Orchard Lake St. Mary’s wins thriller over Groves to earn state semifinal win

Forty-eight minutes wasn’t enough to determine a winner in Saturday’s D2 football state semifinal between Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Birmingham Groves.

The two teams entered the game both ranked in the top 15 of The D Zone rankings, and they lived up to the hype. The Eaglets ultimately earned a 28-27 win to earn a shot at the state title next week at Ford Field.

After regulation, the two teams were dead-locked at 21 apiece. Groves struck first in overtime, but were unable to convert their two-point conversion.

That left the door open enough for the Eaglets to walk right through.

OLSM star Bryson Williams punched home a 10-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game 27-27 with only an extra point needed to win.

The Eaglets drilled the kick, sending them back to the state finals for the first time since winning it all in 2016.

OLSM (10-3) will now play Byron Center (12-1) next week at Ford Field for the chance to claim the D2 state crown.