Football: Salem Tops Livonia Stevenson in Rescheduled Morning Game

After being rescheduled twice, Salem and Livonia Stevenson finally were able to kick off off Saturday morning at Plymouth-Canton's varsity field.

got off to a 28-7 lead, but some costly turnovers in what Salem coach Kurt Britnell called a "sloppy" second half allowed Stevenson back in the game before Salem ultimately held on for a 28-27 win.

The Rocks came up with a crucial stop after a late Stevenson score within the final 1:30 of the game. Stevenson went for a two-point conversion to take the lead, but it fell short, preserving the Rocks' 28-27 lead.

Salem held on for the win, its first back-to-back victory since 1994 and its first win over Stevenson since 1998, Britnell said.

"It was ugly," Britnell said. "But for us, a win is a win is a win."

With the win, Salem improves to 3-4 on the season, still very much alive in the playoff hunt.

Salem was led by senior running backs Marcus Houston, who rushed for 127 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries and Nick Troher, who ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

Junior quarterback Jacob Duprez was 7-for-15, throwing for 83 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Senior wide received Evian Pardo had three catches for 51 yards, including a touchdown reception.

The game originally was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at the adjacent grass JV field, just before the start of the Plymouth-Canton game on the varsity field, but it was moved up to 4:30 p.m. to alleviate security and traffic concerns.

Late in the week, however, the game was moved yet again, this time to Saturday morning and to the turf varsity field.

Salem beat Livonia Stevenson in a hotly contested 28-27 matchup. Salem wins its second straight and improves to 3-4.