Undefeated Birmingham Groves held off Warren De La Salle’s comeback to win the Division 2 regional final.

The match took place on November 15 and the crowd was packed as it was one of the most competitive matchups in the regional finals.

De La Salle opened the game with a long, methodical drive that ended with a 39-yard touchdown run to wide receiver Dalton Drogosh.

The score was 7-0 after the extra point.

Groves started his possession from his own 45-yard line after a strong return. Senior running back and son of Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders, Noah Sanders had a long run to the 22-yard line.

The Falcons finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Ryan Counts.

The score was 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams’ defenses shined early in the second quarter as they traded stops on the first four possessions of the second quarter.

De La Salle was quickly stopped but the punt was botched and allowed Groves to take over at the De La Salle 37-yard line.

The Falcons took advantage of a 27-yard screen pass to senior tight end Noah Woods for a touchdown.

After the extra point, the score was 14-7 with over 6 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter.

De La Salle took over but was stopped by Groves’ strong defense. The drivers had several penalties which killed the momentum of practice.

However, the Pilots’ defense allowed them to stay in the game. Senior linebackers Daulton Drogosh and Anthony Bitoni were making plays all over the field.

The Pilots had a chance to tie the game with more than two minutes left before halftime, but a pass was intercepted by Groves senior Aiden Leung.

The Falcons chose to score a field goal before halftime, but missed.

The score was 14-7 at halftime.

Groves received the ball early in the third quarter and quickly found success on the ground. The drive was stalled after Counts was sacked on third down by senior lineman Anthony Presnell.

De La Salle got the ball and methodically moved down the field behind his senior quarterbacks Bitoni and Sante Gasperoni.

The drive ended with a 20-yard pass from Gasperoni to junior wide receiver Damion King.

Groves blocked the extra point, making the score 14-13 with the Falcons still in the lead.

Groves took over at his own 24-yard line with more than three minutes left in the third quarter. The Falcons offense moved the ball down the field with its senior running back duo Sanders and Mario Campoy-LoVasco.

Practice stopped as the Falcons were hurt by red zone penalties.

One of the most critical plays of the game came on fourth-and-16 from the De La Salle 17-yard line. Counts threw a jump ball toward senior receiver Chris Little in the end zone. Little was pushed out of bounds by the defender but reestablished his position in the end zone as he made the catch.

The referees called pass interference on the defense and ruled the play a touchdown.

After the extra point, the score was 21-13 with just over nine minutes left.

The Pilots got the ball from their own 20-yard line and responded quickly.

On the first play, Gasperoni threw a jump ball to Drogosh who was carried 38 yards.

A penalty on Groves brought the Pilots back to the 24-yard line.

Drogosh caught another 10-yard pass for a first down that put the Pilots in the red zone.

Bitoni crossed the goal line on a direct shot from the 9-yard line.

Bitoni took another direct snap for the two-point conversion attempt, but was stopped short of the goal line.

The score was 21-19 with just over seven minutes left.

Groves took over and had the opportunity to put the game away on offense.

Groves tried to run the ball to buy time, but didn’t find much success.

De La Salle’s defense was solid, but on third-and-10 from midfield, Counts connected again on a deep ball to Little.

At the De La Salle 31-yard line, the Pilots again shut down the running attack and forced a fourth down.

Counts made a clutch play, picking up the first down during a scrimmage. The Falcons only needed one more first down to put the game away.

Campoy-LoVasco ran for seven yards on first down, making it second and third with less than two minutes to play.

The Counts took a quarterback sneak for three yards, which was enough for the first down and the victory.

The Falcons knelt down with the remaining time in victory formation and beat De La Salle 21-19.

Groves got revenge in the 2022 semifinal game against the Pilots in which De La Salle won and captured the Division 2 state championship.

The Falcons will face Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in the semifinals at West Bloomfield High School on Nov. 23.