Lumen set to battle Clinton High in Division 6 regional final
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson – For the third week in a row, the Lumen Christi football team will face a team in the postseason for the first time in program history.
But this week may not be like any before it.
“It’s probably one the best teams we’ve seen all year,” Titans coach Herb Brogan said. “They are very good. They’re the real deal.”
This year, and plenty before it.
Clinton is 11-0 this season, and the current group of seniors has a four-year record of 43-3.
But as for this year, well, the group has been dynamite.
The Redskins are averaging 37.8 points per game, keyed by senior running back Matthew Sexton.
In 11 games this season, Sexton has rushed for 1,810 yards and 29 touchdowns, picking up 164.5 yards per game.
“We have to tackle, that’s the No. 1 thing,” Brogan said simply. “Their running back is for real, and they have more than just (Sexton). The key is, they can’t get loose in the secondary. If they are getting to our secondary, we’re going to be in trouble.”
Clinton cruised past a shorthanded Madison Heights Madison High team last week — playing without its head coach who was suspended for the game — by a 43-20 count, leading 22-0 roughly five minutes into the game.
In the opener, Clinton stunned many with a 14-10 victory against Monroe St. Mary’s Catholic Central, the defending D-6 champ.
“Eliminating the big plays is key,” Brogan stressed. “Last week we did a great job containing (Manchester) 95-percent of the time, but we gave up a couple big ones. We can’t do that this week.”
On the flip side of the ball, Lumen’s had no problem putting up points this offseason.
In the opener, it took some time, but the Titans eventually scored 35 against Vandercook Lake.
Last week, against a Manchester team that was barely allowing 17 in the regular season, Lumen put up 45.
Lumen’s best player the past month or so, Bo Bell, hardly played last week after injuring his ankle.
“He looks like he’ll be ready to go,” Brogan said.
While there are so many similar things this weekend, a team looking to get past the tradition of Lumen Christi, a team hosting the Titans with what is sure to be an overflow crowd, Brogan said his guys much approach the game the same way they did the past two weeks.
Anything can happen.
Don’t take anything for granted.
“We’re one of eight left,” Brogan said. “You have to enjoy it. I like where we are in terms of the fact we’re still playing. But hopefully we have that game of playing up to our potential, because we haven’t done that yet. If we want to be in a good mood Friday night, we have to come out and play to our full potential.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.