North Farmington Eliminated From Playoffs By Brother Rice

The Raiders saw their football season come to an end on Friday night, falling to the Brother Rice Warriors, 34-8, in the pre-district round of the MHSAA Division 2 Playoffs.

The Warriors led throughout the game, with senior running back Devin Church returning the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.

“You definitely don’t want to start the game that way,” North Farmington head coach Todd Schultz said. “It put us in a hole, but they are a real good football team. They controlled the line and we weren’t able to do what we wanted to do.”

In addition to scoring on the opening kickoff, Church ran for another touchdown and racked up 172 yards rushing on nine carries.

“That’s what he’s done all year for us,” said Brother Rice head coach Al Fracassa. “I’ve had him for three years here at Brother Rice, I only wish I had him for a few more.”

Church was a part of the Brother Rice ground game that accounted for 339 of the team’s 361 yards of offense. Sophomore running back Brian Walker also bettered the 100-yard mark for the Warriors, gaining 121 yards on 20 carries and scoring a touchdown.

Brother Rice’s victory gives them a district-final date with top-ranked on either Friday, Nov. 4 or Saturday, Nov. 5. The two teams met in the pre-district round of last year’s playoffs, with the Hawks coming out on top, 37-27.

For North Farmington, the loss is certainly not the ideal ending to the season, but considering what was expected of them at the beginning, Schultz said, the Raiders should be very proud of their accomplishments. They ended up with a 7-2 overall record and a tie for first place in the Oakland Activities Association Blue Division.

“It was a great season and the kids have played well all year,” Schultz said. “Early on, they were probably picked to finish last in the division, but they proved that they were champions. They lost their first two games of the season and went on to win seven straight, so you’ve got to be proud of that effort.”

Perhaps no Raider should be more proud of that effort than senior running back/linebacker Kevin Miller. In his final game with the team, Miller was North Farmington’s leading rusher, with 80 yards on 13 carries, and tackler, with 10 stops.

 “We’ve had guys like (Miller) who have played well and been spotlighted, and those guys are true Raiders that we pride ourselves on,” Schultz said. “We try to play hard on every play, and he’ll do that. That’s something that will take him far in life."

Birmingham Brother Rice 34, North Farmington 8

BBR – 13 21 0 0 – 34

NF – 0 0 0 8 – 8

First Quarter

BBR – Church 94 kickoff return (kick failed), 0:00

BBR – Church 4 run (Alessi kick), 10:03

Second Quarter

BBR – Echols 27 run (Alessi kick), 1:52

BBR – Walker 2 run (Alessi kick), 8:35

BBR – Rao 10 run (Alessi kick), 9:18

Third Quarter

No Scoring

Fourth Quarter

NF – Mackie 0 fumble recovery (Napierala pass from Penny), 10:59

Rushing

BBR: Church 9-172, Walker 20-121, Siroskey 5-28, Echols 1-27, Team 49-339. NF: Miller 13-74, Woods 11-33, Ervin 7-31, Penny 3-minus 16, Team 34-122

Passing

BBR: Lacanaira 4-9-22-2. NF: Penny 6-15-58-2, Ervin 1-2-37-0, Team 7-17-95-3

Receiving

BBR: Warner 1-13, Ferguson 1-12, Roney 1-9, Walker 1-minus 12, Team 4-22. NF: Miller 3-15, Hall 2-39, Ervin 1-41, Woods 1-0, Team 7-95

Records

BBR: 6-4 (1-3 Catholic League). NF: 7-3 (6-2 OAA Blue)