FeedsInkster sinks Clawson, 45-6
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Inkster’s Anre’ Goree blasts through visiting Clawson’s defense on Saturday to help the Vikings to a 45-6 win.It didn’t take Inkster long to show visiting Clawson that they meant business on Saturday in the pre-district football match-up.
The field conditions were messy and muddy at Inkster High and, with the gusty, rainy wind that Mother Nature provided, it was a perfect setting to run the ball. However, it was Inkster’s aerial attack in the first quarter that led the Vikings to a 45-6 victory.
With the wind at his back, junior quarterback Aaron Shavers struck early and often with stellar accuracy in the blustery conditions. He scrambled out of trouble on several occasions in order to make big plays. He finished 6-of-8 (75 percent pass-completion ratio) for 241 yards and three scores.
Inkster scored two times on its first three pass plays in the first quarter.
Shavers’ first pass fell incomplete but his second struck junior receiver Derrick Coker in the mitts for a 42-yard score at 8:57 of the frame. Then on the team’s first play from scrimmage on their second possession—the third play overall—Shavers tossed a 49-yard strike to junior wideout Renty Rollins to make it 13-0.
“We really wanted to take advantage of the wind,” said Inkster Coach Greg Carter. “We really don’t tell our quarterback who to throw the ball to, but we had a few out-and-ups and he picked the right guy. We just wanted to get a completion and if it resulted in a touchdown then good but it wasn’t nothing intentional. We just wanted to throw the ball well and use the wind to our advantage.”
On the sixth Inkster play—third drive—Shavers had two tacklers wrapped around him before he shuffled the ball to senior receiver J.J. Snelling, who took it 44 yards to Clawson’s 5. Two plays later senior running back Anre’ Goree punched in the touchdown from the 1.
Shavers made another big play when he scrambled in the backfield before lofting a 24-yarder to Coker. That set up an eight-yard scoring run by Snelling at the 11:55 mark of the second. Inkster led 26-0.
“Some of that wasn’t coaching,” Carter said. “Not every play is going to work the way it was designed and some times I get on him about holding the ball too much—but he has that talent that he can avoid pass rushes. I would really prefer he get the ball out of his hands, but I just turn and don’t look half of the time.”
Even heading into the wind in the second quarter, Shavers was able to make plays. On another first-and-10 play he connected again with Coker, who ran up the right sideline for a 62-yard score with 22 seconds left in the half.
“I just tried to make a play to help the team out and get the win,” Shavers said. “They thought we were going to run so we had to open up the pass this week and that helped out a lot.”
Inkster scored even when they weren’t trying to. In the third, Inkster was set to punt but the snap was off its mark so Snelling picked it up and ran 51 yards to paydirt, making it a 39-0 game.
Goree finished the scoring for Inkster when he broke free for a 56-yard run.
Senior defensive end Michael Bailey recorded six sacks for Inkster’s defense.
Clawson finally got on the board with 17 seconds left in the third when Mike Forsythe ran in a five-yard score.
Inkster will need some of that pizzazz when they face off against Madison Heights Bishop Foley at home at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Bishop Foley (7-3) is a rival of Carter’s from when he coached at Detroit St. Martin de Porress. The Detroit school closed two years ago, sending Carter and some of his players to Inkster.
“Since I’ve played them last they’ve changed coaching staff so I don’t really know a lot about them,” he said. “I think in the playoffs it’s just as important to take care of the team that you’re trying to play and worry about that other stuff when you do film exchange. I know that they have a good record and play in a tough conference so I expect them to give us a good game next week.”
It looked at first that Inkster would have to travel to a 9-1 Monroe St. Mary’s Catholic Central for game two but they lost to Floley on Friday. However, the opponent doesn’t matter to the confident Vikings who are playing at the top of their game right now.
“We come to play whoever,” Shavers said. “The confidence of the team is good right now and we want to play for a state championship.”
