Mason Football: Back In The Semifinals Again

As great of a season that the Mason Bulldogs had last season (they finished 10-3 and won the school's first ever regional title), this year has been even better.  They are 12-0 entering Saturday's Division 3 semifinal matchup against defending state champion Detroit Martin Luther King at Westland John Glenn.  At 12-0, they are the area's only unbeaten team

So good in fact, you'd have to say that this team is the best in school history.  Mason won their second straight regional title last week with their 49-30 road victory at Trenton last Friday night.

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Their defense has allowed only 146 points in 12 games.  That's just over 12 points a game.  And they have a prolific offense led by their outstanding sophomore quarterback Cason Carswell.  Carswell played a lot last year and led the Bulldogs on their run to the semis last season.  Their regional final victory over Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice last season (where they scored in the final seconds to win 20-17) is the best win in school history.

Carswell has a lot of weapons to distribute the ball to.  Junior running back A.J. Martel has rushed for over 1,000 yards.  Receivers Kaleb Parrish, Derek Badgley, Colin Page, and Tyler Baker are all outstanding.

And they have depth, too.  Martel's backup at running back, Joe Oberlin, would start for a number of teams in the Lansing-area.  And Carswell's backup at QB, junior Nick Wells, would also start for a number of teams in the area.

And in typical Mason tradition, their offensive and defensive lines are big and strong.  And they have a good kicker in sophomore Collin Winters.  And that's another thing, they have experience.  But they also have experience with eligibility left.  Most of their skill position players are back next season.

But they'll have to face Dante Moore and the defending state champion Detroit Martin Luther King Crusaders.  King beat Mason last year in the semifinals 46-7.  King QB Dante Moore is an Oregon commit, and some recruiting services have him as the second-best high school QB in the nation behind Arch Manning (the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning).

It won't be easy, but with Mason having played them last year, they at least know what they're up against.  And the Bulldogs won't be afraid of them.  Detroit MLK is 8-3, but has played a brutally tough schedule.  It should be a great one at Westland John Glenn HS on Saturday.

Good luck to the Mason Bulldogs!