MHSAA D-4 Football Final: Dearborn Divine Child Edges Hudsonville Unity Christian 23-22

In a thrilling conclusion to the Michigan high school football Division 4 state championship game, Dearborn Divine Child managed to hold on and secure a 23-22 victory over Hudsonville Unity Christian at Ford Field on Friday afternoon. This win marked a significant moment for Divine Child, as it was their first state championship since 1985 and their third overall.

The game saw Divine Child (13-1) take a 23-16 lead late in the contest after a crucial touchdown run by Marcello Vitti. Vitti showcased his determination and skill by breaking multiple tackles during the score. He then added to the lead with a successful two-point conversion, further extending the advantage.

However, Unity Christian (12-2) refused to go down without a fight. The team drove down the field and scored a touchdown on a run by Justin Febus. Despite this, Divine Child's Adam Garcia made a critical play by intercepting the 2-point conversion attempt, keeping the lead at just one point.

As the clock continued to tick down, Divine Child faced a tense moment when Vitti fumbled the ball while attempting to run out the clock. Unity Christian recovered the fumble and had a chance to take the lead. However, Divine Child's defense rose to the occasion, stopping a fake punt attempt and regaining possession of the ball.

With the ball back in their hands, Divine Child methodically ran out the remaining time on the clock, sealing their victory and capturing their first state title in nearly four decades.

Vitti was a standout player for Divine Child, recording 19 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown. On defense, he also contributed 14 tackles. Quarterback Drew Sheridan played a pivotal role, completing 19 of 25 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns to Antonio Solares-Vitti.

Jared DeVries and Febus each scored touchdowns for Unity Christian, but their efforts were not enough to overcome the resilient defense of Divine Child.

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Check out the game recap for the Division 4 state championship game at Ford Field below.

Dearborn Divine Child vs Hudsonville Unity Christian Division 4 state championship live updates, game highlights

Final: Dearborn Divine Child 23, Hudsonville Unity Christian 22

Divine Child ran out the clock by picking up two first downs in the final three minutes. Divine Child won the program's first state championship since 1985. Drew Sheridan completed 19 of 25 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns to Antonio Solares-Vitti. Marcello Vitti had 19 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown plus 14 tackles from his spot at safety.

Unity Christian's Lucas Elliott had 17 carries for 115 yards, followed by Jared DeVries with 18 carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Justin Febus had 11 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, plus two completions for 27 yards.

Divine Child defense forces turnover on downs

Divine Child 23, Unity Christian 22, 3:38 4Q.

Unity Christian only gained two yards on three offensive plays and sent out the punt unit. The Crusaders faked the punt, but the pass was too high for an open target, giving Divine Child the ball back at the Unity Christian 46 with 3:38 left while nursing a 1-point lead.

Divine Child fumbles, Unity Christian recovers

Divine Child 23, Unity Christian 22, 4:57 4Q.

Unity Christian forced a massive turnover late. Divine Child ran the ball with Marcello Vitti on every play to milk the clock, but Unity Christian punched the ball out of Vitti's hands and Josh Bremer jumped on the loose ball. Unity Christian takes over at its own 44 with just under five minutes left.

Jared DeVries scores Unity Christian TD, 2-point conversion fails

Divine Child 23, Unity Christian 22, 6:44 4Q.

Unity Christian's high-tempo, T-formation offense cut through the Divine Child defense like a knife through butter. DeVries scored a 2-yard touchdown untouched for his second touchdown. Lucas Elliott had a 15-yard run and Josh Bremer had a 13-yard run for the two longest plays of the drive.

Unity Christian lined up for an extra point but faked it, but Divine Child's Adam Garcia intercepted the pass to maintain a 1-point lead for the Falcons entering the final stretch.

Marcello Vitti TD run gives Divine Child 7-point lead

Divine Child 23, Unity Christian 16, 10:25 4Q.

Marcello Vitti could not be denied. The senior Divine Child running back ran through multiple defenders for a 5-yard touchdown. Then, he caught a pass on the 2-point attempt and broke three tackles to break the plain from five yards out, pushing the lead to seven points.

Marcello Vitti started the drive with two runs for 18 yards. Drew Sheridan then dialed up a deep shot to Rayshawn Thomas. The call on the field was initially ruled incomplete, but Divine Child challenged the ruling and it was overturned to a 37-yard completion down to Unity Christian's 5-yard line.

Justin Febus scores rushing TD for Unity Christian to take lead

Unity Christian 16, Divine Child 15, 11:32 4Q.

The Crusaders converted on this red zone trip with a Febus bootleg run for a 4-yard touchdown. The Unity Christian scoring drive was 15 plays spanning 70 yards. Every play on the drive was a run, with the longest going for 14 yards. Jared DeVries scored on an off-tackle run for a successful 2-point conversion to give Unity Christian a 1-point lead.

End of 3Q: Divine Child 15, Unity Christian 8

Unity Christian forced a three-and-out following the interception to get the ball right back at its own 30. The Crusaders have methodically driven down the field with a plethora of runs. Unity Christian has second-and-goal from the Divine Child 8-yard line to start the fourth quarter.

Divine Child's Giancarlo Vitti intercepts Unity Christian's Justin Febus

Divine Child 15, Unity Christian 8, 6:20 3Q.

A holding penalty proved costly for Unity Christian. The Crusaders marched down the field and seemingly found the end zone on a Febus touchdown run, but the referees waved it off for holding. On the next play, the Crusaders dialed up a play-action pass, but Giancarlo Vitti undercut the corner route and intercepted the pass inside his own 5-yard line. Jared DeVries and Lucas Elliott had two runs combined for 54 yards to reach the red zone.

Divine Child misses field goal

Divine Child 15, Unity Christian 8, 9:30 3Q.

Divine Child returned the second half kickoff to its own 46, and quickly reached scoring position again thanks to a few big runs from Marcello Vitti. The Falcons couldn't connect on two passes from the 13-yard line, and settled for a field goal. Lucas Rollan's 30-yard attempt went wide left.

Halftime: Divine Child 15, Unity Christian 8

Dearborn Divine Child holds a touchdown lead at halftime. Both Divine Child and Unity Christian had three possessions in the first half. The Falcons receive the second-half opening kick.

Divine Child quarterback Drew Sheridan has completed 14 of 17 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Antonio Solares-Vitti has six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Four other Falcons have at least one reception, including Giancarlo Vitti with three for 35 yards. Marcello Vitti has five carries for 25 yards.

Unity Christian has run the ball 30 times compared to three pass plays. Joshua Bremer has eight carries for 41 yards, Lucas Elliott has seven carries for 31 yards, Justin Febus has seven carries for 30 yards and Jared DeVries has seven carries for 27 yards and a touchdown.

Divine Child takes lead on Antonio Solares-Vitti's 2nd TD catch

Divine Child 15, Unity Christian 8, 0:17 2Q.

Divine Child snuck in a touchdown just before halftime. The Falcons drove 55 yards in nine plays, ending with Drew Sheridan hitting Solares-Vitti on a perfectly run pivot route at the goal line for his second touchdown of the first half. Divine Child gained 52 of its 55 yards through the air on four completed passes by Sheridan.

Divine Child produced the first punt after its touchdown, forcing Unity Christian into a three-and-out. The Falcons defense stuffed three straight runs to get the ball back for the first half's final possession.

Divine Child answers with Antonio Solares-Vitti TD catch

Unity Christian 8, Divine Child 8, 5:02 2Q.

Divine Child had a perfect answer to Unity Christian's touchdown. Drew Sheridan shredded the Unity Christian defense on the drive, completing all five pass attempts for 74 yards on the eight-play drive. He frequently connected with his receivers on run-pass option plays and converted a third-and-16 by finding Solares-Vitti for 26 yards. Sheridan hit Solares-Vitti on a slant for a 13-yard touchdown, and then Marcello Vitti scored the 2-point conversion on a wildcat run.

Unity Christian strikes first with Jared DeVries TD

Unity Christian 8, Divine Child 0, 9:08 2Q.

Unity Christian found the end zone first with a 4-yard Jared DeVries rushing touchdown. The Crusaders drove 86 yards on the 15-play drive featuring 14 running plays. DeVries also converted the 2-point conversion with an off-tackle run for an 8-point lead. DeVries, fullback Josh Bremer and quarterback Justin Febus were the main ballcarriers on the long Unity Christian scoring drive.

End of 1Q: D-4 title game tied at 0

12 minutes have been played and no points have been scored. Both Divine Child and Unity Christian's opening drives ate up clock and ended with a turnover on downs. The Crusaders have first-and-10 from their own 41 to start the second quarter.

Divine Child turns it over on downs on opening drive

Divine Child 0, Unity Christian 0, 2:06 1Q.

The opening drives for both teams ended with a turnover on downs inside the red zone. Divine Child quickly moved down the field with five completed passes by Drew Sheridan for a total of 58 yards. However, Divine Child fumbled a snap inside the 20, setting up a third and long. The Falcons picked up 10 yards to get to fourth-and-5, but Sheridan's pass to Marcello Vitti was off target.

Unity Christian turns it over on downs on opening drive

Divine Child 0, Unity Christian 0, 7:03 1Q.

Unity Christian kept the offense on the field for fourth-and-10. Quarterback Justin Febus completed a pass to Carter Scholten, but only gained 8 yards on the play, giving Divine Child the ball at its own 19. The Crusaders ran the ball 12 times for 53 yards on the opening drive, but a false start penalty put them behind the sticks.

Unity Christian set to receive opening kickoff

Unity Christian's offense will take the field first. Divine Child won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half.

Kickoff set for slightly after 12:30

Due to the Division 8 state title game running slightly long, the scheduled kickoff time for the Division 4 championship game is 12:35, according to the countdown clocks inside Ford Field.

Division 4 title available to stream on NFHS Network

To watch the Division 4 state championship between Dearborn Divine Child and Hudsonville Unity Christian, the game will be streamed online through the NFHS Network. The games will not be available on cable as in years past.

Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. following the conclusion of the Division 8 championship between Harbor Beach and Hudson.

Division 4 state championship kickoff time, streaming option

• Start time: 12:30 p.m.
• Streaming: NFHS Network.
• TV channel: None.
• Tickets: Tickets can be purchased at Ford Field or online on the MHSAA website. Tickets cost $20 and get you access to all four championship games on Friday.

THE SCHEDULE: Michigan high school football state finals game schedule at Ford Field

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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MHSAA football D-4 state finals: Dearborn Divine Child edges Hudsonville Unity Christian 23-22

This championship game highlighted the intense competition and dedication of both teams. Unity Christian, making their third appearance in the title game, came close but fell short in their bid for a state championship. For Divine Child, this victory marks a historic achievement and a testament to their hard work and perseverance throughout the season.

The game served as a reminder of the passion and excitement that high school football brings to communities across Michigan. Fans witnessed a dramatic finish that will be remembered for years to come.