MOUNT PLEASANT — Here is reaction from Portland St. Patrick’s 36-15 victory over Deckerville in an 8-man Division 2 state semifinal on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Mount Pleasant High School

Player of the game

BRADY LEONARD, PORTLAND ST. PATRICK: The running back has had numerous big performances this season and added to that with three rushing touchdowns for the Shamrocks. He had 17 carries for 173 yards, which included touchdown runs of 1, 78 and 4 yards.

Key moment

Deckerville had an opportunity to tighten the game in the second quarter after getting an interception and then moving into Portland St. Patrick territory while down 14-0. But things changed quickly when Mason Simon had an interception — his first of the season — that the Shamrocks quickly capitalized on. Brady Leonard broke free for a 78-yard TD just after the interception to give the Shamrocks a 20-0 lead.  

What it means

Portland St. Patrick continues its bid for a perfect season, improving to 12-0 while advancing to the 8-man Division 2 state championship game slated for Saturday, Nov. 22 at the Superior Dome. The state title game appearance is the first for the Shamrocks since 2020.

Quotable

“It’s nice to take the (championship) belt from a team that won it last year and knowing that we’ve got a good shot next week. We’ve still got to come out and execute next week though because this wasn’t the championship.” Portland St. Patrick’s Jerryd Scheurer

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Four downs from Portland St. Patrick football’s state semifinal win