DETROIT, MI (10-16-26) – Cass Tech overcame a two-touchdown deficit and stopped a late two-point conversion attempt to defeat rival Martin Luther King Jr. High School, 21–20, in Friday’s Detroit Public School League Blue Division championship at Ford Field.

The Technicians improved to 8–0, captured their fifth consecutive city championship and completed a season sweep of the Crusaders, who fell to 6–2.

Junior quarterback Donald Tabron II (#8) and sophomore receiver Peyton Robinson (#10) helped drive the comeback. Tabron completed 14 of 19 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, both to Robinson.

Trailing 14–0 late in the second quarter, Cass Tech converted fourth-and-goal when Tabron connected with Robinson for an eight-yard touchdown. The score cut King’s lead in half before the break.

Junior running back Julian Taylor (#7) added a five-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to help tie the game at 14. Following a King turnover, Tabron found Robinson for a 29-yard touchdown on fourth-and-six, giving Cass Tech its first lead with 9:23 remaining.

Defensive Plays Turn the Game

Cass Tech’s defense supplied crucial opportunities for the comeback. Senior defensive lineman Martez Livingston (#44) recorded a fourth-down sack to end a King scoring threat in the third quarter. Junior defensive back Kaden Johnson (#11) recovered a fourth-quarter fumble at the King 33-yard line, setting up the go-ahead touchdown.

The Technicians then delivered the decisive stand after King scored late. A false start pushed the Crusaders back on their two-point conversion attempt, and pressure forced an incomplete pass.

King’s defense also played a major role, keeping Cass Tech scoreless on its first four possessions. Senior defensive backs Darryl Flemister III (#3) and Don Spillers (#4) were among the established talents in a unit that helped the Crusaders control much of the first half.

King’s Offensive Standouts

Running back Willie Walker (#21) supplied two of King’s biggest plays: a 68-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter and a late touchdown run that brought the Crusaders within one point.

Quarterback Amir Forris (#2) helped King build its early advantage and directed the final scoring drive, which included two fourth-down conversions. Receiver Jeremiah Sims (#14) contributed a 32-yard reception during King’s opening touchdown drive.

The Crusaders’ strong start and late response kept the championship in doubt until the closing minutes.

College Commitments and Recruiting Interest

Several players in the rivalry are already attracting attention beyond Michigan high school football.

Tabron has verbally committed to Texas A&M, choosing the Aggies over finalists LSU and Oregon. Cass Tech senior linebacker Collin Sumpter (#4) has committed to Miami University in Ohio.

King’s senior class includes two Big Ten commitments: Flemister has pledged to Illinois, while Spillers has committed to Michigan State.

Among Cass Tech’s younger prospects, Robinson has reported scholarship offers from Michigan, Purdue, Kentucky, Western Michigan and Bowling Green. Taylor’s reported offers include Purdue, Ohio and Miami University.

Those offers represent college opportunities rather than commitments. For the Technicians, Friday’s immediate reward was another city championship, earned through a comeback against a rival that challenged them throughout the night.