By John Raffel
Missed it by that much.
In the case of Lansing Sexton, “that much” was a single point in the 28-27 Division 4 state title loss to Grand Rapids South Christian at Ford Field on Nov. 28.
For Sexton, 13-1, its hopes for a state title were almost realized after it came back from a 28-14 deficit in the fourth quarter. A missed extra point on the final touchdown kept Sexton a point shy.
Malik Mack connected with Kahari Foy-Walton for the game’s first touchdown and a 7-0 Sexton lead. Jon Wassink threw a pair of touchdown passes for a 14-7 Sailors lead.
Mack had a 2-yard run for another touchdown in the second quarter.
The Big Reds trailed 14-21 at halftime.
“We didn’t have some calls go our way in the first half, but that’s football,” Sexton coach Daniel Boggan said. “There’s no replay in high school.”
South Christian began the second half with a touchdown pass and 8-yard scoring jaunt on a quarterback keeper by Wassink for a 28-14 lead.
Gavin Hoskins had a 17-yard run late in the third quarter, and Mack threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Foy-Walton early in the fourth.
Late in the game, Sexton stopped South Christian at the Big Red seven-yard line to give itself another shot with 1:35 to play. But with a long field, the Big Reds could only get to their own 39 as time expired.
The defense “really sucked it up and gave us a shot,” Boggan said. “In the second half, they played unbelievably well, other than the big run for a touchdown [68 yards by Wassink] to open the second half.”
South Christian did not do anything that Boggan didn’t expect. “They’re an outstanding football team, and that quarterback is an extra special player,” he said.
Sexton had a tough schedule and some close games in its run to 13-0 and Ford Field, but Boggan acknowledged that South Christian was the best squad his team has faced. “They execute the best out of any team we’ve played,” he said.
Sexton had the edge in passing 224-179 but not in rushing, 202-101.
“Unfortunately, we came up a little bit short,” Boggan said.
Boggan still has hopes for the future and will miss some valuable seniors in his lineup.
“I’m going to miss a ton of guys like Javon Wray, Avonte’ Bell, Rayshaun Wilborn, Malik Mack, Caleb Gentry, LaPriest Blocker, Shain Shannon, Isaiah Brown, Aris Davis, and James Hogan,” Boggan said. “There’s so many of them. We had a great group of seniors; I love them all. I love all my kids. They gave us a heckuva ride. They played their hearts out tonight. It just wasn’t enough.
“They’re the winningest seniors in the history of Sexton football. They’re unbelievably special. I can’t say enough about them. They’re the reasons why we’re here. Their work ethic and dedication..they show the young guys how to work, and hopefully they’ll continue on with their legacy. It’s a great one.”
Boggan was heartened by the number of Sexton fans at Ford Field to cheer on the Big Reds. “Our Big Reds nation showed up from all over the country,” Boggan said. “We had people from Georgia, California, Alabama, Texas, New York, come back and cheer us on. I’m really disappointed that we couldn’t come back with a victory. But they saw us compete and put up a fight.”
Boggan had some heartfelt words for his players after the game. “I told them that I love them and I wanted them to keep their composure; we’ll get back here and keep fighting, and how special these seniors are,” he said. “It hurts, and I told them we all hurt. It’s something we have to learn, rebound from it, and move on. It doesn’t take away from the special season they had.”
The 2014 season definitely put the Lansing Sexton program on the map.
“Hopefully people know Sexton football is for real, and we’re here to stay,” Boggan said. “We want to continue to make these runs, and hopefully we can back here and win it.”