Braylon is
Heritage West
in the house
NFL star Braylon
Edwards showed up in
Chelsea on Friday to
watch his brother play
for the Bulldogs.
PAGE 6B
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tigers look for revenge against Dearborn Fordson in football.
SPORTS
VOICES
Tigers could
DAVE
MERCHANT
knock off
talented
Fordson
T
he Tiger football
team is in a much
better position this
season when they host
Dearborn Fordson tomorrow at
Rynearson Stadium at Eastern
Michigan University. The team is
now 1-1 and I don’t quite believe
that Fordson is the powerhouse
they were last season.
It seems that a new vigor or
swagger has found its way into
the Belleville huddle and into the
locker room. It is not all because
of the new coach Matt Davenport,
but the team is looking a lot dif-
ferent this season.
Truthfully, it seems that the
football program at Belleville has
been rejuvenated. The players
look like they have more of a pur-
pose and they won’t settle for just
a few wins.
A couple years ago I started
covering them as one of my main
beats and it really was hard for
them at that time to compete in
the Mega Red. They had trouble
with teams like Anderson,
Allen Park, Dearborn and even
Fordson. I went a couple years
without seeing them get a win.
One of the columns I wrote was
just prior to them playing Taylor
Truman for Homecoming and
how they had a real chance at
victory.
They played well for the first
half, but Truman came out in the
second half and played one of the
best football games I had seen a
team play in quite a few seasons.
Belleville seemed befuddled and
confused and they went on to lose
the rest of the season.
This kept happening until last
season when they played Redford
Union and snapped a 19-game los-
ing streak.
This team they have now is not
merely going to settle for three
wins like they did last season.
When I talked to the leaders on
the team they all said this year
was different and they were not
going to settle for less than the
playoffs. So far a close loss to
Saline and a big win over Redford
Union show me they mean busi-
ness and they are not to be taken
lightly.
I hope for the sake of the
Fordson Tractors they look past
Belleville and I hope they think
this is the same team as last sea-
PLEASE SEE MERCHANT/4-B
Local
sports
blogs
Read Dave Merchant’s local
sports blog at http://heri-
tagewestsports.blogspot.com
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SPORTS
BELLEVILLE
SECTION B
September 9, 2010
www.heritage.com
WEEK 2 Belleville 54, Redford Union 14
Running
it up!
Tigers throttle
Redford Union
By Dave Merchant total offense while holding Redford
Heritage Newspapers Union to under 100 yards.
If the Belleville Tiger football “Offensively I thought we did well,”
team could play the Redford Union Tiger coach Matt Davenport said of
Panthers every week they might just his first win as a varsity coach.” We
want to. knew they had a couple of good ath-
The Tigers wasted no time on letes and our defense held them.”
Thursday night destroying the In the first quarter the locals took a
Panthers. Belleville jumped out early 7-0 lead. The visiting Tigers outscored Photo by Tom Perkins
and often as they cruised to a 54-14 Redford Union 33-8 in the second quar- Belleville senior RB
win. ter to take a 40-8 lead into the lockers Shaquille Smith runs
Lamont Howard led the massive room at the half. for a touchdown on
Thursday night
attack for the locals scoring four The second half didn’t have quite
touchdowns (5, 10, 1, 3). In all, the as much scoring as the first, but the against Redford
Union.
Belleville offense gained 475 yards in locals still managed to outscore the
PLEASE SEE TIGERS/4-B
Reeves brings excitement to Tigers
By Dave Merchant
Heritage Newspapers GAME DAY: Fordson
at Belleville (at EMU)
The Belleville Tiger football team has some exciting ath- When: Tomorrow at 7
letes this season. Senior split end and cornerback Jacques Where: Rynearson
Reeves is certainly one of those players. Stadium at EMU
Dynamic. Electrifying. More cheetah than Tiger. Scouting report:
Reeves started off the season by returning a 95-yard kick Belleville was beaten
for a touchdown in Game 1 against Saline. Reeves has been an soundly last year by
offensive, defensive and special team’s threat so far this sea- Fordson. But it won’t be
son. The Tigers like when the ball is in his hands. easy. Fordson has been on
“I had an excellent block from Reggie Addison,” Reeves said both ends of routs this sea-
of his kickoff return TD. “I made a good move and scored.” son. The Tractors pounded
He and his teammate and friend Javaunte Mackson have Garden City after falling
known each other since the fifth-grade. to Detroit Catholic Central
“We are best friends,” Reeves said. “We have been talking 35-0 in the season opener.
about a package deal that would get both of us to the same Fordson likes to mix it
college.” up, coming at you on the
So far, Reeves has gotten letters in football from several ground and in the air.
Division I and Division II schools. His other sport is basket- Our take: If Belleville
ball, but he hasn’t been recruited by anyone for that sport yet. can play up to its poten-
“I have to play both sports,” Reeves said. “I like the condi- tial the Tigers will have
tioning.” a chance in this game.
Reeves added he may run track this season and go back to JaVaunte Mackson and
the hurdles and even sprints. For him it is only natural to go Jacques Reeves will have
from one sport to another and he wants to continue that for to have big games on the
his senior season. ground. The Tigers must
When asked if he could beat his friend Mackson in the 100- be able to move the ball on
meter dash he laughed and said he didn’t think so. Mackson the ground to be success-
won the regional in that race and ran it at the state meet last ful. Fordson can be shut
year. down on offense. Well,
Playing as many sports as he does Reeves finds it nice to at least Detroit Catholic
relax with his friends and see a movie.
Tiger coach Matt Davenport knew he had a special athlete
Central can shut them
down. We’ll find out on
in Reeves when he played varsity as a sophomore.
“He is a quiet leader” Davenport said. “You always know he
Friday whether Belleville
can do the same.
is practicing hard. He has been a great surprise to us since he
was a sophomore.” Photo by Tom Perkins
Next up: Belleville will
be at Jackson Northwest at
Senior split end and cornerback Jacques Reeves is some- 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17.
PLEASE SEE REEVES/4-B thing to watch on the football field.
www.heritage.com
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Dexter Pioneer Napolean FROM THESE LOCAL
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