Jai'Von Plowden breaks free to lift Detroit Edison to MHSAA district title

Jai'Von Plowden refused to go down until he had the wooden mitten trophy in his hands.

In a back-and-forth Division 6 district final against Clinton, the Detroit Edison senior running back made sure he produced the final play Saturday, Nov. 7.

After Clinton had taken a lead with 6:48 left, Plowden broke free for an 81-yard touchdown, giving Edison (10-1) the lead in its 26-24 win over Clinton (9-2) in a showdown between two top-5 Division 6 teams in an MHSAA district final at Edison High School.

On a shotgun handoff up the middle, Plowden burst into the second level, cut hard toward the right sideline and then outran everyone.

"Really, I was just scared to lose," Plowden said. "It was just, don't go down. I balanced myself. Usually, I'm always getting caught. But, I haven't been caught since Week 1. I don't want to be caught anymore. I want to be known as 'him.'"

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Clinton picked up two first downs on the ensuing drive, but Edison's defense finally found a stop. The Redwolves scored touchdowns on their first three drives of the second half, led by great running out of the power-T from Bronson Whelan, Braxton Randolph and Gradyn Whelan.

But on the final drive, Edison defensive end London Lester had a sack and tackle for loss, and Khalil Richmond also got home for a sack. On fourth-and-forever, Clinton's deep shot fell incomplete.

"We didn't call it different," Edison coach Chanterius Brock said. "Maybe we just had to catch our second wind a little bit. Against a good, disciplined offense like [Clinton], it comes down to execution, playing harder and just wanting it more. That's what came out. We were desperate."

Edison burned the final 1:50 – kept by hand by referees on the field because of scoreboard clock issues – to win its third district in the past four years and first on its home field.

"It was excitement, tears of joy," said Plowden, who took a moment to gather his emotions before joining the postgame handshake line. "We've put so much work in. It feels like we are getting what we deserve, so it made me so happy to see my team happy and see their joy."

Edison built a two-touchdown lead before Clinton whittled it away. The Pioneers struck on three long touchdowns and another big chunk before a fourth, showcasing the explosive talent all around the offense.

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Plowden had the 82-yard touchdown run and another long run called back in the first quarter. Senior quarterback Myles Matlock connected with senior Andre Neal Jr. (Ferris State) for an 82-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half, and connected with Mekhi James-Davis (Ferris State) on a 73-yard touchdown. Neal set up his second touchdown catch, from 10 yards, by hauling in a 37-yard catch on a contested fade down the sidelines.

"We had to be in the moment and take advantage of the moment," Matlock said. "And we executed when we had to."

Edison will now play its first home regional game in school history, next Saturday in a rematch against Ecorse. DEPSA beat Ecorse 30-20 in Week 8 to win the Charter School Conference championship behind a big performance from Neal.

"It means a lot because a lot goes into this," Brock said. "We talk about investing time into it, not spending time. You invest the time because you respect the return. Now, we are getting a return on our investment. Our kids worked extremely hard for this."

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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.