Warren De La Salle could not get anything going against Davison in the first half of the Xenith Prep Kickoff Classic , a season-opening event at Wayne State, but the second half was a completely different story, in large part due to the legs of junior quarterback Anthony Bitonti.
The Pilots, the 2023 Michigan high school football Division 2 runners-up, trailed at halftime, but blitzed Davison in the second half for a 21-3 victory in Week 1 of the MHSAA season.
The Pilots trailed 3-0 with less than 100 yards of offense in the first half, but came out of the locker room with touchdowns on their first two drives to take a 14-3 lead.
Bitonti, also the punter, scored both touchdowns on quarterback keepers in the red zone from 5 and 11 yards out. He added a third rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.
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It was the second game of a doubleheader that opened with a Downriver matchup between Southgate Anderson and Trenton, which Southgate won, 27-26, with a late touchdown.
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Anthony Bitonti sparks De La Salle with fake punt, QB runs
De La Salle lined up to punt on the first possession of the second half after just three plays, but Bitonti extended the drive with his legs out of necessity. He did not cleanly catch the snap, and had three Davison defenders in his face by the time he looked up, so he tucked it and ran. He blew past the first line of defenders and raced for 45 yards down to Davison's 17-yard line.
The coaches took him out for a play, going back to starting quarterback Sante Gasperoni for a play, before going back to the hot hand. Bitonti ran it three straight times, eventually finding the end zone after breaking a backfield tackle for a 5-yard score. Gasperoni led the offense down the field on the next possession before Bitonti scored on an 11-yard keeper to the left. He had a five-carry drive in the fourth, ending with a powerful 4-yard touchdown plunge up the middle to make it 21-3.
Bitonti had 89 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries in the second half.
De La Salle defense shuts down Davison
Davison, a Division 1 semifinalist last year, could only muster three points and had no success moving the ball after De La Salle took its second-half lead. Davison was able to move the ball through the air in the first half but couldn't turn it into more than a field goal.
In the second half, De La Salle's offense cut off the Cardinals, thanks to penalties and a disruptive defensive line made up of senior Anthony Presnell, junior Cam Burgess and senior Jacob Tur. Davison struggled to create the same lanes as it did for senior running back AJ Hill in the first half and junior quarterback Jaxson Dosh was running for his life trying to escape the pressure. Davison's offense did not cross midfield in the second half until its final drive, with less than two minutes remaining, but the drive ended in an interception.
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Jaxson Dosh-Wesley Hughes connection lone highlight in first half
Dosh and senior wide receiver Wesley Hughes were in sync in the first half as the only spark of offense for either team. Dosh completed eight of 13 passes for 104 yards in the first half, and Hughes pulled in six of those receptions for 92 yards.
The two biggest plays of the first half came on deep shots to Hughes along the sideline, with the first going for 34 yards and the second going for 22 yards on a corner route to convert a fourth-and-9 that led to a field goal to give Davison a 3-0 lead.
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan high school football: Warren De La Salle runs away from Davison, 21-3, in opener
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