RIVERVIEW >> High school football is usually reserved for Friday nights. But on this particular Thursday, Dearborn Advanced Tech Academy and Arts & Technology Academy of Pontiac met up in primetime at Riverview Gabriel Richard to conclude the regular season.

On a cold night, the Lakers and Lions played a physical contest with one another. But in the end, it was Tech prevailing with a 34-12 victory to formally secure their spot in the upcoming MHSAA playoffs.“I felt like the atmosphere and how our kids played, representing the ATA brand of football, was outstanding man,” Tech head coach Lonnie Burkes said. “To see the hard work these young men put in all year long, pay off tonight, was incredible.

“We only have four seniors too, so it is only getting better.”

Like the weather, the offenses for both teams started off cold on Thursday. However, it was the Tech defense starting hot.

Less than three minutes in, Cobey Cureton picked off a pass from ATAP quarterback James Harlan and took it 80 yards to the house for the game’s first score. A two-point conversion was good to put the Lakers up 8-0 early.

The de facto hosts tacked onto their lead late in the first half. With 1:29 to go, it was quarterback Latrell Mason scampering in from 18 yards out, extending the Laker lead to 14-0.

Just when it looked like ATA was going to be up two scores going into the halftime break, the Lions eventually made a scoring push themselves.

A two-minute drill drive resulted in a touchdown when Harlan hit Kahlif Stoval for 18 yards and a touchdown, cutting the visitors’ deficit to 14-6 into halftime.

That was as close as the folks from Pontiac would get as Tech went on to score 20 unanswered in the third quarter to pull away.

The second-half scoring for the Lakers included two more Mason touchdowns, one on the ground from three yards out along with an 18-yard pass to Armhian Goff. Then later on, it was Christian Calloway running one in from seven yards out.

Tech carried a 34-6 lead midway into the fourth quarter.

ATAP was able to muster up one more score when Jordan Hardiman scampered in from three yards out, but the early deficit was too much to overcome for the Lions.

“We didn’t match our opponents intensity to start, but once we got started, and playing Laker football, I felt like they couldn’t stop us,” Burkes explained. “On defense, we prepared very well to take care of business tonight.”

Up next

The rest of the Week 9 slate of games around the state will wrap up on Friday and Saturday. The MHSAA will then formally release the playoff pairings for all eight 11-man divisions and both 8-man divisions on Sunday, October 27.

Tech (6-3), who will be part of the postseason in Division 6 for the first time in its brief six-year history as a program, will await their fate on Selection Sunday.

For Burkes, the mission stays the same.

“We are going to do it like we always do,” Burkes concluded. “Prepare hard during the week and come out here and play for 48 minutes. We are going to leave it all on the line while playing Laker style of football.”

Meanwhile despite the loss, ATAP (3-6) for the time being holds on to the 32nd and final spot in the Division 8 field. The Lions, however, would need a considerable amount of help to stay locked into the playoffs, which would mark their second straight appearance in just their fourth year of fielding football at the school.

The MHSAA Selection Show is scheduled to take place on Sunday at 4:30 pm and can be viewed on the newly-rebranded Fanduel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports Detroit).