Fenton Beats Okemos to Claim District Football Title

Special teams has been a big part of the Fenton football team's success this season, so it's no surprise a special teams play helped break open the team's 35-7 win over Okemos on Saturday.

Leading 14-7 in what had that point been a competitive game with both teams having some success moving the ball, Fenton forced an Okemos punt from inside the Okemos 45-yard-line.

Okemos had a chance to pin Fenton back with bad field position but instead, Gannon Teall broke through and blocked the punt. Teammate Brennen Clarke recovered with nothing but open field ahead of him to put Fenton up 21-7.

"We worked hard on special teams all week long," Clarke said. "The emphasis all week was to get a punt block and we got it, we grabbed it and we scored."

Fenton coach Jeff Setzke said the Tigers pride themselves on special teams.

"We were already up a score when that happened, but that play gave us a lot of momentum," Setzke said.

With the home win, Fenton (9-2) captured its second straight district title and moves on to play 1 p.m. Saturday at Lowell (10-1) — a perennial state power.

"This year we wanted to prove to everyone that we're a team to be reckoned with and a team that can go deep into the playoffs every year," quarterback Houston Shaw said.

That proof Saturday began with some resiliency after Okemos (7-4) took an early lead. The chieftains used their run-heavy offense to put together a long scoring drive early in the second quarter capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Jonny Bolas.

The Tigers responded on their next drive. Fenton kept the drive alive twice by converting fourth downs, even one that would have been in field goal range for standout kicker Kenny Allen. After the second conversion, quarterback Shaw found Trent Grimes on a 13-yard pass to tie the game just before halftime.

"If we weren't going into the wind, we probably would've decided to just kick the field goal (on the second fourth-down play)," Setzke said. "But we didn't think we were quite close enough with the wind going at us, and it ended up working out for us."

Fenton scored again on the opening drive of the third quarter on the first of two 19-yard touchdown runs by Shaw. Gerad Wegener also scored a late touchdown for Fenton.

While the offense got going in the second half, the defense proved to be key. After that initial scoring drive, Okemos didn't move the ball inside the Fenton 20 for the rest of the game. As a running team, once Okemos got behind, it was hard for them to mount a comeback because they weren't comfortable throwing the ball.

"They're not a team that likes to throw a lot," Setzke said. "They're a big team and they want to beat you up with the run. It played into our favor when we got up by two scores."

Because Okemos was an unfamiliar opponent that Fenton had only watched on film, it took the defense a little while to get used to the style of play. But once the Tigers figured out what Okemos wanted to do, they were able to limit them.

"Usually it takes a series or two to get used to the offense," Clarke said. "Once we adjusted, we just locked it down and didn't let them do anything."