South Lyon's memorable season is over after tough loss to Western
Western used a 21-0 third-quarter blitz to take control of a close game and went on to a 35-14 victory.
South Lyon's memorable season is over after tough loss to Western Western used a 21-0 third-quarter blitz to take control of a close game and went on to a 35-14 victory. Check out this story on HometownLife.com: https://www.hometownlife.com/story/sports/high-school/2018/11/03/wl-western-35-south-lyon-14/1870824002/
Marty Budner, Hometownlife.com Published 2:05 a.m. ET Nov. 3, 2018
Keegan McGrath and his South Lyon teammates had their dream season end with Friday night's loss to Walled Lake Western in the Division 2 district championship game.(Photo: Tom Beaudoin)
South Lyon's second go-around with Walled Lake Western didn't fare as well as the first. And it couldn't have come at a worse time.
The Lions hooked up with the Warriors for the second time in three weeks in Friday's Division 2 district championship game.
In the first meeting, South Lyon defeated Western 29-19 to claim the Lakes Valley Conference championship. The Warriors avenged that 10-point loss on a cool, crisp evening at The Jungle.
Western used a 21-0 third-quarter blitz to take control of a close game and went on to a 35-14 victory. The Warriors held a 7-6 halftime lead and took a 28-6 lead into the final quarter.
Western's five touchdowns were scored by Michael Beauchamp (54-yard run), Christopher Harris (31-yard interception return), Sam Johnson III (1-yard run), Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen (25-yard pass from Johnson) and Kevin Jackson (5-yard run).
South Lyon's touchdowns came in the first quarter (Keegan McGrath's 21-yard pass from quarterback Connor Fracassi) and fourth quarter (Fraccassi's 2-yard run).
Although South Lyon had two more plays in the game (58-56), Western had a decided edge statistically with 368 total yards to South Lyon's 150. The Warriors had 16 first downs to the Lions' 11.
Fracassi finished with seven completions in 21 attempts for 92 yards with a pair of interceptions. Ian Goins was South Lyon's leading rusher (25 yards) and Ron Menard was the leading receiver (36 yards on one reception).
Senior running back Kevin Jackson led Western with 72 yards rushing on four carries. Yaseen had five receptions for 69 yards and Johnson was 16-of-29 for 169 yards.
The loss ended a dream season for South Lyon.
The Lions went through the regular-season without a loss and won their first playoff game in overtime over Dexter. South Lyon finished with a stellar 10-1 overall record.
Western (8-3) will host Midland (8-3) in the D-2 regional championship game next week.