Cass Tech defeats Detroit King with late touchdown

De’mari Hendrix ran in the go-ahead touchdown with 14 seconds left on the clock

DETROIT — The Cass Tech Technicians (2-2) edged out the Detroit Martin Luther King Crusaders (1-3) 14-7 Friday night. Freshman Cass Tech running back De’mari Hendrix ran in the go-ahead touchdown with 14 seconds left on the clock.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with both offenses struggling to gain traction. Both defenses were stifling against the pass and were constantly in the backfield.

Cass Tech’s sophomore quarterback Corey Sadler Jr, one of the top athletes in the country for the class of 2026, stopped taking snaps in the first quarter after sustaining a leg injury. Sadler Jr. stayed in the game at receiver and defensive back and later returned under center, although it was mostly for read options. 

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Technicians nearly let it slip away

With just under five minutes left in the game, Cass Tech had a decision to make on fourth and goal from the five yard line. Junior Technician kicker George Sanchez-Murillo has a talented leg, but Cass Tech opted to go for it and got stuffed, leaving the game tied at seven.

Cass Tech stiffened its defense after allowing King to gain some yards on the ground, and it ultimately forced a punt. Sophomore. Sadler Jr. ripped off a 30-yard run to put the Technicians in scoring position with just under a minute to go. 

A few plays later, freshman Cass Tech running back De’mari Hendrix pounded in the go-ahead touchdown with 14 seconds left.

Sadler finished with over 150 total yards and a rushing touchdown, but he also had a long touchdown run called back in the fourth quarter. Sadler said he knew he had to show up for the Technicians.

“I knew I had to come through for the team,” Sadler Jr. said. “The team needs me and I need them. I knew it was time to make a big play. Big time players make big time plays, and I knew what I had to do.”

Defense galore

Friday night’s game was a defensive war, and King led 7-0 at halftime. Until the second half, Cass Tech couldn’t find any success on offense. Sophomore King receiver Michael Dukes III seemed to be the only Crusader finding success with the ball in their hands. 

Junior King running back Tayshawn Henry-Johnson caught their only touchdown of the game in the second quarter.

Sadler gave much of the credit to the defense after the win.

“The defense played wonderful,” Sadler Jr. said. “We watched a lot of film. We studied their film, and we knew exactly what they were running. We just did our job, everybody did their assignment and knew their alignment, and we just did what we were supposed to do.”

Detroit rivalry

Arguably the biggest game in the city every year, the Technicians came into this one having lost twice in a row to the Crusaders. Detroit Martin Luther King high school had a full house Friday night, and the energy on the field was palpable. As soon as the teams touched the field there was a scrum at the 50 yard line, and the teams had to be separated by security and police.

There was trash talking and big hits all night, but Cass Tech head coach Marvin Rushing said the win comes down to his team's preparation.

“This victory really comes down to Sunday. We went full pads on Sunday, we went full pads on Monday, (and) we went full pads on Tuesday,” Rushing said. “It was a physical week. I just felt we hadn’t been physical enough the first few weeks of the season. That’s something this young team has to learn, that the most disciplined, physical team usually wins.”

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