Division 4 final: Jacob DeHaan's big game lifts G.R. South Christian to state crown

Detroit — Jacob DeHaan showed his athleticism and poise by giving himself time by scrambling out of the pocket to make several big throws in leading Grand Rapids South Christian to a 28-0 victory over Goodrich Friday at Ford Field to win the Division 4 state championship.

South Christian (14-0) lifted the ultimate trophy in completing its unbeaten season while winning its fourth state championship and first since 2014.

Goodrich (12-2) looked to be well on its way to taking the early lead when it advanced inside the South Christian 23-yard line before the drive stalled when a running back was held to negative yardage, followed by two incomplete passes and a blocked field goal by Cam Post.

BOX SCORE: Grand Rapid South Christian 28, Goodrich 0

Post moved to left tackle to protect the blind side of DeHaan, who engineered a 97-yard drive, first dropping back in his end zone and finding Jake Vermaas at the South Christian 38. He then ran for another first down near midfield before connecting with Nate Brinks for 11 yards to get into Goodrich territory at the 38.

DeHaan wasn’t done, making sure South Christian would reach the end zone on the 12-play drive. After rushing for 15 yards to the Goodrich 20, he found Brinks in the right corner of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown toss on a third-and-goal play.

DeHaan was equally impressive on a 77-yard drive, first firing a sidearm pass to Vermaas on a third-and-8 play for 23 yards, then connecting again with Vermaas on a quick hitter over the middle that Vermaas turned into a 32-yard gainer. DeHaan capped the drive when he found Carson Vis, who got behind the linebacker, for a 23-yard score on a third-and-13 play with 5:48 left in the half for a 14-0 cushion.

“I wouldn’t be able to do it without the athletes and receivers around me and my O-line, which did great today,” DeHaan said. “It was just an all-team effort and it took all of our team every single play to get it done.”

South Christian’s defense was outstanding against a Goodrich team that put up big numbers in its previous two games — a 40-20 regional final win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and a 51-26 state semifinal victory over Riverview.

South Christian limited Goodrich to 91 total yards through three quarters while owning the 14-0 lead. DeHaan intercepted a pass from his secondary spot with 10:41 left at the South Christian 33.

After his interception, DeHaan quickly went up top and found Seth Ritsema down the right sideline for 50 yards to the Goodrich 17. The drive ended when DeHaan made a rare mistake, throwing a pass that was picked off by linebacker Easton Phipps at the 6.

DeHaan quickly made up for the miscue when he scored on a 54-yard run for a 21-0 cushion and Vermaas concluded the scoring with a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown.

DeHaan, who entered the game with 2,400 passing yards and 28 TDs to go along with 1,000 yards rushing and 14 TDs, showed his accuracy in the opening half by hitting on 10-of-14 passes for 177 yards and two TDs. South Christian held a 207-59 advantage in total yards against Goodrich, which was competing in its first state title game.

Goodrich forced an early turnover in the opening minute of the second half when defensive back Owen Deciechi stripped the South Christian receiver of the ball after a short pass and Goodrich recovered at the South Christian 40.

Goodrich failed to take advantage of short field and punted the ball back to South Christian.

DeHaan finished with 266 yards passing (14-of-21), 99 yards rushing (12 carries) and three total touchdowns.

david.goricki@detroitnews.com