High School on Saturday. Gardner ran for 122 yards and both of Inkster's scores to win the game, 16-1Neither rain nor snow nor hail nor gloom of an early winter keeps the mighty Vikings from the swift gridiron triumphs of their appointed contest.
The Vikings faced it all but nothing was going to stop them from delivering.
The Inkster Vikings faced several elements, including a fierce pack of Chelsea Bulldogs, in the course of one football game. But they still got the job done with a 16-13 victory in a Division 3 regional championship bout at Romulus Middle School on Saturday.
The Vikes now move on to the state semifinal against Bloomfield Hills Lahser this Saturday at Birmingham Seaholm High School—one step away from Ford Field.
The relentless barrage of ice, snow and rain was just one of the challenges the Vikings faced.
Inkster was awarded home field advantage but that turned into an away game at a neutral site. The venue changed to Romulus Middle School to accommodate the droves of Chelsea fans known to follow the team.
The artificial turf at Romulus was also slick but that didn’t stop the running game for either team. The Vikings faced the biggest ‘Dog in the house, junior running back Nick Hill.
Hill rushed for 320 yards the week before. The Inkster defense held the running phenom to 168 yards and zero touchdowns on Saturday not including the 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half.
Junior quarterback Devin Gardner rushed for 122 yards and both of Inkster’s touchdowns and was 4-for-9 for 25 yards passing in the wet conditions.
“It was tough—it was cold,” he said of the conditions. “The team kept playing hard and the line kept blocking hard. We couldn’t pass the ball very much—it was really cold—but we got it done. We just got it done.”
Gardner did whatever it took to keep the ball moving forward while alluding tacklers and turning several third-and-long plays into first downs.
“I just wanted to win,” he added. “I’ll do whatever it takes to win and that’s what I did.”
He wasn’t the only one willing to do whatever was needed of him.
Inkster senior running back Alan Freeman carried for 21 times for 91 yards in the effort. Freeman’s stellar defensive play disrupted Chelsea’s attack. He racked up 10 tackles and defended two passes.
One of the key drives for Inkster was the first possession of the game. The Vikings held on to the ball for nearly eight and a half minutes before Gardner rolled to the outside on a four-yard keeper. Senior running back Kevin Brown battled his way into the end zone for the two-point conversion and an 8-0 advantage.
“What we did was keep the ball away from a great tailback,” said Inkster Coach Greg Carter of the long drive. “We had the ball a good seven or eight minutes and that helped. That was the best way for us to start the game off because it allowed us to build confidence and momentum.”
Both teams tried to keep their footing through the rest of the first and most of the second until Gardner punched in a one-yard keeper with 1:29 left in the half. He then connected with senior wide receiver Cameron Gordon for the two-point conversion to make it a 16-0 game.
The two-score lead didn’t last long.
Hill opened the second half with his 80-yard return up the right side to narrow the lead, 16-6. That didn’t dampen the Vikings’ spirit.
“We still believed—you can’t stop believing.,” Gardner said. “That didn’t do anything but get their hopes up.”
Inkster struggled offensively in the second half and had a scare when Gardner went down clinching his right leg. He only had a cramp but it was bad enough to sideline him for part of the fourth quarter.
“We made a couple of mistakes when he wasn’t in there and offensively gave them a chance,” Carter said.
With 1:09 left to play in the fourth, Chelsea senior quarterback Michael Roberts escaped for a 14-yard jaunt to pay dirt. He kicked the extra point to maker it a 16-13 game.
But the contest was far from over. The Bulldogs recovered an onside kick for a chance to tie or win.
Inkster stood tough, though.
The biggest play of the game was when sophomore Donovan Lindsay—with plenty of real estate to make up—caught up with a wide-open Steven O’Keefe and jarred a pass loose in the end zone on third down.
On fourth down with 11 seconds to go, a scrambling Roberts fired a shot that Inkster senior defensive back Damond Smith intercepted, ending the game.
“We never really held them in their territory and we always had to make plays in the red zone,” Carter said. “We did a good job of making plays when we had to because they moved the ball extremely well after we had that first long drive.”
Senior strong safety Jose McNeal recovered a fumble at the Inkster 18 and returned to the Chelsea 38. He also earned a sack on the day. Senior linebacker Darnell Morris led the defense with 12 tackles. Gordon added six tackles.
The slim victory was a complete opposite of Inkster’s two lopsided playoff wins that the Vikings outscored opponents, 102-0.
“It was a good day for us to win a tough game,” Carter said. “Our games have been lopsided and you know that they aren’t always going to be like that. To see what kind of resolve the team has and how much they are going to suck it up was good for us. We had to play every down in this game.”
Inkster (11-1) heads to Birmingham Seaholm High School to play the nearby Bloomfield Hills Lahser (11-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in the state semifinals.
The victor plays the winner of the East Grand Rapids-Stevensville Lakeshore game in the Division 3 state championship game at Ford Field at 7:30 pm on Saturday, Nov. 29.
